Guarding Against A Critical Heart

It’s so easy to see problems in others and completely miss them in ourselves. And then we criticize those faults, we make all sorts of negative assumptions about their motives and intentions, we judge their faith, and we label them with this negative trait or having that character flaw.  However, if anyone dares point out those faults in us, we grow defensive, we have reasons and justifications, people just don’t understand. It’s different for us. As we head into the closing verses of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus deals sharply, and even a bit humorously, with a judgmental, critical heart.