October 23
Read Luke 6
In Today's
Jesus and the Sabbath; 12 apostles chosen; Sermon on the Mount; healing and miracles; John the Baptist's question; Jesus anointed
It is beyond our ability to count all the times we have sinned, and we should be deeply thankful that our Heavenly Father forgives us when we repent of our sins. If we are truly grateful, we will approach everyone who sins against us with the same mercy and compassion that we receive from the Lord Jesus. However, we tend to be self-righteous and hypocritical. Jesus warned: Why beholdest . . . the mote (something insignificant) that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam (pride, hypocritical attitude, selfishness) that is in thine own eye?. . . Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye (Luke 6: 41-42). The "mote" illustrates something insignificant; the "beam" illustrates the self-righteous.
It is our responsibility to recognize the mote (evil) for what it is, but we must first consider our own beam (including negative attitudes and criticism of others). Only then are we qualified to help others with their needs.
A heart of compassion and concern to help others is in striking contrast to those who overlook their own faults and failures but never miss an opportunity to gossip about someone else's conduct or failures. The self-righteous are prone to imply evil motives to others' actions and may even exaggerate them. Thankfully, God is a merciful God who fully forgives us when we repent of our sins. We tend to judge ourselves by our good intentions and others by their mistakes. Since we expect God's mercy toward us, it is vital that we extend that same mercy to others. If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:15). This is so important that Jesus later gave a parable about an unforgiving servant to illustrate the consequences of failure to forgive (18:21-35).
Criticism is often an act of self-righteousness in an attempt to build our own self-esteem by putting others down. Also, it is easy to jump to conclusions without knowing or caring about all the facts. We have an amazing ability to misjudge the thoughts and actions of others. Judgmental people thrive on faultfinding and finding something wrong with everything that is said or done by another whom they want to belittle.
If anyone is overtaken in a fault (sin), ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness (gentleness, humility); considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted (Galatians 6:1).
Word Studies:
6:11 communed = discussed; 7:14 bier = coffin on which a corpse was carried to burial.
Cross References:
For Luke 7:22: See Isaiah 61:1. Luke 7:27: See Malachi 3:1.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for The English International Shortwave Radio Broadcast in honor of the Lord Jesus · Government Officials: Sen. Jim Bunning (KY) and Sen. Mel Martinez (FL) · Country: Suriname (431,000) on the northeastern coast of South America · Major languages: Dutch and English · Very limited religious freedom · 27% Hindu; 22% Roman Catholic; 20% Protestant; 20% Muslim; 6% witchcraft and spirit worship · Prayer Suggestion: The Word of God, confession, and prayer bring the believer into close communion with God (Nehemiah 9:2-5).
Memory Verse for the Week: Hebrews 3:14