“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.” Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV) Jesus exposed the sin of self-righteousness. He identified our tendency to embrace a higher standard when evaluating others. We become preoccupied with judging others extensively to the neglect of examining our own lives accurately. While bearing a plank in our own eye, we seek to isolate the speck of sawdust in the eye of someone else. We fail to come to grips with the truth of our current reality. Self-righteousness erodes our relationship with others and with God. Self-righteousness is a byproduct of an inflamed pride and arrogance. We forget where we were when Jesus came to our rescue. We begin to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. The antidote to self-righteousness is humility. The first step toward humility is embracing a proper view of yourself. Begin to view your life in light of the holiness of God. Ask the Lord to search your heart (Ps. 139:23). As God reveals the presence of self-righteousness in your life, confess it as an offense to Him. Acknowledge your sin before God and receive His provision of forgiveness. Confess sin immediately and specifically. Now ask God to help you love the person you have been judging. Ask God to remind you of that person’s value in God’s eyes. Pray for God to give you the capacity to see that person the way God does. It’s time to yank the plank. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
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