Mind Your Own Sin & a Giveaway :-)
Tuesday Update: Hey all! Wanted to be sure to direct you over to our Proverbs 31 President’s blog. Lysa TerKeurst has redesigned her blog and is launching it by having a week of fun giveaways. So….I have three giveaways this week, she has even more. All of this means more chances for you to win! So, once you are done entering on my site, then hop over to her site by clicking here. Summer fun!
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I’m thrilled you’ve joined us, whether you’ve made your way here via today’s Proverbs 31 Encouragement for Today devotion or as a regular cyber sister. Today, we’ve got some thinkin’, searchin’ and chattin’ to do. However, if you haven’t read the devotion yet, you’ll need to so you can catch up with the rest of us. To do so, click here.
And please stop by often this week. We are having three, yes three, different giveaways, one especially for Father’s Day.
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I love the story of Laurel and her Bible. Not only did her action that day enable her cancer to be caught early enough for treatment, but it also serves as an example to the rest of us of how we should conduct or spiritual and relational lives.
So often when we are embedded in a relationship challenge, (and let’s just be up front and honest gals, we ALL have them), we can only see our side of the story. We are quick to size up the situation, defending our position and justifying our actions.
And we spend oodles of time fretting over the actions of others; letting our hearts idle in “its not fair” mode and our emotions tumultuously churn as over and over again we replay the situation on our minds.
He did this.
She said that.
What they decided wasn’t fair or godly.
I am right. They are wrong.
You got it, God?
Has that ever been the case with you?
It has with me. Waaaaaay too many times.
As mentioned in the devotion, during those times I have tried to retrain my mind to meander down a different path. I’ve purposed to take the advice I often give to my own kids. It isn’t something handed down to me by my parents. I never read it in a book or heard it in a sermon. It is just a phrase I blurted out in the heat of frustration when dealing with yet another sibling squable in our home a few years back…..
“Mind your own sin”
Simple phrase.
Powerful results.
When will we realize that we cannot control others’ behavior? That we can’t change the outcome of a situation? That the only thing we can control is our tongue (and only with God’s assistance)? And the only things we can ever change are our attitudes, actions and reactions?
Romans 12: 17-19 says:
“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord.”
If it is possible…..
as far as it depends on you…….
live at peace with everyone.
It isn’t always possible, but we can make sure that when we are stuck in a trying relationship, we weigh our motives; we check our actions; we temper our reactions; and we accept the outcome.
We can behave in a manner that makes Jesus proud.
If, we mind our own sin.
Committing verses, such as the ones mentioned above, to our memory can be much like Laurel’s Bible, pressed to our hearts. It will help us to feel for any festering lumps of sin and stop the spread of its awful disease.
I want to give a Bible to one of you this week to help you do just that.
It is an English Standard Version personal size reference Bible in Tru Tone Mahogany. (Not quite sure what that all means, but it is a pretty burgundy soft cover Bible) It isn’t over-sized. It is in single column format (which I love!). It retails for $29.99. (Don’t worry. I didn’t spend our grocery money on it. I got it on a fabulous sale!) Click here for the description.
To be entered in the random drawing, just leave a comment on today’s topic. Or share with us a Bible verse that helps you focus on right behavior or helps you in relationship challenges. Or, if time is tight, simply state “I’m in!”
You have until midnight Tuesday, Pacific Time. The winner will be announced Wednesday morning.
Have a wonderful, Bible-pressing, week!
Thank you for a terrific devotional and blog entry.
Certainly words to live by.
Great way to start the week.
Again you have a wonderful devotional for us. Going to share this one with my 17 year old daughter. Thanks!
Thanks Karen. I love the message. I sure it’s something we all need to be reminded of often. I love the “Mind your own sin” quote. Thanks for sharing.
Hi!
That e-mail really helped me today. I have been having these
feelings about a friend who we sort of “fell out”. The reason was
something minor that she has seemed to be over but I am not.
My friend and I use to share everything, we both are unemployed single mothers who leaned on each other when possible. Recently that friend has come into a financial blessing that I for some reason felt I was entitled to receive some. I thought of all the times when I was working and gave money to help her out when she need, but not once did she offer to help me out. Now at the time I helped it was genuine and wanted nor expected anything in return, but for some reason it bother me that she didn’t even ask me to dinner. Long story short after reading devotion today I realize that this is “MY” problem of envy or jealousy is not hers and that I need to “Mind my own SIN!” I need someone to remind me of that. Thank You.
We often are human and get angry quick….but, God’s word tells us to be slow to anger.
We must remember to do as God would do and treat them as God would. Turn the other cheek.
Like my Mother always says: Kill them with Kindness.
Thanks for this : Mind your Own Sins”
We forget we had better clean up around our own door before starting on someone elses.
Thank you for today’s devotional! It is exactly what I needed as I keep going from troubled relationship to troubled relationship and keep asking myself why? What is it I keep doing wrong? I do not own a bible so these devotionals have been a blessing for me as so many of them seem to “hit home”.
Thank you so much!
“Mind your own sin.” What a great, and easy way, to catch myself as I try to be a godly wife, mother and woman. The sins of others often, literally, beset me. They suck out my joy, they consume my thoughts, they frustrate my attitude as I ponder them…when what I should really be pondering is the many sins of my own. The joy, thoughts and time are sabotaged by my OWN sins of stubbornly wanting things to go my and thus, in my selfishness,”well”. Thank you for the reminder and the catch phrase to reset my consuming thoughts and attitudes back into repentant submission to Christ. It reminds me of Mtt. 7:3 “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?” Mtt. 6:14,15 “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. but if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Thanks for reminding me to start this week off right!
I love seeing God at work! Thank you so much for today’s devotional. I also am reading your organization book. My favorite verses are Romans 12 (all), 1 Cor 13:4-7, and Col 3:12-14.
Wow, GOD is always right on the spot! After a 33 year absence of time and space from an Aunt of mine, I decided to visit. The negativity was HUGE and I felt very twisted up afterwards. Minding my own sin is what I need to do now. I wish I had those words when I was there with her! Thank you for allowing God to use you to help the rest of us!!
Did I ever need this!! It took two years of Godly counseling for me to even begin to grasp this concept, and after reading this I realize how much of tending to the sins of others has crept into my life again!! There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 applies to everybody, not just me. So why do I feel so free to condemn? Time to hit my knees and let Jesus do some heart-surgery on me!
Would love to win
WOW!!! Yesterday during our pastor’s message, he said “Are you thinking of someone that needed to hear this message and coming up with names – we all need to hear something in this message don’t look any further than ourselves.” I’ve been thinking and talking a lot about how can we see the speck in our brother’s eye when we have a boulder in our eye and then this devotion – it is like am I looking at other people’s faults and sins and not concentrating on my own? I really needed to read this devotion and concentrate on my faults and sins and not others. Thank you Karen I never really noticed that “wicked ways in me” before – you have opened my eyes. Our Lord is gracious, merciful, and good. Praise the Lord!!!!
Work in progress…making progress. Thank you, Jesus!
This reaches into the depths of the heart with God’s loving and gentle touch. I’m going to print it out for when I have a wrong attitude about being hurt.
Thank you, Karen, for this devotional. I needed the reminder to ‘mind my own sin.’ Psalm 139 is my favorite Scripture–it is both convicting and reassuring–God knows everything about me yet He still loves me!
Wonderful reminder! Right on time as well.
Psalm 101:2, “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.”
Today, it is ingrained in us more and more to be careless, or to have a callous indifference about anything other than ourselves, to be, perhaps, rash in our speech or conduct or thoughts, and to live our life as we want. This godly resolve is saying, I don’t want to live my life as I want. I don’t want to live my life without thought as I stand before God. But I want my life to be consistent with the Word of God, to be consistent with my confession as a child of God.
Father, I pray let it be so for me!
I am interested in your drawing….thank you
First of all a prayer for Nette for the Lord’s peace in her heart and wisdom and guidance for her doctor/medical people. I have a hard time letting go of wrongs. And feeling so miserable while I dwell on them – how foolish is that? I’ll let God work on the other person while I work on me…and “mind my own sin”. What a great phrase!
Powerful words to take to heart and practice “mind your own sin”!
My verse “pride goeth before a fall” Proverbs 16:18
I try to look at situations from the other persons point and remember that we are all in different places with our walk.. And that trying to live at peace with people is what God wants~easier said then done many times!
Talk about timely! The Lord is SO good! I have been struggling with feelings of resentment and “what about me” in my relationship with my husband for a couple of weeks. It has caused some tension and “chilliness” in our marriage. My pastor’s message yesterday hit me right between the eyes and started me on a journey of repenting for my part in all of this as he challenged us all to “grow in unselfishness”. And then I read your devotional in my email this morning! Ha! Further encouragement from our omniscient God, taking me further down that road of repentance. I love the way He whispers to my wounded soul through the messengers of His truth. Thank you for your transparency and vulnerability. May God be praised!
This verse just always seems to cover it all for me! :)
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Great Devotion today! Thank you.
I would love ro enter the drawing for the beautiful Bible….. I enjoy your devotions on Encouragement for Today!!!! God’s blessing on you!!!
What a great devotion! It is amazing how each devotion seems to hit a chord. Thank you.
This is my first time visiting this website. I was looking for a daily devotional and came across it in my search. The devotion today could not have been more meaningful to me today. I am working on my marriage, which has been going through some major challenges for some time. I know that I have to search my own heart instead of pointing out all of my husbands flaws but I am not always good at it. Thanks for reminding me that when I don’t want to see the “Yuck” in me God can help gently show me.