Being measured with my own yardstick...

I am writing sermons (school sermons) for an upcoming class. As I have been praying about what to preach on, God keeps bringing me life lessons on having a critical spirit, and on being judgmental. I desperately tried avoiding preaching on the topic since I know full well that it means I have to "preach it to myself" first. And I didn't want to go there.

However, for various reasons, God is impressing on me the need to face it. SOooooo -- the first of my sermons for modular week will be on Matthew 7:1-6 [TNIV]

¹ "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in someone else's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from the other person's eye.

⁶ "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Judmentalism is at an all-time high right now, in every quadrant of politics, at every red carpet event. People get paid to make snarky comments, and audiences love it. (I should know -- I love repeating them!)

This was not what I wanted to focus on, but it's pretty clear it's where God wants me to do some serious "interior remodeling."

ouch.

Deb