Matthew 15:14 “Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

Sometimes it’s difficult to know when this applies, because we can feel such compassion for those who are being misled. It also can be difficult to know when someone is simply blind or when they are deliberately misleading others. On top of that, running around proclaiming others as spiritually blind puts us in grave danger of spiritual pride. I think Jesus’ point here is that we are to focus on our own walk with God first, so that anyone who looks to us for guidance won’t be misled. That fits with Jesus’ famous instructions to get the logs our of your own eyes before you go trying to take the sawdust out of others’ eyes. (Matthew 7:3-5) The problem isn’t that we can’t know God’s truth, it’s that none of us knows it completely. When we start setting ourselves up as “the authority” on anything, we are not only setting ourselves up for a fall, we are probably doing harm to anyone who is genuinely looking to us as “the authority.” We are to share the truth that has been revealed to us and stand firm in it, but not run around pointing fingers.

This is an issue that is very real to me from a number of standpoints. For quite a few people, I’m the foremost spiritual authority they have. That’s scary! It drives me to the Word and to my knees. I am not to draw back from speaking God’s truth by any means, but I must do it in all gentleness and humility. When strong words are called for, I must be especially sure they are spoken in love. I do see a lot of deviant theology around me, but if my focus is on rooting out the deviance, then I will lose sight of God, and of course, that is the “Theo” of theology. I am to encourage people to know God through His Word and His Spirit, but be especially careful that I keep growing in that area myself.

Father, You know my conflict in this area at this point. I pray that I would relate to each person around me as You desire, with assurance but without pride, with gentleness but without compromise, so that I may not be blind myself as I lead others. I pray particularly for those who are preparing for baptism right now. I desire full spiritual re-birth for them, but I know that You desire it even more. May I have Your wisdom and may I follow You closely even as I lead them. I pray for the man I’ll be visiting today, who is hungry for what he sees here but so far has been unable to repent and believe. Father, I ask You to dispel the fog that blinds people to Your truth, so that they may receive it and be set free indeed, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!