Matthew 7:3-5. Do not be a Speck remover, but a Plank remover
Matthew 7:3-5
New King James Version (NKJV)
3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 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? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Been doing a lot of thinking lately about life, and things I see in life ever since hearing about a situation that happened last week. The situation took me back, and really got me thinking about this area of Scripture. The reason this Scripture came to me was because, one person involved in what happened was out trying to pick specks out of others eyes, however they had not dealt with the plank in their own life. It got me thinking about my own life and how often I do the same thing in my life. As I thought on this topic, I looked at Facebook posts and listened to people talk (mainly at work), and I saw a pattern emerge. I saw people focusing on specks in other people's eyes, while the 'speck seers' were actually doing the same things in their lives. The only difference was that it was not publicly known they were doing those things. Often these people ignored the plank in their own eye. They are condemning people for all kinds of 'unholy' things, however they perform or allow those same acts at their own lives. I understand that most people are not believers in Christ, and that they do not have the same moral compass I do; however all of this sparked a debate inside me. The debate sparked was: 'Do I quickly point out sins in other's lives to make myself feel more holy?' The other question I had was do I try to show Christ to those that are trying to 'speck remove', or do I join them with tweezers to pick the speck out through my plank blinders?
As I debated the question, "Do I quickly point out sins in other's lives to make myself feel more holy?', the answer came back that I do not do this as often as I used to, but I am still guilty of this when I am having a rough time, and need to feel better about myself. It is easy to look at someone else and say 'At least I do not struggle with THAT sin in my life'. The problem with making one look better than another is that we all are filthy sinners, who still commits sin on a regular basis. (Side note: If someone says that they are perfect and do not sin, PRAY HARD for them, because they are lying. We all sin regularly, and NO ONE is perfect). It is easy to hide sin from others when you know how to speak 'Christianeese'. In this day and age, many people are too busy in life to invest time with others, so it is very easy to hide things if you know the right words to say. Even though people can be deceived, God still knows our sins, and Is quick to forgive us of them when we turn to Him and ask Him for forgiveness of those sins. I am thankful for God's forgiveness, because I know I do not deserve it, yet God is still willing to forgive us of our sins when we ask Him to.
One of the most common things to do when people are talking about 'speck removing' is to grab a pair of tweezers, and join in the speck hunt. We should not be so quick in joining this hunt. As believers, we should first seek God concerning that speck, to see if it is something God even wants us to try to help with. Often times God is working on another area in a persons life, and it has nothing to do with the speck we see. Our planks shield us from seeing the truth in what God is doing in that person's life. We become 'fruit-inspectors' and toss the undeveloped fruit out with our blind eyes, while Christ sees the perfected final product. May we see one another the same way Christ sees us, as the finished product, not as the unripe fruit that gets tossed by the wayside.
This is one of the reasons I have not posted as much on Fakebook lately. I have been trying to be less of a 'speck remover' by posting my thoughts on different things, and focusing more on removing the planks from my own eyes, so I can see Jesus clearly. As I see Jesus clearer, I know He will help me to be able to see others people's specks clearer, and give the ability to help them see clearer as well. I do not want to stand in front of God someday and be told that my sight of undeveloped fruit in someones life caused that person to walk away and reject Him. I am not saying to not mention sin to others, but to make sure it is God who wants you to say something to the person. Be zealous for the things of Christ, not for being 'speck removers' in other people's lives.
In Christ,
Kevin
