Weekly Devotion
Hi Faith Family!
Do you do much woodworking? I enjoy working with wood--especially when the results turn out well.
Of course, task completion includes clean up. "Good, clean sawdust" gets everywhere, I noticed. Hair, clothes, eyes.
Luke 6 talks about this kind of dust-speck:
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Of course, we naturally prefer dust hunting in the lives of everyone and anyone else. C'mon, it's easy to find fault in others. The eyes have it! We can easily pinpoint the mis-step minutia of everyone else.
But the first trip we must take is to the mirror. Plank first, please. How on this earth do we think we can see anything--especially the small faults of others--with a 1 inch pine plank stuck in our own eye? Jesus reminds us that this trip the mirror of the law is necessary to direct us to the all important guilt trip to the cross.
When Jesus picked up the two planks joined together, he did it for you. Jesus endured the cross so that you would have peace with God.
Know and believe that what Jesus did to save the world he did to save you. Jesus loved and loves you. The proof is in the work of the carpenter's son. May this final "guilt trip" energize you, with the assurance that your guilt has been removed, your guilt atoned for.
Prayer idea: Give thanks for your Savior Jesus and all he endured for your soul's salvation. Spend a moment to consider Jesus' time on the cross, giving thanks for his committed love toward you. Pray for someone you know who does not yet believe in Jesus.
Blessings on your week!
--Pastor Dan