“How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye?…Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” Matthew 7:3,5
Every time I go to God to ask Him to change a person in my life, He always shows me things I need to change about myself. It’s like “Lord, can we please take the focus off of me right now?” He responds with an emphatic, “No, I will take care of them, but let’s talk about you right now.” It forces growth in me that is unpleasant, but necessary.
Many of us adamantly demand change in others while we ourselves either remain the same or slowly improve. This is not to say that you are to ignore wrong behavior, but when our entire focus is on what someone else is or isn’t doing something’s wrong. The truth is, we can’t concentrate on the road we’re on if we are overly consumed with the car next to us or we will wreck our car. We will live a more peaceful life if we learn to focus on our walk and leave it to God to deal with the sin in other people’s lives.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your wisdom and grace. Thank You for caring about my spiritual growth and development. Help me focus on your work in me and not be so consumed with what someone else is or isn’t doing that I’m forgetting the work You’re still doing in me. You’ve been patient with my growth, help me be patient and longsufferring. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
(Read Philippians 2:12)