Luke 6:37-42
“Don’t pick on people, jump on their
failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same
treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can
boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away
your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given
back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way.
Generosity begets generosity.”
He quoted a proverb: “‘Can a blind
man guide a blind man?’ Wouldn’t they both end up in the ditch? An
apprentice doesn’t lecture the master. The point is to be careful who
you follow as your teacher.
“It’s easy to see a smudge on your
neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you
have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own
face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you
mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living
your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be
fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
We’ve seen some pretty stark
examples in the news media lately of people who criticized others with
no regard to their own “ugly sneer.” Sadly, you can probably name
several…the list seems quite lengthy on any given day.
It is
puzzling to me that we cannot seem to get over ourselves…that we have
heard this passage of scripture all of our lives, yet criticism and
judgment of others has almost become a global hobby. We seem to take
delight in the misery and downfall of others. Perhaps it is because we
think this makes us look better. It doesn’t.
I can’t add a whole
lot to these words in Luke 6. Read them again and again until they are
imprinted on your heart and mind. The next time you start to bombast
“the other guy,” stop and take a look in the mirror. There but for the
grace of God go you…and on any given day, the spotlight could easily
shine a little brightly in your direction!
Here is your exercise
for today…sit quietly and think about Jesus. Picture Him on the
cross…or walking toward you – His soft-yet-strong, loving arms
spread widely to receive you. Imagine that you have just blown it – big
time. Still, He is there…embracing you…dying for you…forgiving
you…loving you. Now put that person you have just criticized or
condemned in your place. Yep! Jesus is still there…what He offers to
each of us, He also offers to that person you judged and discarded!
Let
this message really soak into the depths of your soul today. Learn to
stop yourself mid-criticism, and remember that you serve a God who loves
ALL of us – even that person. Get so comfortable with this
concept that you make love your all-purpose garment…that treating others
with contempt becomes almost a foreign concept! As you begin to go
easier on people, discover how much more peaceful your own daily living
becomes. Treat others as you wish to be treated…as JESUS treats them.
Operate in His love and peace…and trade the devil’s contempt for
Christ's continual peace and blessings.
©2015 Debbie Robus
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