Open My Eyes and Heart

 Matthew 23: 13-22

Woe To Me!

¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. ¹Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

It's easy to read this passage and point the finger of woe to "the other guy," for it's so easy to see the flaw in others and not see it in ourselves. Let's take a moment and see the finger pointing at us.  A different story.  Who is going to open my eyes so that I may see what others see, and who will help me act on it?  Seeing and accepting are one thing, but changing a behavior is another. It takes not only awareness, but time as well.  Let's find ONE thing that stands out as needing correction and begin on that.  One step at a time.  Let's not be afraid to admit we are guilty, but let's not forget the mercy of God and his grace which are there to help us take the necessary steps.

Bro. Rene