Pointing the finger

"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 7:5

I was thinking last week about what I would write about for my next post. As it says at the top of this blog, I want to use this as a medium to helping my fellow Christians present the Gospel more effectively by analyzing ourselves. Unfortunately, I forgot that "ourselves" includes me. I kept trying to think of some problem that I, as the perfect and enlightened Christian man that I am, could help my less spiritual brothers and sisters with.

Jesus talked about this, not only in the fore-mentioned passage, but also in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:10-14). The Pharisee told God how he was not like that tax collector and how he had kept himself holy. However, Jesus referred to such men as "whitewashed tombs" (Matt. 23:37), which were beautiful on the outside but inside were full of death. The tax collector, instead of talking about how spiritually mature he was, could not even look up to heaven. He could only cry out desperately, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" According to He who will judge all of mankind on the last day, this man was justified rather than the Pharisee.

I have come to realize in the past few months that the attitude of the tax collector is what spiritual maturity should look like. It's not parading about our "holiness" so others will see how great we are. Such men "have their reward in full." (Matt. 6:2) Spiritual maturity is recognizing that Christ saved me, that Christ needed to save me, because I'm not perfect or enlightened. I am in a constant state of sanctification. There are still sins that I struggle with. I still get arrogant, both academically and spiritually. These are sins. God said that I must work on myself first before I can start lecturing the rest of the Body.

It is my intention that I will never post on this blog about a problem that I have not struggled with myself. I want this blog to be for God's glory, not my own. Please pray that God will keep me humble.

For Christ,
Daniel