I don't watch a lot of television shows but when I do, they tend to be shows that show criminal activity being thwarted by the good guys. You know I enjoy shows like 24, all the CSIs, and Law & Order. One of the trends I've noticed of late, is that there is a blurring of the lines between the good guys and the bad guys as law enforcement is forced to go beyond preconceived acceptable norms to solve crimes. As criminals have gotten smarter and terrorists have become more brazen, the good guys, just as in real life, are forced to go to greater lengths, pushing the envelope and blurring the line between what is right and what is wrong. A group of men and women in the law enforcement community who are presented in a negative light are those who police the police officers - Internal Affairs. They are presented as, in many cases, worse than the criminals because they are seen as the ones who stand for the rule of law, no matter what and that seems to fly in the face of today's law enforcement community. And so they are reviled because they force internal introspection and review of procedure to insure at the end of the day, that those who enforce the law obey the law themselves.
True in law enforcement, also true in life. No one likes introspection, especially the kind that points out faults and examines our motives. It's so much easier to point out the mistakes of others and enforce the necessary penalty. But when it comes to internal investigation that forces us to turn inward and examine our own shortcomings - we'd just rather not. This morning, I received a reminder from the word of God. A friend of mine posted on Facebook that he believed every Christian should read Matthew 7:1-5 everyday. It just so happens that verse is one of my favorites and I thought it appropriate at the beginning of a year when we are all in a reflective mode to share it with you.
Matthew 7:1-5, The Message
"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor."
Maybe you are more familiar with it from the King James Version - it's the passage during Jesus' Sermon on the Mount that begins "Judge not, lest you be judged. . ." I love this passage because it points the responsibility of sin investigation not outward but inward. Jesus did not call us to judge others, rather to reach others. He did not call us to condemn others but to offer mercy and forgiveness. So many times though it is easier to play the role of "God's Cop" and police everyone else. But Jesus reminds us that when it comes to Christian Affairs, we need an Internal Investigation.
So at the start of this year - Why not commit to stop being judgmental? No more condemnation coming from our lips. Let's commit to love our neighbor but not criticizing him. Let's commit to less pointing out of faults and more of helping others to overcome. Today begin this process by turning inward. Jesus, help me today, to no longer examine the splinters in my brother's eye but rather help me to remove the log that is my own. Help me to not only clean the outside of my cup but let my insides be even more clean than my outer. Let me have your mind and convey your words, when you said "The Son of Man came not into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved." Let me not be afraid of looking inward but rather let me embrace as an opportunity to be more effective as your servant to my world.
Let's have a great 2010. I'm thankful that 2009 is gone but I am believing for God's VERY VERY VERY Best for me and for you in 2010. Love all of you - looking forward to an amazing new year! -- RP
