LOOK INWARD BEFORE OUTWARD

 

LOOK INWARD BEFORE OUTWARD

Luke 6:42 “How can you think of saying, ‘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 from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” NLT

It is easy to judge another without first judging ourselves. In fact, we do it most of the time. We seldom stop and pray about our own sins before we point out the sins in others. I wonder what would be different if we were to do as Jesus instructs us to in this verse today. I imagine that things would be quite a bit different. I believe we would be a whole lot less likely to point fingers at one another and much more willing to let some things go that we latch onto.

When was the last time you actually paused to take a serious look inward before you looked outward at others? Have you paused to pray about your sins before you talked to others about theirs? Have you ever considered what you might have done if you had been in the other person's shoes? What have you done that you have not confessed to the Lord about yet?

The Lord makes it very clear that when we judge others without first purifying our own souls of sin, we are nothing but hypocrites. I suspect many church disputes and church discipline issues would be resolved much more quickly and amicably if we were to remember this instruction and practice it.