ODJ: can you relate?
August 3, 2011
How can you think of saying, “Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,” when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? (v.42).
READ: Luke 6:41-43
Recently, I went to great lengths to help a friend. My efforts cost me significant time, money, and energy. And what did I get in return when it was all said and done? Nothing. Not even a “thank you.”
My stewing over this person’s lack of gratitude came to an abrupt halt, however, when I discovered a stack of blank “thank you” cards on my desk. I had neglected to fill them out and send them to people who had done far more for me than I had done for my friend.
Prior to this discovery, I had actually told myself, I would never fail to thank someone when thanks is due. The unwritten cards proved otherwise and emphasized that—once again—I needed the rebuke found in Luke 6:42: “How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?”
Am I alone here, or do you also find it easier to find faults in others than to be honest about your own shortcomings? Scripture doesn’t sugarcoat how God feels about hypocrisy. It clearly states that He takes no pleasure in people’s false appearances of virtue (Psalm 78:36-37), particularly the expression of our faith.
Jesus said, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!” (Matthew 23:25). And while we may think our flaws and sins are concealed, they aren’t. “For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes” (Proverbs 5:21).
Unlike people, God can see into the depths of our heart (1 Samuel 16:6-8). He won’t relate to our hypocrisy, but He can help us live out honesty and integrity. —Roxanne Robbins
Ask God to show you an area of hypocrisy in your life. How will you apply the truths found in God’s Word to this issue?
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