•Thursday, April 26, 2012
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” Matthew 7:3-5 NLT
Jesus paints a graphic visual with this little object lesson. Imagine a guy with his eye gouged out by a wood chip standing in front of you with tweezers, saying, “Hey, need help getting that splinter out of your eye?” The idea is not only ridiculous, but disturbing. He can’t possibly see through the damaged tissue, not to mention the obstruction of the wooden fragment, to carefully remove a tiny speck from your eye! He’s simply not qualified to perform that sort of precise and delicate work.
You know the people who exemplify this kind of hypocrisy. They are so convinced of their own well-being that they feel competent to offer counsel or criticism to others. While it may be perfectly obvious to us, they are blinded to the reality of their own shortcomings or sins. They sit back in their created world of illusionary perfection and dispense opinions graciously to those they view in need.
No one is without sin. But it’s a lot easier to take advice from some who practices what they preach. The coward may teach of bravery or a liar of truth, but their messages are invalidated by the speaker’s lifestyle.
It is wise for all of us to pray with the same humility and courage as David: “Search me, O God, and know my heart… Point out anything in me that offends you…” And if you speak with the voice of experience, it is better to confess it than to risk looking like a hypocrite.
Jesus paints a graphic visual with this little object lesson. Imagine a guy with his eye gouged out by a wood chip standing in front of you with tweezers, saying, “Hey, need help getting that splinter out of your eye?” The idea is not only ridiculous, but disturbing. He can’t possibly see through the damaged tissue, not to mention the obstruction of the wooden fragment, to carefully remove a tiny speck from your eye! He’s simply not qualified to perform that sort of precise and delicate work.
You know the people who exemplify this kind of hypocrisy. They are so convinced of their own well-being that they feel competent to offer counsel or criticism to others. While it may be perfectly obvious to us, they are blinded to the reality of their own shortcomings or sins. They sit back in their created world of illusionary perfection and dispense opinions graciously to those they view in need.
No one is without sin. But it’s a lot easier to take advice from some who practices what they preach. The coward may teach of bravery or a liar of truth, but their messages are invalidated by the speaker’s lifestyle.
It is wise for all of us to pray with the same humility and courage as David: “Search me, O God, and know my heart… Point out anything in me that offends you…” And if you speak with the voice of experience, it is better to confess it than to risk looking like a hypocrite.
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1 comments:
Rebekah! You have done it again! I so look forward to reading your post every Thursday! This one is amazing and true. So many people struggle with this or skip over these verses in their daily bible study. Its not a hard concept to understand its a hard concept to live out. But with God all things are possible and if everyone ask, prays, seeks, God will provide the means to succeed.