Wow! Here is our first guest blog post and what a perfect way to end the year, right? I hope that you all have a very, very happy and healthy New Year. God has given us His love, let's make it our resolution to give His kind of love to those around us. :-)
Matthew 7:2-5 "For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you use, it shall be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, Let me pull out the speck out of your eye; and, look, a plank is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first remove the plank out of your own eye; and then you will see clearly to remove the speck out of thy brother's eye."
There was a story that I heard and wrote down sometime ago when my children were smaller. I have always saved it, and from time to time a would run across it and re-read it. As my grandchildren came and visited this Christmas, the story came back to mind.
"One day as a little girl was sitting and watching her mother doing the supper dishes at the kitchen sink, she all of a sudden noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out that contrasted her beautiful brown hair. She looked at her mother and in wonderment asked, "Mom, why are some of your hairs white?" "Well", her mother replied, "every time that you do something wrong that makes me cry or become unhappy, one of my hairs turns white." The little girl thought about this for a moment or so and then said, "Mom, how come all of Grandma's hairs are white?"
James 1:23-25 says "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does."
Every time I look into the mirror that God calls me to look into, I see my imperfections, and usually look for some one or something to blame for them. The Lord warned us about the danger of pointing out the faults of others. He said that people with planks in their eyes should not attempt to remove specks out of other people's eyes. Somehow, we lose sight of this so quickly! We are all still growing. None of us has arrived! We need to be aware of how the enemy tries to ensnare us in this way.
I don't know about you but I tend to agree with the author who said "The only person I want removing splinters out of my eyes is someone with a clear vision and a gentle touch!" Let's ask the Lord to help us to see the ways we've been judgmental and become people with clear vision and a gentle touch! We should be building up one another and encouraging each other so that the work of the Lord may go forward. May you Be Blessed as you Follow Him in 2015! ~Pastor Craig
He has also worked for the Department of Corrections (DOC)
for 27 years. He is currently the Senior Chaplain of the DOC,
and is stationed out of Stanley, WI.
He is married to Julie, his wife of 32 years. They have 5 children
He is married to Julie, his wife of 32 years. They have 5 children
and 7 grandchildren.
Pastor Craig can be reached at Pastor_Craig@Live.com or 715-827-0812.
Pastor Craig can be reached at Pastor_Craig@Live.com or 715-827-0812.
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