Class Jerk

"If after three weeks of class you don't know who the class jerk is, then it's you."

 

This statement is quoted by Tony Dungy in Uncommon and attributed to a classmate. Jesus might have said this.

 

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Luke 6:41-42 (NIV)

 

It is so easy to see the faults of others and miss our own. It is so easy to turn purple excoriating a "wrong" person when we bask in our "rightness." How easy is it, in the name of "help," to correct another all the will resisting any correction (or learning) on our part? It is easy to keep the cottage industry of hypocrisy going in our eye, especially when there are others to fix. This phenomenon is standard issue to all siblings – "He/she did it!"

 

God must grow weary listening to people point out the vileness, stupidity, orneriness, vapidity and bad motives of others all the while missing that they, themselves, are quite competent at this as well.

 

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:3-6 (NIV)

 

I think the reason I am the consummate hypocrite is that I do not love God as much as I think I do. Yes, God gets routine "tip o' the hat" from me. But does my heart burn, melt (Tim Heller) for God in love? Is Christ very personal and who I yearn to "hang out" with and sit at his feet? True friends, real lovers never have to compete with the other items on a To Do list. Am I in love?