James 5:16 - Magnifying sins

 

Jesus said that I shouldn't magnify the speck in someone else's eye while ignoring the log in mine own eye. But exactly how do I get the log out of my own eye?

Jesus also taught us to pray, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." (Matthew 6:12, New Living Translation, 2015) Choose your own translation: sins, debts, transgressions. They all refer to things needing to be forgiven and removed from our lives.

The point remains, how do I magnify a log well enough to remove it, to be forgiven?

* Asking God is a good place to start.  As the psalmist prayed, "Search me, O God..." (Psalm 139: 23-24)
* Scripture doesn't teach "let your conscience be your guide," but a trained and educated conscience may clue us in, if we're listening. (Hebrews 5:12-14).
* God's word is called a "mirror" to show us what needs to be cleaned. (James 1:23)
* The Holy Spirit will prompt and urge us to make things right when needed. (Romans 2:15)

Once we actually see "the log," what then?

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Have you ever looked at a magazine picture with a magnifying glass? The photos are made of tiny little dots--made by corresponding, tiny dimples holding ink on a printing plate.

For years, my dad worked as a photoengraver, repairing copper plates used to print photographs in magazines like National Geographic. He had different magnifying glasses for doing the detailed work of repairing the plates used for creating magazine photographs. 

We found another application for one of his magnifiers. It was strong enough to see the ridges and valleys of a fingerprint--a very useful tool for finding and removing a tiny splinter of wood. 

But have you ever tried to hold a magnifying glass at the same time you're using a sterilized needle to dig out a splinter? It really helps to have someone else magnify the problem.

James writes:
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." (James 5:16, NLT)

"Confess your sins to each other," means that the person needing the prayer is the one who initiates it. That is more productive than me going around finding the speck in other people's eye.

"Sins," plural, implies that we get to specific ones. I own up to my own issues. Sins, like splinters, have to be magnified and identified to be extracted.

"And pray." Even non-spiritual people feel the catharsis of getting something off their chest. But the Christian confession discussed here ultimately turns back to God to request healing that only He can give.

Lord, Sin is not the main issue. Help us to focus on it only to the degree that it helps us find healing and forgiveness. We don't want to magnify sin, or ourselves, but Your grace and mercy. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

See also: Thursday, April 29, 2021 - 1 Corinthians 4:4 - Expert Speck Removal