Read Luke 6:39-45

“For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit” (v. 43).

I once heard a story about a man who was attempting to launch a homemade rocket into the sky. In his hurry to get away after lighting the fuse, he bumped the rocket, causing it to launch sideways into the church he attended, which subsequently burned to the ground. His wife, surveying the carnage, shook her head and said, “Oh, this is the worst thing you’ve ever done.” The husband replied, “Honey, you say those words to me so often that they no longer have any meaning.” In our reading today Jesus reminds us that we are to be far more critical of ourselves than we are of others. In fact, Jesus reminds us that if we are overly critical of others, we are a corrupt tree bringing forth corrupt fruit. He says that when we do this, we have a beam in our eye. Basically, we are spiritually blind and have no business trying to fix someone else’s faults. Yet, there are times when people need to be corrected. I’ve discovered that when I really want to tell someone what they are doing wrong, then I’ve almost certainly got a beam in my own eye. However, if I don’t want to correct the other person, then the Holy Spirit is probably leading me to do so. This is my own standard though, so it may not work for you. (Randy J. Bland)

Are you overly critical of those around you?