Matthew 7:3-5 “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”

I Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

II Corinthians 4:16 “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”

During a veteran’s tour of the American Cemetery at Normandy in 2010, the tour guide described the proper flag folding procedure after lowering the flag over such hallowed ground. A young man named Salvatore Guinta listened intently. After the instruction, an older man wearing a Korea War Veteran hat walked over and asked Salvatore:

“Don’t you know how to fold an American flag?”

Salvatore responded simply and respectfully: “Yes, sir, I do.”

There was a long pause to follow as a part of the apparent standoff between the older man and the younger one. The leader of the group walked up to the Korean veteran and said these words that put the qualifications of the younger man into crystal clear perspective:

“Sir, I would like you to meet Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta to whom President Obama is going to present the Medal of Honor.”

The older veteran who had judged the younger man by his mere youthful appearance was rightfully humbled. He immediately snapped a salute to Salvatore, quickly reorienting himself and showing the proper respect to one who deserved far more than a negative snap judgment.

God directs us to reorient ourselves in the same way. We are to humbly examine ourselves, paying far more attention to the beam in our own eye than the mote in our brother’s eye. We are to consider the quality of one’s heart without the superficial crutch of relying on our analysis of someone’s countenance, height, or stature. And, while the outward man is perishing, we are to strive to renew our inward man day by day.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE FAR MORE CONCERNED WITH THE CONSEQUENTIAL THAN THE SUPERFICIAL. And, let’s be far more inclined to snap a salute than snapping judgment.

ADMIN: The story described above comes from “The Hero Next Door” by Martha Raddatz.