Matthew 7:3-5 Your Brother
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living. True Christian living requires us to live according to Kingdom standards which bring Heaven to earth

By Marni Montanez

Matthew 7:3-5 Complete Jewish Bible 

3. Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye?

4. How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye?

5. You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!

All of us are guilty of judging others according to our own opinions and beliefs.  This is the figurative log that is in our own eye.   We look at others and their behavior, actions and words with crippled vision when we look through very critical and unhealed hearts.   

We are ready to condemn anyone who does not fit the pattern we have established.  For years I have seen people decimate the character of those in the public eye serving God.  They call them all kinds of things. There are even some who call themselves Christians who actually follow these people around so that they can write negative things about them and how much money they get.   

If that is acceptable than what is a Christian?   One description can be someone who is Christ-like. One who believes in Jesus' teachings.   If that is so then God does warn us about wolves in sheep's clothing; He warns us of false prophets:  He says don't eat the bread of the pharisees, but no where does it say we are supposed to shame them or judge them according to our interpretation of what they should and should not be like.   God warns us that the same judgement we use it will be used on us.  Jesus was accused of being false. He was accused of having demons so He understands the damage behind these accusations.  

These people make their judgments according to how "they" see others and according to how it fits their understanding of what God is doing or saying.  This is dangerous!! Had Paul forfeited his mission to go against the status quo or the norm at the time We who are not Jewish would have never been saved.   They called him all kinds of things.   What about the rest of the apostles who were whipped, beat, left for dead because they did not listen to the character assassinations and accusations thrown at them.  

God tells us to confront people with love, not throw them under the bus.  It is more likely that those who criticize others as being false or not of God, are afraid to grow and be more spiritual because it can be challenging and frightening.  All this finger pointing is of the flesh not of the Spirit. 

We need to be healed in our soul and have the genuine and powerful love of God be our eyes so that when we look at others, whether their right or wrong in their biblical understanding we can be the tool God uses to help them see the truth as we ourselves are led by the Holy Spirit. It is time for us to stop listening to people as they make their claims "against" others, we ourselves know we are of God, and with love and kindness we can confront them.  But first we must have the eyes of God.

God bless,

Marni

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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.