Today, Tuesday January 5 – Romans 2:1-3 – What are you most critical of in other people? What do you stand in judgment about in the attitudes and actions or sins of those around you? Now this might hit you hard, but Paul, in these first three verses of this chapter, says that you are guilty of the exact same sin or attitude. Wow! That hurts! The hardest person for me to be around is the one who is always being judgmental, critical, and badmouthing other people. I’m guessing that is the same for most of us. But over the years, I’ve come to realize that the very things that I don’t like in other people and have become critical about, those are the very same issues or sins that I have in my own heart. Just in case you don’t have a Bible there with you, let me share these three verses from the New Living Translation Bible: Romans 2:1-3 “You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?” Jesus in His first recorded message in the New Testament said it this way: Matthew 7:1-5 “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” May the Lord help us today to look first into our own hearts and find forgiveness and cleansing from the secret sins we have tried to hide and ignored for years! God bless!