The Plank

Here's a little something that I wrote in June, 2009:

Matthew 7:1-5
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

The above passage is one that I am constantly working on in my life, and I wanted to examine it more closely with you.  Have you fallen into the same trap that I have?  The one that speaks lies into your mind.  She is so hard on others.  She doesn’t dress well.  They certainly do yell a lot.  What awful language they’re using.  He shouldn’t be cutting people off in traffic.  Have any thoughts like those ever crossed your mind?  If I’m honest, thoughts of that nature have certainly crossed mine.  And the fact of the matter is that I could probably say some of those very things about myself.  So why is it that I’m so quick to judge others on matters that I practice in my own life?  Maybe I don’t want to look at the truth and face up to it.  Maybe I want to leave that “little” plank buried right where it is.  Or maybe I’m too lazy to be willing to find a way to change that thing in myself that I seem to find so dreadful in others.
When I catch myself in this place where I’m doling out judgment to those that are undeserving of it (we are not to judge others anyway), I realize that I need to examine myself and come before God and ask for His help and His forgiveness.  I am not now nor have I ever been nor will I ever be perfect.  I must be willing to step out and remove my plank before I can even begin to have any right to be able to help my sister with her speck.  I just want to say that it is, at times, a difficult place to go to when I realize that the whole time I’ve been passing judgment I should have been falling down on my knees and asking God to help me with my own habits and fleshly behavior.  I pray that each of you will consider your thoughts about others next time before you think harshly of them too quickly without examining yourself first.

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