Zebra Ministries

Good morning Zebras,

I love you.  A week or so ago I told you I have this picture on my computer to remind me that the voice I hear is real, but when the smoke came in my unguarded window God showed me that sometimes I need to be James Earl Jones resolutely slamming the door on Satan.

Satan is a sneaky guy and we often underestimate him.  We don’t realize how desperately he wants to get into our lives and make us dishonor God.  And he will use any means necessary to do it.

I really believe pride is his favorite trick.  It is what caused him to fall from grace and he has used it successfully in the past.  All he has to do is get us thinking things like: “I was wronged,” “I deserve better,” or “My (fill in the blank, including but not limited to: “my church, my ministry, my house, my kids, my walk before God) is superior to theirs,” and he is in.

Recently an old dead guy gave me new insight on the following verses:

Matthew 7:3–5 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

One interpretation of this passage is that we should not be looking at the sin’s in other people’s lives because we need to deal with our own first. Which is true, we do. But honestly, who of us is ever through dealing with sin?

A second interpretation is that there is some ranking of sins.  “Speck” sins and “plank” sins and when you get rid of your plank sins you can help people with their specks.  But that just never made sense to me.

But the way the ODG taught is was: it is the judgmental way we look at other’s people’s sin, as if we are somehow superior to them, that becomes the plank in our eye.  And that made sense.

As Christians, we’re supposed to walk alongside one another in love, living lives that honor God and encouraging others to do the same. And when we see a sin in another person’s life we say something, not because we are better than them, but because we love them and want the very best for them.

James 5:19–20 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

And if a brother or sister comes to us and confesses a sin, we don’t judge, we pray with them so that they can be healed.

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Love,

Jill