The Most Important Person to Influence

S - Luke 6:39-42 (NIV): "He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. “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, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

O - Jesus identified the primary purpose for God giving us Scripture (his written voice).  Interestingly enough it is not for preparing sermons, identifying sins and non-sins, etc. Jesus gives us the primary purpose in John 5:39-40: "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." Testifying to the person of Jesus is the primary use and purpose for Scriptures. In this parable, he indirectly affirms the second priority in the use of Scriptures while highlighting the most important person any of us can reach or influence.  The second focus for the use of Scriptures is found in SELF application; the plank out of my eye (cf. Luke 13:1-5). All of this converges in Jesus revealing to us his VIP list and the one who is at the top. The most important person he wants to touch and me/us to influence in any day and in every day is me/ourselves.

A - A facet of the yeast of the Pharisees is how one interacts with Scriptures.  The Pharisees use the words but refuse or lose the meaning; they are quick make an application to another but fail to self-apply.  They base their view of self and others on comparisons and how things appear rather than on the Scriptures and how things actually are.  Jesus warns me/us about this and I admit that I am vulnerable to such a sad self-deception.  Today I can and will keep the purpose and priority of Jesus and the Scriptures … the witness of his great person and the plank out of my own eye.  In both cases, the view is crystal clear!

P - Lord of all and Lord of me,

Today I need your help desperately … desperately if I'm to have clear vision of yourself, your word and myself.  I admit blindness, the capacity to compare and the tragic conclusion of a life trafficking in your words and missing the meaning.  Please enable me to get and keep out the plank in my own eye so I will be able to assist another with any speck which may be in theirs.  Today let me self-apply, reach, touch and influence myself according to your word unto the life that is really life … and that I might be a reason for another to believe.
I love you back,
Steve