I once had a situation with someone that kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I honestly couldn’t even tell you why it bothered me so much because it was such a minor thing. For some reason though I just couldn’t shake it and I seemed to be getting more aggravated. I quickly became more concerned about what was going on within me than I was the situation itself.
Have you ever had a situation like this? Maybe your situation was a clear infraction or offense. There was a situation in 1 Corinthians 6 where believers were bringing each other to court. Paul admonished them over this. He at one point says brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded (1 Corinthians 6:6-7 KJV)?
Now maybe in your situation you didn’t actually bring them to a physical courtroom. Maybe though you set yourself as judge and jury in your head. Maybe you started weighing out the evidence of how wrong they were. Maybe you even began to present this evidence to others to prove your innocence and their guilt.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5 (NET) 1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive. 3 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
We have to be very careful that we don’t become judgemental over a situation like this. Because being judgemental can become a beam in our eye. We then can’t see the situation clearly nor can we see clearly to help others. Notice Jesus didn’t dismiss the fact the other person had a speck in their eye. It still had to come out, but we have to get judgment out of our vision and do it with the spirit of meekness. As Paul would say in Galatians 6:1 (KJV) Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
So how do we remove this beam? First we must forgive them. Then we must repent. Then pray for them.
We must always be attentive to how we react to things, outwardly and internally. It is very important that we don’t let anything blind us to grace and forgiveness. We cannot forget that Jesus has forgiven us. We must keep a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price (1 Peter 3:4 KJV).
Ephesians 4:32 KJV And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.