03.26.21—Criticism! --Matthew 7:1-2
My friend, may I ask you a question? Should we ever be concerned about giving criticism to others? There are some who say that criticism is far too personal and we should avoid it for the sake of other’s feelings. Who is right?
My friend, life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.
I’m M. Clifford Brunner
Should we ever be concerned about giving criticism to others? There are some who say that criticism is far too personal and we should avoid it for the sake of other’s feelings. Who is right?
I had two brothers growing up. Since we were close in age, there were times when we would disagree, and an altercation that began with words ended up in a wrestling match. One thing that we learned pretty quickly was this. The brother who was right usually fought the hardest. If the brother who was the guilty one would try to hold the “righteous” brother down, it was soon discovered that this couldn’t be done without considerable effort on the part of the transgressor. The truth just didn’t submit so easily. A lot of wasted effort went into trying to pin the truth to the floor.
I love this story! It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive, then support them when they attacked the city. Phipps’ navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral, so he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the “saints.” (Daily Bread.)
Just like you can’t hold a good man down without staying down with him and wasting valuable effort and when you snipe, you waste valuable time and resources. Being critical of others depends upon our own willingness to discover first whether the motive is love for a brother or just the drive to be right. God’s Word tells us to “Do not judge, or you too will be judged”(Matthew 7:1). Most often when we load up to “shoot at a saint, we’d be far better off first taking stock of our own faults. Conserving the ammunition may make more sense. There’s no telling when it might really be needed!
We pray. Heavenly Father. You have taught us time and again that you can’t hold a good man down without staying down with him and wasting valuable effort. When we snipe, we waste valuable time and resources. Forgive us for being petty and critical of others when You expect so much more of us than that. We know that being critical of others depends upon our own willingness to discover first whether the motive is love for a brother or just the drive to be right. Your Word teaches us to “Do not judge, or you too will be judged”(Matthew 7:1). Remind us Father that most often when we load up to “shoot at a saint, we’d be far better off first taking stock of our own faults. Conserving the ammunition may make more sense. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen!
Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.
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<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.