November 5
Judging with
Grace
“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?”
Matthew 7:3 (NIrV)
Joshua had only been attending church for a few weeks, but it felt like everyone already knew him. He’d grown up in a tight-knit community, where everyone knew each other's business, and now here he was, trying to fit into a new community of faith. It was a Sunday morning, and the church was buzzing with the usual energy. The laughter, the greetings, the people singing worship songs—it all felt somewhat familiar, but at the same time, something didn’t sit right with Joshua.
As he sat there in the pew, looking around at all the faces in the crowd, his mind started racing. "I saw you drunk last week," he thought as his eyes passed over one person. "I know you’re having an affair," he thought of another. "You used to be in prison, didn’t you?" he wondered about someone else. His judgmental thoughts kept coming, one after the other. “I know you’ve wasted a lot of money, and you just can’t get your life together. You love to gossip, and you don’t even try to change. You just come here on Sundays to look good.”
Joshua’s thoughts turned darker, filled with a sense of superiority. He wasn’t like them, he told himself. He was trying to make a change, to start fresh and turn his life around. But these people—these “churchgoers”—they didn’t seem any different. They looked fine on the outside, polite and well-dressed, singing their songs of worship, but Joshua couldn’t shake the feeling that they were all just pretending. They were frauds, putting on a show to make themselves look good. They came to church on Sundays, but did they really change? Did they even care to?
The more he sat there, the angrier he became. How could they live such hypocritical lives? Didn’t they see their own mistakes? Didn’t they realize how much they were failing? And then, suddenly, something shifted in his heart. As the pastor began preaching, a familiar verse floated into Joshua’s mind: “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?”
The verse echoed in his mind, and Joshua’s stomach sank. It was as if a weight had dropped onto his chest. The thoughts he had been having about the others—it was all judgment. He hadn’t even stopped to look at his own life. Yes, he was trying to make changes, but there were things in his past he wasn’t proud of. Things that he was still working on, just like everyone else around him. He wasn’t perfect. In fact, he was far from it.
Joshua closed his eyes for a moment and silently asked God for forgiveness. He realized he had been so quick to point fingers, so eager to judge, without recognizing his own flaws. He had walked into this church with a sense of superiority, thinking he had it all figured out. But now he understood: none of us were perfect, and we all needed God’s grace.
As the service continued, Joshua’s heart softened. He knew that he had a long way to go in his journey of faith, but this was a powerful lesson. No one was above anyone else. We all fall short of God’s glory. But with His grace, we can grow and change—together.
Prayer:
Dear God,
I come before You today, humbled and aware of my own imperfections.
I’ve been so quick to judge others, to look at their flaws without examining my own heart.
Forgive me for the times I’ve acted in pride and judgment, thinking that I am somehow better than others.
Help me to see people the way You see them, with love, compassion, and grace.
Thank You for reminding me that we all need Your forgiveness and that none of us are beyond redemption.
Teach me to focus on my own growth and to be patient with others, knowing that we are all on this journey together.
I trust in Your plan for my life and for the lives of those around me.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
