I have a plank in my eye, how would you help me remove it?

W2L said:

A carpenter who is also a physician.

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Amen!!

W2L said:

Clarity, to me, is simplicity in Christ. Simplicity is like a light guiding me through the winds of doctrine, saying to me, this is the way.

Isaiah 30:21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, “[a]This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

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That's fine , if it's that simple for you and you don't find yourself wanting more you might be better off not asking for clarity.

I'd say welcome to the club. We all have specks (and sometimes planks) in our eyes. If we didn't then it would mean we are perfect, and its impossible to be perfect in these bodies. Though we should always try to be as perfect as we can of course. Also pray, pray and pray. If you catch yourself about to mess up, pause and pray. Say "Do I really need to do this? Is this would Jesus would do?".

Though that doesn't always work for me, often its helpful since I tend to always respond negatively to worldly stories. I have to ask myself if I am shining Jesus light by arguing with people and calling them wrong. Not that one shouldn't stand up for their faith of course, but yelling at people isn't the way to do so.

W2L said:

I have a plank in my eye, how would you help me remove it? Thanks.

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What comes to mind is that we learn from others. We can't just learn from ourselves or it's self-serving learning.

"The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:9

""Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, 'Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.'" Deuteronomy 4:10

"Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: "Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully."" Deuteronomy 5:1

"Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other. For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? You are already filled, you have already become rich, you have become kings without us; and indeed, I wish that you had become kings so that we also might reign with you.

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me." 1 Corinthians 4:6-16

W2L said:

Thanks.

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I would lift you up in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you anything that is hindering you or has you deceived and you can't see the speck....God Bless!

Repent of your speck and dont judge others.

W2L said:

Simplicity in Christ is all about wanting more of the Lord. Its about following the Lord within.

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Sweet simplicity! It amazes me how some things can seem so simple yet are really quite profound. Our freedom can be found in simplicity.

May all our specks become smaller and smaller and less irritating.

There are those of us who had a speck in each of our eyes. These specks got bigger and bigger, and our vision got fuzzier and fuzzier. We noticed what we thought were "specks" and "planks" in other people's eyes before we realized what was happening in our own.
We needed a physician to tell us the truth about our own eyes and then an operation to replace the damaged lenses with new ones.
Having done that we found we had other vision problems, some of which could only be treated if they were identified early on. Some of these led to a narrowing of vision, some to loss of colour vision, some to total blindness. Then there are some that are actually symptoms of much more serious "systemic" diseases of the body.

From what Jesus said it seems our eyes have two functions 1) to see - as in seeing the waiting harvest and getting engaged, in seeing others as God sees them, specks and planks in our eyes mean we do not perceive reality as it is and we fail to perceive the truth; and 2) to let the light into the mind, the heart, the body. If our eyes are darkened (by specks and planks) the light has a hard tíme getting in, and our minds are not illuminated and we never see the glorious light of our Lord Jesus.

I cannot treat my own eye problems, I'm not even up to the task of identifying what they are. I need to ask the Optometrist (Himself) to make a diagnosis and provide the treatment. If you think you have a speck or plank in your eye and you ask me for advice, that is the advice I'd give you. Go to your heavenly optometrist.

Scissors blinded me in my left eye when I was but three years old. Nevertheless my right eye still offends me at times, and mercy I would be overjoyed to enter the pearly gates with only one good left eye.

James 5:16

W2L said:

Perhaps i should have said i have a speck in my eye.

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Join the club but it means we have no right to point out the spec in our brothers eye or demand it be removed.

DamianWarS said:

Join the club but it means we have no right to point out the spec in our brothers eye or demand it be removed.

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Actually, we ought to help our brother deal his sin if we can. Jude 1:23; Galatians 6:1.
We just need to make sure that we are cognizant of our own sin (Romans 2:1) and that we are dealing with our own hearts first. Matthew 7:5, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."

The very fact you are aware of anything separating you from God means you are on the right path! We are all imperfect humans with limitations, including our ability to forgive and forget. That’s why we need Jesus, who offers us rest from our struggles and hope for renewal. When you feel like you are overcome by that which you know is wrong and you want to vanquish, call on His name, bring it to The Lord as sin, and ask Him for forgiveness from that tendency. Then, ask Him to help you discern the situation so you can be shown what to do next.

Sometimes, like with praying for someone you’re mad with, for example, we can start out with doing so with reservation, but are doing it out of obedience. But the more we go back to God with that prayer, little by little, we give up control of our feelings about the issue, and start to see it from His perspective, and can more earnestly pray for the person who hurt us, and may even be shown what was the cause of that person’s actions, and so on.

While you’re waiting on God to show you the way, just keep meditating on His word, do a Bible study, volunteer for a cause or at your place of worship, or simply do a random act of kindness for someone - and repeat. Such intentional shifts from your struggles to the goodness of the Lord will make a difference in how you view your problems and bring you closer in your walk with Jesus.

by first removing the log cabin in my own eye..

royal priest said:

Actually, we ought to help our brother deal his sin if we can. Jude 1:23; Galatians 6:1.
We just need to make sure that we are cognizant of our own sin (Romans 2:1) and that we are dealing with our own hearts first. Matthew 7:5, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."

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This is a spirit led action as we have no power to remove the smallest spec out of our own and have no right to do the same to our brother. It is only through Christ that allows these things to happen

DamianWarS said:

This is a spirit led action as we have no power to remove the smallest spec out of our own and have no right to do the same to our brother. It is only through Christ that allows these things to happen

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I like the way the KJV represents the original:
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness..."
Yet, the Apostle recognizes the believer's struggle between the Spirit and the flesh "...considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."

W2L said:

Thanks.

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Did you ask if God wants you to keep the plank? I am not suggesting, if that plank is sin, that God desires you to sin... but if it is a weakness, perhaps it is there to work through to learn a lesson for something He desires for you to to/be in the future? Just a thought.