Save Me From Myself

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Why do I find judgment so easy to pass... especially when judging is contrary to true faith? Your faults just seem so much more apparent than mine are. Maybe I'm full of pride. Maybe I grow too accustommed to my own faults. Maybe I'm just shallow. Maybe there's a 2x4 in the way.

Jesus reserved his harshest words for people with this very problem, the Pharisees. They were experts at the letter of the law, but they completely missed the heart of why the laws were given. They grew to trust in their own religious fervor rather than God's grace.

A friend recently shared a story that he read with me that will become my check on judgmentalism. A preacher and an elder were on their way to talk to a man in their church involved in adultery. On the way, the preacher asked, "Do you think you could ever be tempted by an affair?" The elder responded, "Me? No way." At that, the preacher turned the car around. "We can't do this tonight. You need to get your pride in check before we can do this."

Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak "the truth in love." The truth may be a sword to fight evil, but it is not a weapon to slash open other people. Which would you rather hear: "Let me tell you your problem, heathen" or "From one flawed person to another, let's try to work on this"? How much more effective could the church be if we could all learn to speak the truth in love?

Donuts and oil

" Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

If you're like me, it would be difficult for you to choose between a regular Krispy Kreme donut and a chocolate-covered one. On the one hand, the regular donut just shines with its delicious sugary glaze. On the other hand, you can never go wrong with chocolate.

But suppose you were offered the following choice: your favorite Krispy Kreme donut, or all the oil fields of Texas. Not such a tough choice for anyone with a modicum of sense.

Still, there might be someone who'd say, "I'd take the donut."

The donut? Why?

"Well, it's right there in front of you. And it's great. And you can enjoy it right now and be satisfied by the pleasure it brings. If you took the oil fields, there would be paperwork to fill out, taxes to pay, and the benefits wouldn't come for some time yet."

While all that is true, it misses the point. The benefits of the oil fields, while delayed, exponentially outweigh the benefits of a one-time encounter with a donut.

Sadly, there are many professing Christians who are opting for...the donut. They are investing their energies and passions in things that are here for a short while, but will be long gone and forgotten throughout eternity. The enemy's strategy of distracting the believer with the fun stuff of earth, to the neglect of the essential spiritual tasks our Lord has assigned to us, has been most effective.

Let us examine ourselves, and ask the Lord to bring to our attention those things which compete against Him for our allegiance. Let us give our idols the heave-ho, and be about the Father's business.