Confession

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 7:1-6, 12 (day four) 

Jesus uses the analogy of eyesight a lot in this sermon. In the opening beatitudes, he says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Now he’s showing us what it takes to be able to see God and live with a pure heart, and it’s not easy.

When I used to read this story as a kid I would think, “How do they not know there’s a log in their own eye?! Wouldn’t that hurt?” But that kind of impairment isn’t the sort of thing that happens overnight. Hypocrisy doesn’t spring up out of nowhere. It starts with a small problem of sin, but the longer we go with an unrepentant heart, the more it builds on itself. Eventually, our sin has blinded us so effectively that we look as ridiculous as someone walking around unaware of the log in their eye.

This is why a daily time of confession before God is so essential to the Christian life. We need God’s help in recognizing our own sin. If we’ve developed a log in our eye through years of resentment, pride, and stubbornness, then the only way to remove it is through God’s grace.  The act of humbling ourselves in confession every day before God keeps us from haphazardly judging others, as that kind of judgment only happens in the dark. His grace brings us back to the light, where we can see clearly again.

If you want to follow the golden rule, confession is the first step.