There are a lot of words that are being thrown around these days about Christians. Words like "judgmental" or "intolerant" are becoming the norm in our culture. This idea of being judgmental got me wondering if maybe we are. So I decided to do a little investigative work and found something that I am excited to share with you this week.

In Matthew 7:1-5 we find a passage that many of us have probably heard. People-Christian and non-Christian alike-love to quote the first verse in this passage because they think it gives them a platform to stand on that lets other people know that they can't tell them how to live. V1: "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (NIV). I have often felt that this verse does what people want it to do, it keeps me quiet by saying that I am not to judge others.

The passage continues to illustrate this point further by showing us that we often get caught up with what others are doing (or not doing) and fail to see what we are doing (or not doing). I love the illustration of the speck and plank in our eye. It is beautiful because our primary sense is our eyes. What we see often determines what we conclude about people. We are a culture that thrives on appearance. That being said, I love how Christ shows that what we are so concerned about (the speck) in our brother's eye is nothing in comparison to what is in our own (the plank). The hyperbole that He uses is attention getting-imagine walking around with a 2×4 in your eye.

So now that we have laid the foundation of the passage, I want to get to the point of this week's devotion. If you look at verse 5 with me, you will see a very important word: "then." This is a powerful word that connects what has been said before it to what is to come after it. Christ says first remove the plank from your own eye, then you will be able to see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye. We have been given the authority to remove the speck from our brother's eye, but first we need to get things right between God and us by getting the plank out of our own eye. Now please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that we have a license to start walking around judging others and throwing the bible in their face, pretending that we are god.

One more thing that I would like to point out before I make my final point is the fact that Christ says, "...then you will be able to remove the speck from your brother's eye." Notice it is not your enemy or acquaintance. The word brother implies relationship. Christ is saying that when we see our brothers and sisters not doing right, and if we ourselves have removed the planks from our own eye, lest we become hypocrites, then it is our responsibility to go to those people and correct them.

The last thing that I will say is that the ability to remove the speck from our brother's eye comes only when we have humbled ourselves and removed the planks from our own eye first. We have no right to go to someone else and tell them what they are doing wrong if we ourselves are not listening to our own advice. Be careful not to get caught up in making yourself feel better by pointing out the problems of others so that you can ignore yours.

Final Thought: Don't be afraid to speak up about your convictions and what you see being done around you that is not Christ like. Just make sure that you are doing it in love and with the right attitude. Also, don't forget to get the lumber out of your own eye first. Look at Romans chapter 2-Judge lest you be judged.