“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about the speck in your friends’ eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye. Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.”
-Matthew 7:1-5 (New Living Translation)
This principle taught by Jesus is also taught by other religious leaders like Gandhi and Michael Jackson (Man in the Mirror… and no, I’m not serious about MJ being a religious leader).
It is similar to the concept that you cannot give what you do not have. You cannot give good financial advice if you are broke. You should not try to help somebody live a healthy lifestyle if you are not living a healthy lifestyle.
Gandhi’s sister (not Michael Jackson’s sister… her name is Janet… or LaToya…. or Reba, but you never hear about Reba; I wonder what she did with her life…. well…. anyway….) once brought her son to Gandhi and said “Please tell my son to stop eating sugar.” Gandhi responded, “Bring him back next week.”
A week later, she brought her son back and Gandhi looked at the boy and said, “Stop eating sugar.” She asked him why she had to come back a week later. He responded, “Because last week, I was still eating sugar.”
In Galatians, Paul encourages us to gently restore someone who has sinned. I believe that is the role with our spouse or any other brother or sister in Jesus. Of course, it must be gentle and for the purpose of restoration.
We should only point out any follower of Jesus’ sin if we follow these 3 guidelines:
- We must take care of the sin in our own life first.
- Be gentle in dealing with other’s sin.
- Only point out the other’s sins if it is for the purpose of restoration.
Do you or your organization need a speaker for an upcoming event? Does your group need some tools in their conflict resolution toolbox?
Tommy Lanham is a personality strategist and trains groups of people in analyzing their own personalities as well as teaching them how to get along with different personalities. He is an experienced, trusted and highly enthusiastic speaker who communicates life changing truths in an entertaining way. He connects with his audience inspiring them to take action.
He speaks to various organizations of various sizes, providing the tools to help you follow your dreams to reach your potential.
Visit the website: www.TommyLanham.com
