BY LARALOVE
“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Mt. 7:3-5
I can recognize a finger-pointer in a heartbeat. I spent so many years being one that I can spot one in a flash. Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s the person who is so focused on pointing the finger at the other person’s sins that he or she can’t see his or her own and won’t do anything about his or her own. It’s the person who even if she acknowledges his or her sin excuses away his or her own wrongdoing by judging and condemning the other person for his or her sin and decides that the other person’s sin is worse and thereby is the perfect justification to continue in one’s own sin.
Is the Spirit of Christ bringing a feeling of conviction to you right now? Can you relate? Have you been so blaming someone else for his or her sin that you refuse to deal with your own?
No matter whether the other person ever acknowledges his or sin and chooses to seek God’s forgiveness and seek our forgiveness and chooses to get rid of the sin, we are responsible for doing something about our own sin against God and others. We need to seek the Lord’s forgiveness. We need to seek other people’s forgiveness. And we need to make changes in our own lives. We need to turn away from our own sin.
We are not called to criticize, judge, condemn, and control others in response to their sin. We are called to love and forgive, to show mercy and grace, to confront in love if and when the Lord leads us, to pray for and encourage, and to take responsibility for our own hearts and lives so we live in a way pleasing and honoring to Christ.
If you’re pointing the finger at the people and world around you because of their sin, drop your finger pointing, let the Lord be the judge, and stop making excuses for your own sin because of others’ wrongdoing.
Turn away from your own sin, turn to the Lord, and go forth in His will and His ways for His purpose and His glory – free from finger pointing as you walk day by day in Christ’s love.
Courtesy of DAILY INSPIRATION
