A Prayer to Remove the Plank in Your Own Eye
By Vivian Bricker 

Bible Reading:
“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, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5).

Listen or Read Below:

During a recent Bible study, my friends and I were going over Matthew 7:3-5. At once, we started talking about how common it is for us to point out sins in other people's lives but not in our own. The question that arose in all our minds was, “Why?”

After careful consideration and prayer, we concluded that we are often blinded to our own sinful behaviors. Rather than calling ourselves out when we are holding jealousy against someone, lying to someone, or deceiving someone, we choose to just ignore it or give a “reason” for our behavior. This is due to humanity's fall, as we have a tough time admitting when we are in the wrong. 

Sin is a tricky subject because it can be challenging for us to see it in our own lives. There will be times when we need to rely on other people to point out sin in our lives. This agrees with the Lord’s words, “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over” (Matthew 18:15). 

Believers alike need to address their own sins and talk about any they see in each other's lives. Part of this means learning how to remove the plank from our own eye prior to trying to remove the speck from our fellow believer’s eye. 

The Lord tells us, “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, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5). 

Jesus contrasts the speck of sawdust in our brother’s eye with the plank in our eye. A speck of sawdust is immeasurably small; however, a plank is much larger. The Greek word translated to plank is dokon and it means “large beam of timber.” Therefore, the Lord is comparing a small, minuscule speck of sawdust with a large beam of timber. 

The Lord wants us to abandon any sort of hypocritical thinking that we are fostering. He instructs us to look at the plank in our own eye before we begin to call out the speck in our brother's eye. This requires us to be more self-reflective over our behaviors, thoughts, actions, and words. 

Each day when you get out of bed in the morning, ask the Lord to help reveal any sin that is in your life. Ask Him to change your heart of hypocrisy to a heart of honesty. Pray for the Lord to help you remove the plank from your own eye and to see sin for what it is. It is also important to ask the Lord to help you point out sins in other believers’ lives, but to do so in a kind, caring, and compassionate way. 

Let's Pray:

Dear Jesus,

I have been trying to remove the speck from my brother's eye, all the while struggling with a plank in my own eye. Forgive me for this hypocrisy. It is easy to call out sin in other people's lives, but it is terribly difficult to call out sin in my own life. I'm sometimes blinded to my own sin.

I ask that You help me to become aware of my sin and to open my eyes to the damage it has caused to others. Help me to remove this plank from my eyes and to truly live in obedience to You. I also ask that You help me to point out sin in other believers' lives in a kind, compassionate, and caring way rather than a hypocritical way. No one will listen to my words if I'm living with a plank in my eye. Remove my heart and mind from a place of hypocrisy and replace it with a heart and mind of honesty and dedication to You.

I give You all the praise and glory, Lord. Amen.

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes 

Vivian Bricker obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, followed by a Master of Arts with an emphasis in theology. She loves all things theology, mission work, and helping others learn about Jesus. Find more of her content at Cultivate.

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