"AND WHY DO YOU LOOK AT THE MOTE THAT IS IN YOUR BROTHER'S EYE, BUT DO NOT NOTICE THE BEAM THAT IS IN YOUR OWN EYE? OR HOW CAN YOU SAY TO YOUR BROTHER 'LET ME TAKE THE MOTE OUT OF YOUR EYE, ' AND BEHOLD, THE BEAM IS IN YOUR OWN EYE? YOU HYPOCRITE, FIRST TAKE THE BEAM OUT OF YOUR OWN EYE, AND THEN YOU WILL SEE CLEARLY TO TAKE THE MOTE OUT OF YOUR BROTHER'S EYE." (Matthew 7:3-5).

HOW PAINFUL IS A MOTE (speck) in someone's eye. We should do all we can to remove it and how grateful he is, as we should be if he did for us. We are told to "admonish and exhort one another" and to "wash one another's feet" and to provoke one another to love and good works." The love of JESUS will make us want to help our brother in this way, in love and humility.

WHAT IS THE BEAM . . . .

JESUS TELLS US THAT WE CANNOT SEE straight to cast the mote out when we have a beam in our own eye. The mote in our brother's eye is some fault, or act, or wrong attitude in his life. The beam is our unloving reaction to his mote. If it is one of resentment, coldness, criticism, or bitterness, evil speaking, or ill will, JESUS says that it is far, far worse that the tiny wrong (sometimes quite unconscious) that provoked it.

TAKE IT TO CALVARY . . . .

WHEN WE RECOGNIZE OUR UNLOVING REACTION to our brother as sin, we must be broken afresh and trust JESUS to cleanse it away with His Blood. Then He will fill us with His love for that one and we will probably need to go to him in an attitude of repentance. Even if your sin is not nearly so bad as the other's wrong... you cannot compare your sins. We may even see that the other's is virtually non-existent... it was merely the projection of something that was in us. On the other hand, we may have shown him something hidden that we can lovingly and humbly challenge. Our brother knows now that there is no selfish motive... only love and concern for him.

"THEREFORE, CONFESS YOUR SINS TO ONE ANOTHER AND PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER SO THAT YOU MAY BE HEALED." (James 5:16).

"DO NOT JUDGE LEST YOU BE JUDGED. FOR IN THE WAY YOU JUDGE, YOU WILL BE JUDGED...," (Matthew 7:1).

"MY BRETHREN, IF ANY AMONG YOU STRAYS FROM THE TRUTH, AND ONE TURNS HIM BACK, LET HIM KNOW THAT HE WHO TURNS A SINNER FROM THE ERROR OF HIS WAY WILL SAVE HIS SOUL FROM DEATH, AND WILL COVER A MULTITUDE OF SINS." (James 5:19).