Ministers Blogs
“The speck in our eye”
Categories: Christian PrinciplesBy: J. Raymond Pecoraro, Wooddale Church of Christ
I recall vividly going to the eye doctor. I was working on the muffler system of my car. I wanted to take off the standard muffler so I could install a "Glass Pak" type muffler because they sounded sharp. I had great difficulty removing the old, rusted-out bracket holding the muffler in place. I hammered and hammered until the bracket gave way. I paid a terrible price in removing it because a very tiny speck of rust flew into one of my eyes. I tried getting it out with my finger and then using water to flush my eye but to no avail. The more I tried the more intense the pain became. I could not believe the amount of pain such a tiny speck could cause a person. The next few hours I suffered and tried everything in my limited power to remove the speck that was causing my problem. But nothing worked and I was just making the matter worst. I needed a Specialist to remove the speck and I went.
The Specialist looked into my painful eye with specialized magnifying equipment and he saw the speck. After a few minutes, he was able to remove this wee little speck and my eye was bandaged. The intense pain subsided to a more bearable one.
While studying the Bible, my eye problem came to mind as I looked at what Jesus said in Luke 6:41, "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye." (See Matthew 7 also). How true Jesus' statement still is. We are quick to criticize others, especially our spiritual brethren. Jesus was the Master in using effective figures of speech or exaggeration to get a strong point across. He explained in a literary manner how foolish it is for a person to criticize someone without seeing that he or she is also guilty. If you can find someone else's little speck while ignoring this huge plank in your own eye, something's terribly wrong! It should be unthinkable to ignore our own faults while pointing out someone else's.
The self-righteous attitude has no place in the life of a child of God! This brethren should be plain to see! We need to be willing to check our own lives before passing judgment on another. If we learn to remove the plank from our own eyes, we would be able to clearly see the bigger picture. Such a large plank will block one's vision concerning another's!
May we pray: "Lord, help me not to become caught up in pointing out the "little" failures in the lives of others while ignoring my own. Let us be thankful for the avenue of prayer that Christians are given so we can get forgiveness through repentance! Lord, help us to lift up our brothers and sisters. Make us less apt to jump to conclusions when it comes to others whom You love dearly!" Amen.
