September 27 See the Plank

Luke 6:41-42 “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? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
 
YOU don’t need me to explain what this means. We all know how easily we can see someone else’s faults, even their sins, while neglecting to see our own faults and sins. 
   Why is this so? The answer is simple and it’s complex. Simply speaking, such “other vision” is a condition of our sin nature we inherited from Adam. Look at Adam’s response when God asked him in Genesis 3:11b “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” Adam responded. 12 The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then Eve points the blame away from her in Genesis 3:13 The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”   
   Yes, it’s easy to see others’ sin, and reject responsibility for our behavior. How does this change? How do we see our plank and not be concerned of others’ “specks”? The short answer is: submit to the cross.
   See our own “plank” requires we steadfastly set our eyes upon Christ’s excruciating croos for our salvation. With humility and grief, know that Jesus’ shed blood and broken body is the Father’s only way to remove the plank from our soul. The cross is God’s way to bring us out from Adam’s and Eve’s shame, to gratefully look into the Lord’s eyes again.
   Seeing others’ speck while avoiding your own plank separates you from the Lord. Remember in Jesus’ preaching at the sermon on “a level place” (Luke 6:17) that he coomands us Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.  He teaches us elsewhere to Luke 10:27 “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, Love your neighbor as yourself.” You cannot live do these teachings if you do not first see the plank in your eye.
    Confession and repentance should have been the first couple’s proper response to God’s question, “Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” These must be our first steps, too. Examine yourself. Consider God’s Word. How does your life measure up? Seek his strength and power for healing the weaknesses in your faith walk. Rejoice Jesus has paid the full price for your sin. Be eager for his cleanisng. Be gracious to love God, love others witht the forgiveness Jesus offers to you.  
 
Prayer: Change my heart, Lord, to repent of my sins and to forgive others’ sins. Amen.