June 30, 2026
The Speck and the Log - Part 2
Luke 6:37-38
06/30/2026
37 Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn
not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and
you will be forgiven;
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure,
pressed down, shaken together, running over, will
be put into your lap. For with the measure you use
it will be measured back to you. (ESV)
The world, our nation, our lives are in turmoil. This week
we pray:
O Lord, grant that the course of this world may be so
peaceably ordered by Your governance that Your Church
may joyfully serve You in all godly quietness.
How are we to reflect the Father's mercy as we interact
daily with those who are less than merciful? First, we cannot
show mercy unless we have received mercy. Only as the Holy
Spirit, working through the Word and sacraments, calls us to
faith in God can we receive and reflect His mercy. Otherwise,
even our kind gestures have sinful motives.
In our arrogance, in our pride, we apply a standard of
behavior to others which we, ourselves, do not apply to
ourselves. Jesus said:
Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and
you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be
forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good
measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,
will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use
it will be measured back to you.
We are to judge between right and wrong. We are to help our
neighbor overcome those problems which cause him harm, which
place him in danger. But we do so, not as a superior, but as we
first repent and acknowledge our own sins. We do so in hope that
our neighbor may prosper and grow.
May our Lord grant us faith to repent of our sin as we help
our neighbor overcome his sin. Amen.