Be Still And Know

Matthew 7:1-2 I wonder whether you have ever lived in an atmosphere of harsh criticism and even condemnation. It’s a horrible place to be and I have known many people whose lives have been disfigured by it. Tragically, the criticism has sometimes come from parents and teachers, who ought to have known better. Jesus made clear that this kind of attitude is totally wrong. It’s demoralising and undermines a person’s strength and confidence. Having a harsh critical spirit is always a bad idea and not least because all of us would choose to be treated with generosity and kindness. Jesus told his followers that if that’s what they wanted to receive, then that’s what they needed to hand out. He provided a funny illustration to ram home his point. If you want to point out that someone has got a tiny speck of dust in their eye, you need to be sure that you haven’t got a huge log stuck in your own eye (vv3-5)! The truth is that it is so easy to spot the failings of others while being blissfully ignorant of our