“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others... And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?”
Matthew 7:1-3 NLT
I have repented of judging others more often than I’d like to admit! But, if you’re anything like me, it’s helpful to remember Jesus’ teaching just before He said, “Do not judge.”
Four times in the previous paragraphs we read the words, “Don’t worry!” Jesus certainly knew our human nature—to worry about issues for which we cannot see the answer. Yet is it our responsibility to worry about issues in somebody else’s life? Jesus made that answer clear when He compared the speck and the log.
Just imagine trying to remove a tiny speck from your friend’s eye, while maneuvering around a huge log sticking out of your own! Of course, God wants us to deal with anything that blurs our vision or hinders our relationship with Him. So, instead of focusing on someone else’s little speck, how about getting rid of our big log that causes more separation than a speck!
Remember too, “Seek first the Kingdom of God!” was part of Jesus’ don’t worry teachings. In THAT Kingdom, grace rules! No wonder Jesus said, “Don’t judge others,” because this is how grace works: First, you receive grace for the log in your own eye, and then you give that same grace for the speck in your friend’s eye!
In GOD’s Kingdom, there’s only one Judge,
and HIS grace covers both logs AND specks!
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