I'm a jerk!!

So this morning I was reading in Matthew 7 and it amazes me how the words that Jesus spoke are just as counter-culture now as they were then. Jesus is talking to us about judging others and focusing more on pursuing holiness for ourselves and not being so focused on making sure people are up to the level of holiness we deem necessary.

See we are all judgmental in some way, I know it hurts to hear it. We all judge people in little ways. I used to judge parents (before I was one), you know when the kid is in Chili's and they are whiny and all over the place. I used to judge those parents and tell people how I would do it different and that my kids would never behave that way. Well Jesus said, you judged buddy now the same is coming back to you. A month or so back we were eating at Johnny Carino's after church. Well we happen to sit down next the entire staff of our church-plant team somewhere in Asia (don't ask where). Of course here it comes...it is one of those days we should have gone home after church and not out to eat. Needless to say the boys did not do well. Now I am not saying my missionary friends were judging us but I was now that parent I used to judge. So all I am saying is we all do it, we judge, so we shouldn't be surprised when we become the people we wrongfully judged.

See I am one of the worst kind of judgmental people. I label me being judgmental as being "cynical"...I know what is the difference. We are in Houston this week and I think Houston is the mega-church capital of the world. There is nothing wrong with large churches, I just prefer something smaller. But I have a major tendency to judge those churches and definitely their leaders. I have pretended I was not judging for a while by hiding behind the title of being a "cynic". Well the Holy Spirit reminded me this morning that being a cynical jerk and a judgmental jerk are the same thing, ouch. So I am laying it out there I am a jerk either way, so if you are a pastor of a large church...I am sorry for how I might have possibly judged you or might potentially judge you as I work through my junk. Namely if Joel Olsteen, Dr. Ed Young, or any staff member of Fellowship of the Woodlands (those are churches I saw ads for in Houston yesterday and then I quickly judged them and ripped them apart in my mind), stumble onto my page I am very sorry for being a jerk to you.

I want to be like my dad in this matter (giving you props pop), He amazes me with his wisdom and wise judgements. He is not an optimist who only sees the good, but he sees the good clearly and is also able to give encouraging insights into flaws. Where I would just be a jerk and tell someone everything they are doing wrong (in my opinion). Way to go dad you are rad.

So my challenge to you and me is to be ruthless in removing the planks from our own eyes so that when we need to lovingly help remove a speck from our brother's eye we can do it correctly. Lord help us be a people who are radical about pursuing personal holiness in a way that causes judgmental hearts to fall to the wayside.