This Article is for Me

In Matthew 7:5 Jesus gives us a command: "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye”.

I think it is high time I start taking that literally.

Now before you think I have terrible woodshop safety, understand what I mean by literally. We use that word badly. This passage is figurative language and it is to be understood that way but it’s revealing a very exacting truth we all need to be doing. Before we say anything to another about their faults we need to clean up our own.

Years ago when I read Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends And Influence People, he said, “talk about your own mistakes before you criticize another”. Jordan Peterson sixth rule in his recent book 12 Rules for Life is “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world” It’s the same idea of what Jesus is saying here.

Yet today we just fail to do it. We jump on the attack wagon without regard to what we are dragging along with us. Society is quick to find fault and place blame even if that fault and blame can very easily boomerang right back on them. So what’s the solution?

Take out the log before you set to fix the speck. Spend as much time fixing yourself as you try to fix others. Don’t file a complaint until you are ready to provide a solution. List your own fault before you tally others.

This command has to be for me before I ask anyone else to do it.

Comments

The Gift You Give Yourself

I always hated buying gifts for my Mom. If I got her something like a new set of pans, it was like saying “Here’s something you can use to go make me something to eat”. A gift for her was seemingly a gift for me. There are however gifts you give that benefit you more than the receiver. For example, forgiveness. When you give it, you are giving it to yourself as much as you are giving it to them. Jesus said that when we forgive others it means God is forgiving us our wrongs (Matthew 6:14-15). I once read: “ Heaven is where everyone's forgiven. Hell is where nobody's forgiven. So, when we forgive we pull heaven down into our lives. When we withhold forgiveness, we pull hell up into our lives ” Give yourself something nice today, Forgive.

Desire

Is it wrong to want something? I guess it depends on what we want. The Greek language had a word ‘ orego ’ that meant “to stretch oneself out in order to touch or grasp something, often used metaphorically to denote a strong desire or aspiration for something”. Paul uses this word in 1st Timothy as a good thing (to be an elder 3:1) and a bad thing (longing for money 6:10). Our desires oftentimes define who we are. They motivate us to action. They are the focus of our minds and actions. And they can be both good and bad. Sometimes we want something better and we run over people to get it. Sometimes, we want something better so we will strive to improve ourselves. Sometimes we see people with nothing they want and we envy them. Other people will see with no desire and we pity them. We need to desire good things. Be willing to work to get them. Care enough to try. We need to not desire bad things. Be willing to forgo o...

Until Midnight

In Acts 20, there is the tragicomic event surrounding a young man by the name of Eutychus. He did what a lot of folks before and after him did, he fell asleep during a sermon. Unfortunately, he was setting in in the third story window at the time. So instead of nodding off and hitting the pew in front of him, he fell to his death. The good news was the apostle Paul was delivering the sermon and had the ability to bring him back. I don’t know, however, if we can judge Eutychus too harshly. The sermon had gone on till midnight. Paul wouldn’t finish it up till daybreak. That’s a long lesson. I know some folks that might want to jump out of a window if I had a lesson that long, yet these Christians wanted to be there to hear Paul. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pushing for all night sermons but I think we might need to adopt these folks' dedication. They knew that Paul was only in town for a limited time only and they were determined to ...

Ecclesiastes 12:10

Search This Blog