SCRIPTUREMatthew 7:1,5 [Message]
1 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment.5 It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
1 "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye.
OBSERVATION
Gotta luv Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of these verses. He gets to it - no sugar coating! Picking on people, jumping on people, criticizing people. - For us good Christians - these kind of verses are always "FOR" someone else.
So I'm just going to take me back to Sunday - [you go back to where ever the Holy Spirit leads you]
* Last song of the service - pianist seems to be struggling with the notes [Thought: Guess she didn't "practice" that one]
* Sermon - Pastor uses some illustration about some movie I've never seen or hear of - "He lost me" - glad there is internet in here - "Twitter"
* Praise Team - Worship leader telling the congregation about the background of the song we are about to sing - I'm tapping my foot - "JUST SING" - for heaven sakes, this is suppose to be Worship, not MUSIC 101 -
APPLICATION
REMORSE - I feel terrible
REPENTANCE - I'm sorry - my intolerance got personal - such thoughts hurt people, even if they don't know I was thinking them.
REQUITE: These are all good, good - people - precious servants - forgive me
RESPONSE: Why did I go to church Sunday? Too be blessed - or to be a blessing? Who really fell short Sunday?
[Hint: It wasn't the people on the stage]
PRAYER
Father,
Thank you that you love me so much that you'd get in my face! That I'd read a verse or two and just know - they were written for me!
Thanks for the lesson in tolerance, people tolerance -
Bless those that serve in your name - keep them from being picked on, jumped on, or criticized.
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1 comment:
Logs, dogs, and hogs: Interesting slice of scripture – don’t judge . . . but judge; judge yourself before you judge others; judge dogs and pigs. So, who is a dog? Who is a pig? I really do not like labels. How do I label someone a dog or a pig so I do not give holy things to them or throw pearls before them? Sometimes I hear people quote the “pig treatment” when their advice is not followed. When someone does not follow my “wise” advice, then they are a pig? In that culture, a dog was a label for a Gentile, an outsider, an “other than.” A pig was an unclean animal not to be used for food. Frankly, I am struggling with this notion. I am not to give holy things to outsiders? I am not to offer God’s priceless pearls to people who I consider “unclean” out of fear that “lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack” me? Maybe the dogs and hogs are the logs I have in my own eyes. How have I treated the holy things and pearls of God? Have I torn apart and trampled the holy and priceless things of God? This passage is beginning to convict!
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