Wednesday November 22, 2023

Matthew 7:5
“First remove the plank from your own eye.”

Greater than the fault you condemn and criticize is the sin of criticism and condemnation. There is no place we need such grace as in dealing with an erring one. A lady once called on us on her way to give an erring sister a piece of her mind. We advised her to wait until she could love her a little more. Only He who loved sinners well enough to die for them can deal with the erring. We never see all the heart. He does, and He can convict without condemning, and reprove without discouraging. Oh, for more of the heart of Christ! Take care, brother how you speak of another’s fault. Ere you know, you may be in the same or deeper condemnation. Very significantly does the Master say that the man that sees a mote in his brother’s eye usually has a rafter in his own eye! One of the two unpardonable sins of the Bible is unforgiving lovelessness.

“Give me a heart like Thine,
  Give me a heart like Thine,
By Thy wonderful power,
By Thy grace every hour,
  Give me a heart like Thine.”

A. B. Simpson, Days of Heaven upon Earth: A Year Book of Scripture Texts and Living Truths (Christian Alliance Pub. Co., 1897)
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.