I’m Worried About My Brother
Timothy L. Dooley
I got this from a brother the other day, and it made me laugh and then got me thinking.
A middle-aged man walks into a psychologist's office wearing a dancer's tutu, flippers, and a scuba mask. The psychologist, humoring him, asks, “What seems to be the problem?” The man answers, "Well, Doc, I'm worried about my brother ...”
Does not this epitomize what Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5? “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 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? 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.”
Have you ever known a brother or sister in Christ who was overly critical? One who was always pointing out the flaws in others? One who thought he or she was always right and could not be convinced that the sky is blue? Maybe it is, or has been, true with you or me.
Now I am not saying that we should not be concerned with our brother’s error or sin in the church. We are our brother’s keeper, and we should be ever diligent to convert the sinner from the error of his way and save the soul from death (James 5:20). Some are saved with love and others you have to grab by the collar and, as my grandmother used to say, “shake the fire out of ‘em!” (Jude 22-23).
What I am saying is that we need to take some time out and look at ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word. We need to be less critical and condemning of each other and more loving and understanding. We need to learn to “rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Romans 12:15). We need to heed the admonition given to the churches in Galatia, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1, emp. added, TLD).
As a minister of the gospel, the biggest problem I have seen with converting souls to Christ, church growth, and unity is a lack of humility among the brethren. Be it brethren, preachers, brotherhood publications, schools of preaching, or elderships, many have little edifying quality in them, and there is much arrogance and contention. We need to learn again to love one another and the souls of all mankind. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
So the next time you or I consider being critical of another, pointing out some fault or condemning someone, maybe we should first look in the mirror and see what we have on. -355 Klingler Road, Paulding, OH 45879-9274. (419) 399-4761. pauldingcoc@windstream.net