Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Matthew 13:30 KJV
Jesus said He would sort them out.
Who?
All the ones, who in their heart of hearts are not, REALLY truly His.
So, who are they?
He said, “He would sort them out.”
Tripping over our opinions
Dare I admit this?
We Christians are an opinionated lot… oh yeah. Just check out our blogs, various media accounts and public posts, videos, etc.
(Guilty as charged, by the way.)
Yes, I have my opinions, and I don’t mind sharing them along with everyone else.
But, there’s a problem–a BIG one.
HOW do I share?
Sometimes, I fail in this “narrow love walk” I’ve been called to, and I can wander over the boundaries of “only my opinion” into the arena where I can sound like, “I have ALL the facts. Just ask me.”
Fact vs. Fiction
It’s only my opinion… but… I believe we Christians are a judgmental lot, who are quick to say, “Let me point out that splinter in your eye.”
(You know we are.)
We look at someone’s behavior, or speech, and we rush to condemn their heart as, well, you pick the adjective.
As if we are omniscient?!!
Oh, yeah, we do.
We condemn someone who is behaving contrary to our beliefs and opinions by expressing our anger, frustration, or our own opinions as pure fact.
We act like we KNOW when, of course, we don’t.
We couldn’t possibly know what is going on in another’s heart, but we like to act like we do.
And, we make haste to express our opinions as facts for all the world to see, and hear.
“Blindspots” labeled as “Discernment”
We all have them--blindspots.
Google defines a blindspot as:
- ANATOMY the point of entry of the optic nerve on the retina, insensitive to light.
- an area where a person’s view is obstructed. “the angle rearview mirror eliminates blind spots on both sides of the car”
Of course, I am referring to any area where a person’s “views” become obstructed by:
- Our family history or upbringing
- Our “unknown to others” experiences that color our objectivity
- Our church prejudices
- And, the crowd we run with
All of the above can create “beam-like” blindspots.
Jesus asked,
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and fail to notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ when you cannot see the plank in your own? You fraud, take the plank out of your own eye first and then you can see clearly enough to remove your brother’s speck.”
Luke 6:41-42 j. b. phillips
Jesus knew, all of us would have views would become colored and obstructed, and would distort our vision of the real truth.
Getting things so WRONG
Have you ever had anyone come up to you and “discern” something “in you” that never occurred to you at all?
(Of course, only correcting you, “in love”.)
And, all the while, they unload on you a truckload from their own blindspots, bias, and misinformation!
Yeah, right. I feel so loved when I’m falsely labeled.
(Sigh.)
That is the main reason why Scripture must always be scrubbing our hearts clean, and be our compass and map for our own behavior, and opinions.
Dear LORD, please save us from ourselves, and those who mask their critical condemnation as “spiritual discernment!” Jesus, help us actually love our enemies, or at the very least, pray for them with a tender heart toward their failures, while keeping our own opinions to ourselves.
Sorting out those Riff-Raff-Weeds
A line from Hinds Feet On High Places comes back to me. It’s where The Shepherd is teaching Much-Afraid about this very thing.
He gently rebukes her:
You plant the seeds–I’ll pull the weeds.
Ah, yes, Jesus knew how prone we would become at pointing out other people’s flaws and failures.
He had to constantly correct His own disciples, and unfortunately, things haven’t changed much.
Jesus knew the Church would have to endure a few “faking-it-weeds” in amongst His true and devoted “heart-followers.” But your calling as a Heart-Follower is not to clean up other people’s acts, as tempting as that gets at times.
Nope.
Binge Jesus is about YOU and your act…
Dallas is right. To “binge Jesus” is more than just watching a series of great TV shows.
Jesus called us to walk His narrow road, didn’t He? And leave others to walk theirs.
We will all stand before our Master to give an account for our lives.
I guess that’s why Matthew 6:41-42 is still such timely counsel.
It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. –The Message
Women With Destiny 