Luke 6:41
The scripture for today is Luke 6:41
Luke 6:41 And why behold you the speck that is in your brother's eye, but perceive not the beam that is in your own eye?
In 2 Samuel chapter 12 Nathan the prophet confronted king David after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah the Hittite, killed. David's behavior was so vile and unbecoming that it is hard to imagine that it could have come from this man who had been so mightily used of God and who had been impeccable in his stand of faith in God. "And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, there were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own food, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he refused to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to prepare for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and prepared it for the man that was come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD lives, the man that has done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, You are the man." 2 Samuel 12:1-7 David was quick to pass judgment upon someone whom he thought had unjustly and without mercy taken a lamb from a poor man, but he was at that moment blind to the fact that he had unjustly and without mercy taken another man's wife and killed him in the process.
We, like David, have the tendency to condemn others for their wrong behaviors while at the same time ignoring or excusing worse behavior in ourselves. Often the faults we condemn in others are small compared to the far greater ones we are insensible to in ourselves. This sin of hypocrisy is the result of spiritual blindness that reflects the loss of contact with the source of spiritual light. David had lost his way. The light that was in him had grown dim. He was not in his right mind; Satan had deceived him into thinking that he was somewhere that he was not.
We are all susceptible to this fault. We must not think that it could not happen to us, because it surely can. We must follow closely after our Lord and walk in the spirit of love and humility at all times. Judging our brothers and sisters for their faults while overlooking our own can be a symptom of spiritual darkness, evidence that the enemy has crept in and influenced our minds. "Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whosoever you are that judge: for in what you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you that judge do the same things." Romans 2:1
The solution to this problem is found in Christ. He provides those who willingly surrender their lives to Him daily with His presence and power to overcome this strategy of the evil one. As we esteem others more than ourselves, we find that the love of Christ flows from us and, out of the reservoir of His eternal love, the body of Christ is built up.
God bless you as you continue in His service.
Tim