Pulling Those Pesky Weeds from Your Own Yard First
Matthew 7:1
“Do not judge, lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”
Stop for a moment and meditate on the above verse. The command “Do not judge” is a flashing red light that should deter us from criticizing one another. However, most of us blast through that red light at Mach speed and run headlong into God’s judgment.
A Divine Revelation
Judgment is defined in Webster’s dictionary as to think or speak critically of another. Matthew 7:1 clearly instructs us not to do this. Yet there are times that God will allow us to witness the sins of another. So, what should our response be? God ONLY gives us three ways to respond to the sins of others, and criticism and judgment are not among them.
Our first response should be to go to the mirror. I call this “helping us weed our own yard first”. In the mirror, we face a Holy God who judges rightfully yet in the spirit of love. However, this is a painful process that we often avoid doing. For most of us, it is easier to see sin as sin in someone else. That’s why the people who criticize others are often guilty of doing the same thing themselves.
Our second response should be to take it to God in prayer. However, I’m not talking about group prayer or intervention but one-on-one intercessory prayer with God. When we see the sin of another, we often talk with others about it without first talking to the person or God directly. Sadly, we justify our sin of gossip by sharing it as a prayer request for that person. It’s okay to pray for someone struggling with sin, but it needs to be the one with the sin issue who asks others to pray on their behalf.
Finally, our third response should look like the counsel of Galatians 6:1, “Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore (rebuke, exhort) such a person in a spirit of gentleness (love, kindness); each one looking to yourself so that you are not tempted as well.” Therefore, it’s appropriate to address the sin in someone, especially a brother or sister in Christ, but it is imperative that we do so in love and with gentleness. Then we need to set personal boundaries that set a guard on our hearts regarding that sin. Boundaries are guidelines we set for ourselves that keep the sin of another from becoming a sin issue for us. For example, when we get hurt or take the sin of another as a personal affront, this can cause us to retaliate which is a sin. Personal boundaries also keep us from enabling wrongful behavior in others toward us.
A Divine Challenge
The remainder of this verse is God’s exhortation to us. He says, “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” This is the “mirror” stuff I referred to earlier that is difficult and will definitely require an attitude of humility.
Scripture reminds us that our flesh is wretched and capable of every kind of sin. Therefore, when it comes to our criticism of others, we would be wise to adopt the motto, “There by the grace of God go we.” Having this attitude is a surefire way to avoid judging others and enduring the consequences of God’s judgment associated with doing so.
Call to Action
Take heed to the counsel of Matt 7:5 which says, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Remember what Jesus said to the Pharisees who wanted to stone the woman caught in adultery. “He who is without sin cast the first stone.” This is a strong rebuke and a good reason to weed your own yard first before you try weeding somebody else’s.
Father, pointing finger as others is not why you gave us hands. Weeding our own backyard IS! Give us the courage it takes to look, first in the mirror when others sin against us or when we see sin in another. Then help us to bring it to our knees in prayer to You alone. Finally, give us wisdom to set boundaries on our flesh so we will not be found guilty of the same sin we see in one another. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen!