CONSIDER: In Matthew 4 Jesus prepares for his ministry by fasting for 40 days. In chapters 5 and 6 Jesus says some pretty radically things. Humanly speaking, the things Jesus points out here are pretty ridiculous and cut across the grain. But Jesus gives us a divine perspective on life and shows us that "radical change is required for righteous living." When we can live this way and show this much devotion to God, it is then when God's glory will be revealed to ourselves and the world around us.
ACT: What kind of radical changes do you need to make in your life? Sometimes acting on the most difficult decisions reap the biggest rewards.
I love how Jesus flips our/my logic on its head. Like when I'm angry and want to smack someone for being stupid or hateful and that feeling is so natural but afterwards it feels so wrong . . . and Jesus just pinpoints it. Turn the cheek. Give everything you have to gain everything you need. It's just crazily twisted simple and I love it. Also, cool thought . .. I'm teaching Fahrenheit 451 with one of my classes and just yesterday we talked about a reference in there to this passage. The main character is struggling against the world for what is true and he has a banned Bible that he is frantically trying to memorize, trying to shove "consider the lilies . . ." into his brain while the world is pounding him with commercial after commercial. Now its not a "Christian" book by any means, but it is incredible how the truth of the Word pervades the pores of our culture and the longings of people's hearts and it is also incredible to be able to share that.
ReplyDeleteRules. How often do I get stuck on the surface of the rule or act itself and totally forget the heart of it? Christ just zings right past the act and goes straight to the heart or the motivation behind the act. That really changes it for me. It humbles me right to my knees. Christ didn't get caught up in the rules - He took it further! He goes past the actions that everyone can see and heads straight to our innermost part, our secret place that we think no one sees and often neglect to examine ourselves. If I know my Father and His instructions (the two greatest - Love God, Love others) and that's what motivates what I do, I'm on the right track. If not, I'm missing the mark even when it looks like I'm following the rules.
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