May 12

Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. — Rom 14:13 BSB

Instead of always focusing on others and pointing out their faults and mistakes, we should be looking to our own example, ensuring that our actions don’t harm others or lead them astray. If everyone did this, the world would be a much kinder place. We often overlook our own flaws or convince ourselves that we are nearly perfect, while in reality, our lives may be filled with inconsistencies. We may criticize the speck in our neighbor’s eye while ignoring the large beam in our own. “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).

The habit of judging others is often a greater flaw than the mistakes we so quickly point out. The first duty of every Christian is to ensure they do not cause others to stumble. It is said that Rutherford Hayes did not carry a watch because, when he was a young man, it was stolen twice, and both thieves were imprisoned. He resolved never to wear a watch again, believing that doing so might tempt others. We may consider this excessive, but we can hardly overdo our efforts to avoid leading others into temptation.