Therefore thou are inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest, for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself, for thou that judgest doest the same things. Romans 2:1
I had been eating a big piece of chocolate, and like most little boys of seven or eight, I was not necessarily careful about getting all of the candy into my mouth and had apparently spread a fair bit of it onto my chin and cheek. A little girl came by just as I was finishing my treat and pointed her finger at me, laughing. ‘Look, Mommy’, she declared, ‘that boy has candy all over his face!’ Her mother laughed, too, but not at me. The little girl had also been eating candy, and had chocolate on her cheeks, her chin, and her forehead. Maybe if she had been given a mirror, she might have withheld her mockery of my dirty face. God has given us the mirror of His Word, and He expects us to use it to view ourselves as well as those around us.
We find it easy to see the flaws in others, to notice the shortcomings of those around us, while lacking the discernment to see that the very things we accuse others of, we too are guilty. Yes, we are surrounded by sinners of all kinds. Yes, we associate with saints who have all manner of shortcomings and limitations. But what about ourselves? Place yourself in the shoes of one of the people who sees you at your worst moments. What do they see? How do they perceive you in your ability to resist temptation, to withhold the angry word, to behave as a child of God?
The unsaved will not be interested in hearing about God’s salvation if they don’t notice any difference it has made in your life. The stumbling saint will not be encouraged to live more for the Lord if they don’t see that you are any different from themselves.
There is an old illustration about being careful about pointing a finger at anyone, because whenever you do, three fingers are pointing back at yourself. Look at those three fingers carefully the next time you think about judging somebody else. Regardless of what you think, you are not completely innocent. -Jim MacIntosh