Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Let’s FOCUS on being a tree rather than pointing out twigs today.

Jesus said in today’s scripture, Luke 6:41-42 (NLT)…
[41] “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? [42] How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

Consider…
Jesus’ familiar admonition in today’s scripture is about judging. But if we continue reading, He said in Luke 6:43-45 (NLT)…
[43] “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. [44] A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. [45] A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

These verses provide an additional context to today’s scripture. Jesus isn’t only telling us not to judge, He’s also telling us to get ourselves together. Indeed, Jesus is telling us that we need to be identifiably and genuinely good.

The Apostle Peter echoes Jesus’ expectation in 1 Peter 2:12 (NLT), where he exhorts…
[12] Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

Bottom-line, others shouldn’t have to wonder if we are Christians, our actions should speak for themselves. God wants us to focus on being who He saved us to be, in order to help others see who He wants them to see.

This insight brings Ephesians 5:8-10 (NLT) to mind, which explains…
[8] For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! [9] For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. [10] Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.

We must be committed to only living good, right and true in God’s eyes.

The Holy Spirit reiterated this expectation with Colossians 1:9-10 (NLT), where Paul wrote…
[9] So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. [10] Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Hopefully the theme is crystalizing, today Jesus was telling us to stop focusing on fixing “them”, and solely focus on living like, and for Him.

Jesus told us how to do this in John 15:1-5 (NLT), where He said…
[1] “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. [2] He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. [3] You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. [4] Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. [5] “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

I could go on and on, but suffice to say Jesus wants us to focus on being good trees rooted in Him and not focus on the sinful twigs of others.

Today’s song is…
Sweep Around

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)