January 10, 2016: Day 7 – Matthew 7

The wise man built his house upon the rock.  The wise man built his house upon the rock.  When you read Matthew 7 it is hard not to keep that children’s song out of your mind.  Okay, it’s hard for me, because we sing it in chapel with the kids frequently on Friday mornings.  What a great lesson, to build your house, to build your life upon the rock of Jesus Christ, for all other things are just sinking sands.

Once again we find a plethora of familiar concepts.  Do not judge, unless you are prepared to be judged by the same judgment.  I have always thought that our interpretation of this Scripture has been skewed.  It does say: “Do not judge.”  That is not the end of the sentence.  Rather, the Lord tell us that if you judge you had better be prepared to be judged by the same standard.  Don’t try to take a speck of dust out of your neighbor’s eye if you haven’t already located the log in your own eye and taken it out.

Don’t criticize people because they are shallow or obtuse, when you yourself delight in speaking about the faults of others.  Don’t get angry at slothfulness and inefficiency, when you don’t necessarily spend the amount of time that you ought to in carrying out your own work.  

There are some great practical approaches to life in this chapter which includes the Golden Rule.  That’s right, if you want to know what the Golden Rule is you can find it in Matthew 7:12 – ” In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.”  what a great rule for life.