02-12-20

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS

February 12, 2020

Scripture: Matthew 7:4-5

Or how can you say to your neighbor, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, 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.”

Thought for the Day: If we are honest with ourselves, I think we can all think of a time when we went after the speck in our neighbor’s eye without pausing to acknowledge the log in our own. We are much better at evaluating our neighbor than we are at doing self-reflection. The question that comes to mind, a question that is painful to ask, but one that needs to be asked – how often have we gone digging for the speck in our neighbor’s eye when, in fact, that speck never existed? I’m not suggesting there are folks without sin, but have we ever convinced ourselves about the specific nature of another person’s sin? In this misguided confidence, have we destroyed that person for a speck that was nonexistent? Lives have been destroyed again and again by those who felt incredibly confident in their capacity to determine another person’s sin. Let’s be the people who, with humility, do the necessary work to change ourselves so that we can be the best witnesses to God’s love and mercy… instead of being poor examples of speck inspectors.

Prayer: Change my heart, O Lord of Grace, from searching for specks in others to the naming and removing of logs that are really close to home. Amen.

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