Conviction

My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers
June 17

This was hugely powerful and convicting. A must share.

The Uncritical Temper- "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Matthew 7:1

Jesus says regarding judging - Don't. The average Christian is the most penetratingly critical individual. Criticism is a part of the ordinary faculty of man; but in the spiritual domain nothing is accomplished by criticism. The effect of criticism is a dividing up of the powers of the one criticized; the Holy Ghost is the only One in the true position to criticize, He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into communion with God when you are in a critical temper; it makes you hard and vindictive and cruel, and leaves you with the flattering unction that you are a superior person. Jesus says, as a disciple cultivate the uncritical temper. It is not done once and for all. Beware of anything that puts you in the superior person's place.

There is no getting away from the penetration of Jesus. If I see the mote in your eye, it means I have a beam in my own. Every wrong thing that I see in you, God locates in me. Every time I judge, I condemn myself (see Romans 2:17-20). Stop having a measuring rod for other people. There is always one fact more in every man's case about which we know nothing. The first thing God does is to give us a spiritual spring-cleaning; there is no possibility of pride left in a man after that. I have never met the man I could despair of after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.

As a girl this was especially convicting. Why as girls are we specifically awful at this, especially in the Christian community for some reason. How often do we hear, "we really need to pray for so and so because..." or "have you heard..."? Praise the Lord (literally) for his forgiveness and grace because I know this is not a sin I have defeated (I know "sin defeating" is not something I can do on my own nor will ever be able to do until HE comes again...one of my favorite verses: "Behold, I am making all things new." Revelation 21:5) but am daily being tempted toward.

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." Proverbs 31:26
...that is what I want for myself, my goal.

What would happen if we broke this cycle, got rid of the measuring rod?