2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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BLIND LEADING THE BLIND – JUDGE SELF FIRST
MONDAY, MAY 25
Luke 6:37-45
Memory verse: Luke 6:41
“…cast out first the beam out of thine
own eye, and then shalt thou… pull out
the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.”
BLIND LEADING THE BLIND – JUDGE SELF FIRST
One of the hardest things to do is to judge self first before judging others! Censorious and pride-filled judgments are common in the world, and sadly in the church too. Those who say that God commanded man not to judge one another live in delusion and speak a lie. God has always taught His children to make righteous judgments and also to judge in the right way. Luke 6:41-42 teach believers how to judge the right way.
Before a believer judges another, he must first judge himself. When he judges himself, he begins with his salvation which is by God’s grace alone. God’s mercies spare him from hell. God’s grace saves him from hell and leads him into heaven. He was a depraved sinner from birth to the point of salvation. The beam in his own eye refers to his struggle against sin and reminds him of his weaknesses. In this manner, he protects himself from self-righteous judgment. The “I-am-better-than-you” approach to judging others is avoided. The believer’s judgment of another is now one of empathy. He genuinely understands how his brother is struggling to overcome his sin. He helps him overcome it too. He does this out of love for him and nothing else.
He shares his struggles with his brother and how the LORD helps him overcome his sins. The LORD can help him too. His approach is to save a soul from sin, not to condemn. He realises the spiritual struggle in the whole judgment. It is not to gloat over a fallen brother, but to defeat the evil one and help a drowning brother to save him from death and destruction. With this attitude, he exercises patience, gives his brother time to repent, and continues to help. As long as he sees his brother struggling to overcome his sin, he tarries alongside him to help him.
But if his brother stubbornly refuses to repent of his sin, then he needs to exercise church discipline and bring him to the attention of the elders of the church. The brother has taken the membership oath to submit his spiritual well-being to the leaders whom God has appointed over him. They will be the better people to help him.
THOUGHT: There is a very fine line between censorious and righteous judgment.
PRAYER: Father, may I always judge myself before judging others.