That is good advice. This is not a terminal illness that can’t be cured. Bitterness is something we can do something about. There is no need for any of us to enslaved by such a dreadful thing. We have a choice. We can choose to get bitter or choose to get better.

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”–Matthew 7:3-5

A pastor was once speaking at a large conference in Washington. Being the main speaker, his sessions were always full and everyone was very attentive, except for one man. One man always sat in the same seat in the front row of his sessions, and halfway into the sermon he would fall asleep. The first time it happened, the pastor thought the man had experienced a tough day of driving to get to the conference and accidently fell asleep. But night after night the same thing happened. Annoyed by the occurrence, the pastor had developed a bitter spirit toward this man. After the conference, the man’s wife approached the pastor and apologized for the man’s actions. As she explained, he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and the new medicine made him drowsy. But his one wish was to hear that pastor preach before he died, so they had made the long, painful journey to be at the conference.

Notice the parable Christ gives in today’s verses: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” How often have we judged others about sins or shortcomings that are in our lives as well? Why can’t we see our own failures before seeing those of others?

Many times we ignore sin in our lives because we don’t want to deal with the sin. It’s easier to see the problems that other people have rather than dealing with our own problems. If we were honest with ourselves, we probably have more problems than the people we judge!

Notice the symbolism Jesus uses. While a mote refers to a dry stalk or twig, a piece of grass, or a straw; a beam refers to a large plank of wood, similar to a 2×4. Christ says, “While you’re scrutinizing the small issues of other people, there are large looming sins in your own life!”

Much of this teaching was aimed at the religious leaders of the day, those who wanted to point out the minor inconsistencies of the Jewish people while overlooking their blind ignorance of God’s Word. Christ pointed out that rather than judging others, they needed to be judging themselves.

Do you sometimes act like the Pharisees, pointing out the sins of others while ignoring sin in your life? Have you become accustomed to judging others without judging yourself? Take time today to open your heart before God and let Him judge you. Lay out your actions, thoughts, and motives before Him and pray as the Psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts” (Psalm 139:23). The next time you’re tempted to point out someone else’s sins or failures, be reminded of your own shortcomings and pray that God will help both of you.(Daily in the Word)

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.“- 2Cor. 5:21

A young boy had a problem of being consistently late for dinner. One day, his parents warned him to be on time or else he would get only bread and water for dinner. This time, though, the boy arrived later than ever and found his parents already sitting at the table.

Quickly, the boy sat at his place and noticed the meal before him: a slice of bread and a glass of water. Silence filled the room as he stared at his plate. The suddenly, he saw his father’s hand reach over, take the boy’s plate, and set it before himself. Then the father took his own plate of food, smiled warmly, and set it before the boy.

When the boy grew older he said, “All my life, I’ve known what God is like by what my father did for me that night.”

When Jesus went to the cross, He exchanged our plate of sin and suffering for His plate of righteousness and rewards. He voluntarily took what we deserved upon Himself and gave us incomparable riches through our faith in Him.

In the history of the world, no greater exchange has ever been made. So thank God today for sending His Son to take away your sins and give you eternal life! (Senior Living)

[Love] “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:….”1 Corinthians 13:7-8a

Pastor Stephen Davey said, “I remember having lunch with one of my students at Shepherds Seminary and being challenged by his testimony.

He told me that his thirteen-year-old son had been born with severe brain defects. As a result, the boy was unable to swallow, was mentally retarded, paralyzed, and needed round-the-clock care in their home.

This seminarian’s depth of character was remarkable to me. Despite this time-consuming and restricting weight of responsibility, he said that God had been so faithful to his family. He didn’t complain or show any signs of bitterness. He even remarked at one point, “I know there are a lot of people out there who suffer more than we do . . . and our son is such a joy to us.”

That’s the kind of love Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 13:7. That’s the kind of love that isn’t just willing to endure all things . . . it wants to.

In Kent Hughes’ book Disciplines of a Godly Man, he  tells the story of his friend Robertson McQuilkin, the former president of Columbia International University.

When Dr. McQuilkin’s wife Muriel was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he decided to resign from his office in order to give her the care that was required 24/7. He wrote these inspiring words in his resignation letter to the university:

My dear wife Muriel has been in failing mental health for about eight years. So far I have been able to care for both her ever-growing needs and my leadership responsibilities at Columbia. Recently it has become apparent that Muriel is contented most of the time she is with me and almost none of the time I am away from her. It is not just “discontent.” She is filled with fear—even terror—that she has lost me and always goes in search of me when I leave home. It is clear that she needs me now, full-time. This decision was made, in a way, forty-two years ago when I promised to care for her “in sickness and in health . . . ’til death do us part.” So, as I have already told the students and faculty, as a man of my word, I will do it. She has cared for me fully all these years; if I cared for her for the next forty years I would not be out of debt. Duty, however, can be grim and stoic. But there is more; I love Muriel. She is a delight to me . . . I do not have to care for her . . . I get to.

This is the endurance of true love.

Imagine what kind of difference it would make in your life today if you loved people—and the Lord—with this same attitude.

Instead of living with a mindset of having to demonstrate love, we would adopt the spirit of getting to show our love!

When the Apostle John told us that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, he revealed that God had this very mindset toward us. God’s love wasn’t stoic or grim.

He didn’t have to save us . . . He wanted to.

Will you love Christ today with that same attitude? The attitude that says, “I don’t have to love Jesus . . . I get to.” Take some time right now to evaluate your love for Christ and then pray for grace to love Him more.  As the old Puritans prayed, “Lord, give me a longing to long for You . . . give me a love to love You.”

“…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Neh. 8:10