“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way
you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be
measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye,
but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your
brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in
your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then
you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew
7:1-5). Lord, even as I pray that others in Your service take this teaching to
heart, I realize that I need You to open my plank-filled eyes to apply these
verses to my life. None of us see ourselves as You do; give us eyes to see that
we may be driven to our knees before You in brokenness. Give us wisdom to judge in Your Church (1 Corinthians 5:10-13) according to Your revealed will for Your people in the Word, but may we be willing to stand under the same judgment and subject ourselves to that judgment first that we may proceed with a cleansed conscience.
“To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted…I speak to them in
parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not
hear, nor do they understand. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being
fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; you
will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; for the heart of this people has
become dull, with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes,
otherwise they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart and return, and I would heal them [Isaiah 6:9,10].’ But
blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For
truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you
see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it”
(Matthew 13:13-17). Lord, Creator of the seeing eye, salvation belongs to You
alone and to You alone belongs the glory and praise for doing the impossible:
saving the elect of humanity in Christ (Matthew 19:26).
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so
that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the
glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of
His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of
the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him
from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far
above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things
in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the
church, which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all” (Ephesians
1:18-23). Lord, give us eyes to see what words can barely contain: saints’
inheritance, Your resurrection power, Your absolute Sovereignty, and how
valuable and important Your Church really is in Your sight.
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made both
of them” (Proverbs 20:12).
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