Do I Judge You or Me?

From Matthew 7:1-3, 5-- “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  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? …..First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
 
I came across this reading that a marriage counselor shared and it is so very appropriate for this Sunday as we come forward to receive communion.  Think on these words as we receive the gift Jesus gave us and ask Him to “forgive our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”
 
“It is easy for us to identify the failures of our mates, but more difficult to admit our own.  When couples come to me for counseling, I often give each individual a sheet of paper and ask them to list their spouse’s faults.  They will write profusely for ten or fifteen minutes—some even ask for more paper. J
 
Then I ask them to make a list of their own faults.  Most people can think of one, but I have seen them sit there and sit there trying to think of a second.  We see twenty-seven things wrong with our spouse, but we may only have one to four on our own list.
 
We tend to see ourselves through rose-colored glasses.  Our faults do not look very big to us because we are used to them.  We have lived with them for years.  Naturally, then, we attribute the real problem to our mate’s behavior.  But Jesus warned us not to judge each other, because the level of criticism we use against others will be used against us.  He told us to first get the plank out of our own eye.  Once we’ve done that, we can see more clearly to help our mate deal with his or her faults.
 
When it comes to seeking genuine reconciliation with our mate, admitting our own failure is the first step.”
 
As we continue in this Lenten journey, think on the above message.  On the cross, we hear Jesus Himself say, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do…..”  Forgiveness is so very important for we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Ask Jesus to forgive your sins, ask for forgiveness from those you have sinned against, and begin a new walk in your faith journey as you receive the blessed assurance of eternal life through Christ our Lord!
Love in Him…..Pastor Allan
 
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