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? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matt. 7:1-5
Dear Lord Jesus, when I rubbed my irritated eyes this morning, I soon realized it was not a speck of dust but a rough-hewn board stuck there. Just because I don’t throw things or scream and yell doesn’t mean I’m not a critical person. Condescending coolness is just a synonym for clanging cymbals (1 Cor. 13:1). Have mercy on me, Jesus. You are so forbearing, kind, and gracious. Have mercy on me, the self-righteous sinner.
My self-righteousness usually shows up not in trying to merit more of your love, but in withholding your love from others. The dark irony is that the sins that offend me most in others are the very sins most pronounced in my own life—a lack of mercy, preoccupation with oneself, a critical spirit . . . I wish those were …
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