Sometimes, you get something to read that stimulates your to think about. I came across a quote from Holocaust victim Corrie Ten Boom. The quote has given me a bowl of food to chew on.
“When an Christian is averse to socializing with others Christians and is not able to get along with other Christians, the devil smiles. If he ceases to study the Bible The devil smiles. When he stops meditating the devil shouts happiness .”
Someone once told me, “If the church were perfect, you would not be part of it” and I can’t either. There aren’t any perfect churches, because there aren’t any perfect people.
A thought-provoking piece in the front of the church bulletin described the pastor who kept a notebook at his desk in the church. The cover of the notebook were the words “Complaints of members against other members.”
If someone was to tell the minister about the shortcomings of another person, they would then say, “Here’s my complaint book. I’ll note the details you provide and then you could take it to sign. If I need to discuss the matter with the brothers I’ll be aware of the testimony I can be expecting from you.”
The open notebook and pen lying on his desk has always had an impact. “Oh, no! I wouldn’t be able to sign anything like this!” the member would reply. It is not a good idea to record their grievances in writing.
The story ended by the minister saying that he’d had the complaint book for nearly 40 years, and been through it countless times, but never written one word in the book.
The incident is reminiscent of a comment I’ve heard from people over the many years. If you point a finger at another person, there’s three fingers pointing back towards you. According to some, when you feel pressured to search for flaws you should use a mirror and not the telescope.
Jesus addressed “complaints” during Matthew Chapter 7. He stated, “Judge not, that you do not get found guilty.” Then he said that we and I will be judged in accordance with how we judge others.
If I may to quote, Jesus also said we are able to see the splinter of the eye of another, but don’t notice the two-by-4 in our own eyes. That is you need to eliminate yourself before you are able to discern enough clearly to remove the splinter out of the friend’s eye.
If someone has committed a sin that requires attention, Jesus gave us guidelines in Matthew 18 which begins with Verse 15. Jesus advised that we talk to the person in private first. If the person is unwilling to listen and you are unable to get them to listen, then bring another Christian with you and talk in private to them once more. If that doesn’t work you can discuss the issue with the church.
If we find ourselves inclined to make others feel bad We could take a lesson from the wisdom of a wise minister I have heard. Because God has given our ears two and a mouth, perhaps we should talk only half as often in the same way as listening.
The most effective method to keep in mind that when you’re not big enough Don’t underestimate.
Jan White has compiled a collection of her columnists in her book “Everyday Faith for a Daily Life.”
The article Remove your lumber before removing the splinters of others appeared at The Andalusia Star-News.
