Rose-Colored Glasses and Magnifying Glasses - by Joyce Meyer

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap.

— Galatians 6:7

When we think and talk about what is wrong with everyone else, we are usually deceived about our own conduct. Jesus commanded that we not concern ourselves with what is wrong with others when we have so much wrong with ourselves (see Matthew 7:3-5).

The Bible clearly tells us that when we judge others, we often judge them for things that we also do!

I once asked God why we would do something ourselves and think it was perfectly alright but judge someone else who does it. The Lord spoke to my heart, saying, “Joyce, you look at yourself through rose-colored glasses, but you look at everyone else through a magnifying glass.”

It’s true! We make excuses for our own behavior, but when someone else does the same thing we do, we are often merciless.

I encourage you to reverse the process—assume the best in others, but keep your own life under the magnifying glass. Allow God to deal with you first, and then you will learn the scriptural way of helping others grow.