Matthew 7:3 “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
It is easy to point a finger at the wrongs one sees in another, but if one really pays attention, there are 3 more fingers pointing back towards oneself! The verse above essentially asks, “Why do you observe the ‘tiny speck of sawdust’ in your companion’s eye, while at the same time not considering the ‘huge telephone pole’ that is in your own eye?!” Oftentimes, the sins we see in others are the same ones we commit ourselves!
Luke 6:42 “Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.”
In Luke, the scripture says that one is a hypocrite until they first cast the ‘telephone pole’ out of their own eye, then they can see clearly to help pull out the ‘sawdust’ that is in their companion’s eye! How many times does one really stop and take an inventory of their own lives, behavior, and conduct?
Only through the Wisdom and Humility that is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ can one begin to do this. Hence the Fruit of the Spirit which is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.
Romans 2:1 “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.”
Unless one has truly ‘taken responsibility’ for their own faults, sins, and mistakes, one would be wise to refrain from passing judgment. Until one has done the work in their own life, by seeking forgiveness from others, they would do well to stop condemning. The only way one can achieve all of this is by being Born Again through True Repentance and Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ!
John 8:7 “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
It would be ‘more than great’ if people in our world took heed of this by examining themselves! To consider who among us is ‘without sin’ before we or they cast the first stone! If we all really did this, there would be virtually ‘way less to no’ finger-pointing, gossip, backbiting, and hypocrisy, because we all know that none of us are without sin! We all need God’s Grace, and tons of it too! We all need Jesus… every day, hour, minute, and second of our lives, for without Him we can do nothing!
John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
Gotquestions.org: What did Jesus mean when He said, “He who is without sin can cast the first stone”?
From this passage we learn that we do not accuse others unless we first thoroughly search our own hearts and minds to make certain that we are pure in every possible aspect (Matthew 7:3). Also, if we must admonish someone, we should do so as instructed in Scripture; we always look to God’s glory and never cause unnecessary division or harm (Matthew 18:15), but we do work to keep the church pure. Moreover, Jesus was the only sinless person in the temple scene, and, instead of condemning the woman, He looked ahead to His work on the cross and offered her life. Likewise, we should use every possible opportunity to forgive and to reach out with the gospel and the love of Christ, always remembering that we, too, are sinners in need of the Savior (Romans 3:23). – Source
Throughout one’s lifetime, many of us will have endured and ‘absorbed’ an unmeasured amount of persecution by way of ostracization, finger-pointing, false accusations, insults, all forms of abuse, rejection, unwarranted hatred, and the list goes on. As Blood-Bought Believers, we realize over time that God is with us throughout it all. Also, as we mature in the Faith, we come to understand that we just need to pray for our enemies. Because, deep down we know that if they really knew the Lord, they would not be provoking the harm.
Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Gotquestions.org: What does it mean to pray for your enemies? (I suggest reading full link.)
When someone sets out to cause us harm, our natural reaction is to protect ourselves and fight back. They gossiped about us; we’ll gossip about them. They lied about us; we’ll lie about them. They smeared our reputation; we’ll smear theirs, too. However, Jesus calls us to a higher standard. He demonstrated that standard by never retaliating when someone wronged Him. And they wronged Him a lot. His own people rejected His message (John 1:11). The religious leaders mocked and tried to trap Him (John 8:6). His own family was ashamed of Him and tried to make Him stop preaching (Mark 3:21). His friends deserted Him in His worst moment (Mark 14:50), and the city who had cried “Hosanna!” when He arrived in town shouted “Crucify Him!” a few days later (Mark 15:13). So, Jesus had enemies, and when He said to pray for our enemies, He knew what He was talking about.
Jesus gave us a perfect example of praying for our enemies when He was being nailed to a cross. In the middle of His own agony, He cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). He talked to His Father about the people who were harming Him. He did not ask for their destruction; He did not pray for revenge. He prayed they would be forgiven. Jesus had compassion on the deceived people who believed they were doing the right thing by killing the Son of God. They had no idea what was actually taking place. They had no idea how wrong they were. When Jesus said, “They don’t know what they are doing,” He hinted at an important factor to keep in mind when we pray for our enemies.
Praying for our enemies is not a natural response to their mistreatment. But we remember that we were once enemies of God ourselves, and we are now His children. We can now intercede for others who are still far off (Colossians 1:21). In doing so, we keep our own hearts free from bitterness (Hebrews 12:15). In praying for our enemies, we become more like Christ, and we keep ourselves in harmony with God’s will, which is how every human being was designed to live. – Source
Praying for our enemies and lost loved ones is what we should strive to do every day. Our main prayer should be for their ‘highest good,’ which would be for their Salvation! Ultimately, if they become Truly Born Again, that would change not only their heart, mind, and soul, it could potentially change all of the broken relationships too! Where once there was hatred and animosity, now there can be love and adoration for one another! Even if not in this life, since we are running out of time… maybe in the next!
Overall, we are all sinners in need of God’s Grace! Since Christ Jesus has forgiven us for the ‘insurmountable debt’ that we could not repay Him, who are we not to forgive the ‘miniscule amount’ that we perceive is owed to us?! Again, who are we?!
Dear Lord,
Please forgive us for all of our sins and for beholding the ‘tiny speck of sawdust’ that was in the other person’s eye, while failing to consider the huge telephone pole that was in our own. We choose to forgive all of our enemies, and we pray mainly for their Salvation. That the scales would fall from their eyes and that they would know, understand, and see what You would have them to, according to Your Will. Please help all of us, because without You, Lord Jesus, we can do nothing! In Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.
Until next time… Maranatha!
JESUS = THE WAY, THE TRUTH, & THE LIFE!
Jesus Will Come!