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? Matthew seven three sometimes I use words that aren't words at all. For example, while preaching a sermon one Sunday, I used the word fictitional. That sounds like a real word, right? But it isn't. What I should have said was either fictional or fictitious. I've used some other good words too, like agreeance. I should have used the word agreement a lot of us preachers rely on our wives to keep us straight on things like pronunciation. But before you criticize my wife for not doing her job, just remember that she can only do so much with the material she has with which to work. That poor girl is doing the best she can with me now I know that I'm not the only one who mispronounces words, misuses words, or just makes up words as I go along. No doubt you have smiled when hearing someone say nary ate when he should say narrate. Youve probably heard someone refer to a chiropractor as a choir practor. And ill bet youve heard someone say that he was very flustrated when he should have said he was either frustrated or flustered. These are minor mistakes that we all make from time to time. We all misspell words or mispronounce words, or even use words incorrectly. We all make mistakes, some small, like the ones ive mentioned here, and some that are not so small. Most of us have even made some very big mistakes that can have some very big consequences too. Its not that we intend to make mistakes, and those that actually do that are a whole other subject. But the fact that all of us do make mistakes suggests that we should be a lot less critical and judgmental of each other than we often are. Remember, when you point your finger at someone else, you have three fingers pointing right back at you. Sin is sin and wrong is wrong and sin should be exposed. But the petty criticism and passing judgment of which were all guilty at times really needs to be held in check, because quite often were trying to remove a speck in someone elses eye when weve got a log in our own.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to dailythoughtspodcastmail.com. Have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.