Planks and specks

The last few days I've been looking at the sermon on the mount. I got to Matt 7 and I started to consider how much people judge others. This is a situation that we don't seem to realize gets deeper and deeper. We also don't realize how this can not only damage our relationship with others but our relationship with Christ.
A little less than a week ago my wife quit her job. I can't blame her, the people that she was having to work around had decided to judge her early in her time working there when she was first learning the job. When she left, there was at least one of her colleagues that said that she was the one person who really got the job done right. Everyone else there had spent their time making rumors up about her because of the judgement they had pasted on her.
This is a sad state of affairs. I felt badly that I couldn't protect her from this sort of abuse. The one thing that I'm trying to be careful of is that I don't allow myself to be a hypocrite.

1	Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2	For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Mk. 4.24
3	And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4	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?
5	Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6	Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

I don't wish to be the one that passes judgment on any person. What this text says to me is that if you are spending your time being worried about someone else then you can't be worried about yourself. This affects your relationship with Christ because if you are spending your time looking at someone elses flaws then you are not focusing your eyes and your efforts on what Christ's plan is for you. We all are truly guilty of this every now and again. It is important for us to ask forgiveness and move on.
Christ didn't die on the cross because he was passing judgment on us but because we passed judgment on him. Judgment is God's place and as he sits in the mercy seat he still loves us. In fact even while we are buried in our own sin God loves us. That is the reason Christ died that horrible death on the cross. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that, sometimes we sin and move away from Christ but he will draw us back in if we let him.
Keep your eyes fixed on him and you won't have to worry about passing judgment on others. Strive to be like him and be a witness to others. People should know that you are a Christian by your love, and passing judgment isn't loving someone. Until next time keep your focus on what is really important.