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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion The Log in Your Eye January 8, 2010 |
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Frontline Devotion for Friday, January 8, 2010 by Mike
Martine
Reprinted from November 18, 2005
Luke 6: 42 “First take the log out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.”
This statement, which reveals the sense of humor of Jesus, is one of my favorite passages of scripture.
It’s not that this passage makes me think a lot of deep and holy thoughts, it’s simply the fact that it is so dead-on. So often in my life, when I’ve opened my mouth to criticize, I’ve been packing serious optical lumber. Guilty of the same offense, or an offense similar to, the one I have chosen to criticize in someone else.
I think that one of the incredible dangers of our society is this: we tend to judge people (and issues) in an all-or-nothing matter. For example: either a person is prejudiced or not. If they are prejudiced, they are completely prejudiced, if they are not, they are beyond reproach.
Human sin simply doesn’t work that way—it’s almost never an “all or nothing.” Some human beings are obviously prejudiced towards others, but almost no human being is free from some kind of dislike towards some members of the human family. We all sin; we all pack that “optical lumber”; and the assertion that our society makes—that either you “are” or you “aren’t” prejudiced is foolish and shortsighted.
Jesus said, “Judge not, that you will not be judged.” That’s his more serious restatement of “take the log out of your eye…” The safest—and holiest—course in life is to simply NOT judge. To live and let live and not interfere unless true injustice or harm is being brought upon others by the actions you observe.
One way I have found that helps me in this is the following. When I see another’s sin on display I ask myself, “When have I done what they are doing? When have I thought about doing it?” (For example, maybe you didn’t run off with the neighbor’s wife, but have you always been immune to thoughts about people other than your spouse?)
When you do this, and do it very honestly, you find a lot less occasion to open your mouth. And your eyesight improves a little as well.