As I reflect upon my life, there were many times I sinned not thinking it was a sin. It was easier to see the wrong done to me. Jesus said, "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (Matt. 7:3) "Brother" in this scripture refers to another person who believes in Jesus. A person who is part of the same ‘family’ of God’s people.
Jesus uses a deliberately extreme image in this passage--that of a plank in somebody's eye, to make a point about the human impulse to judge others while ignoring our own faults. Jesus is telling us to tend to our own flaws before we get too upset about others'.
Does this mean we can criticize those who are not our brothers in Christ? NO! As children, we were taught "The Golden Rule". Jesus summed up "The Golden Rule" in two phrases -- love God, and love your neighbor. The lesson learned here is that we are to put the needs of others before our own. (Matt. 22:37-40) Just think about how profoundly this attitude would change the world if just all Christians carried this out!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment