WHAT DOES JESUS SAY ABOUT SPECKFINDING?

On every Mission Discovery mission trip, we begin the morning together in God’s word. One speaker is chosen to give the word of the day so that everyone else can meditate on the Scripture. Our hope is that volunteers engage in group discussions throughout the day and in their small groups.

Since the way ministry is being done has shifted, our goal is to serve by creating resources that will help others focus on God throughout the day, and influence family and small group discussion.

Join us every weekday as we explore God’s word together. We will have speakers from all over the US and the world. Here is today’s Kickstart Devotional.

What does Jesus say about speckfinding?

Mission Discovery Mission Trips with Michael Kneff

Michael Kneff is the director of U.S. Projects for Mission Discovery and has been leading trips for over 10 years. He is passionate about the Word of God and has a message from the Sermon on the Mount today.
Hey good morning everybody. Thanks for joining us on this kickstart. Really glad that you all are tuning in this morning. Today I would like to talk about Speck finding. And what does that mean. Well. Let me read this passage from Matthew chapter 7 and then we’ll jump into it. So Matthew chapter 7.

We’re right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is teaching a large crowd a crowd of people and he’s going through kind of like these main things that are the bulk of his message. And so, In Chapter 7 he says this. He says Do not judge or you too will be judged for in the same way you judge others.

You will be judged. And with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye. How can you say to your brother. Let me take the speck out of your eye when all the time there is a plank in your own eye. You hypocrite first take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove this speck from your brother’s eye.

So Jesus is. He’s talking about. Judging others and. He uses this kind of description that someone might have as you see a speck. In someone else’s eye. And trying to remove that when all the time they’ve got a plank. Now obviously he’s not talking actually about a speck of sawdust and a plank, but really talking about the fact that we’re really quick to look at other’s faults when we ourselves have plenty going on that we can deal with. And in the past month or so as we’ve been dealing with coronavirus and all of the new rules and regulations and things that come with that, I’ve been very aware at how quick I am to find specks in other people’s eyes and have been completely neglecting the plank in my own eye.

And that is whether someone is not wearing a mask at a store or their choices in this time are not lining up with my own. I’m very quick to judge what others are doing during this time and not really taking a look at how my actions look to others or how my actions might not be even in line with what I’m judging others with.

I mean, it’s such an easy thing that we can do during this time and really just in general. We have social media right at our fingertips all day everyday where people are posting about what they think politically or what their opinions on things are.

And so really we have just this never-ending feed of the ability to judge others on what they’re posting on social media and yet so often even just that act of looking at other people and judging them by what they’re posting can show a fault in ourselves. We would use that as a way to kind of distract from our own issues.

So, you know during this time I’m trying to do a couple of things. These are my tips to be less of a speck finder. And as I am calling it more of a plank maintenance or a plank remover. Before I let my thoughts drift to judgment on others, I always try to take a step back.

I assume I am wrong or at least assume that whatever that person is going through, whatever they’re posting, I’m just kind of taking a more humble approach to whatever I’m viewing and whatever I’m judging. So I assume that there is another side to whatever it is. So that’s number one, I assume there’s another side to every story.

Number two is to actually just to disengage. So when I find myself tempted to start passing judgment or thinking highly of myself versus someone else, maybe I just put down social media.
You know when I’m reading that comment from someone who’s been ranting and raving and I start to think about what I think about it, and I can really even start to feel like my energy levels rise. When I’m able to recognize that, I’ve been trying to then just turn it off to walk away so that I don’t get caught up in the comment section.

Everybody knows about the comment section. You know you read the posts but then you stay for all the comments below where people are just firing back and forth. So my suggestion is to walk away and not get caught up in the comments section. And then number three, and this should be the standard operating procedure for all of us, but pray that God would reveal those things that are in your blind spot. So you know, as Jesus is talking about this plank in your own eye he’s really talking about that blind spot. The thing that we aren’t able to see in ourselves. So, God, would you show me that thing that I can’t see that is in my blind spot that I can’t see in myself.

Would you show that to me and would you help me to work through that before I start picking apart other people’s faults? So I encourage you today, be less of a speck finder and be more of a plank remover. Don’t engage with the negative comment stoning. Don’t let yourself engage in those things. Pray that God would show you your own blind spots.

I hope that helps. I hope that really encourages you today. I know it’s challenging work but what a great time to be doing it. So thanks everybody. And I hope you have a great day.