Key Scripture Passage
"If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." Matthew 5:41 NIV
Reflection
Conventional wisdom teaches to invest in what provides a return. We may give our time and money to others, but we enjoy the "good feelings" we get when our generosity is appreciated, or maybe we give with the hope of being admired by others. Why spend your own precious money and time when there is absolutely nothing to show for it? Or maybe for a more selfless person the thought process would be "would they appreciate my sacrifice?" As Christians we know that Jesus paid an agonizing price for all, though many do not recognize that sacrifice.
Matthew 5 primarily focuses on being generous with enemies. Which, from the standpoint of conventional wisdom, would be foolish. We are told to not resist an evil person, and in the examples given enemies are already taking something when we are asked to walk the extra mile or give away our cloak or turn to them the other cheek. Outside the context of this verse, in a real life situation, most Christians would say it is foolish to give more to an evil person who is already taking from you. If you are robbed at gunpoint and they ask for your wallet, do you offer them the keys to your car as well?
This is a challenging exhortation. At the core we are called to love our enemies. Every human on Earth is a creation of God and the worst sinners can become God's greatest advocates. Saul in Acts 8, is a great persecutor of the Church, but he becomes a disciple of Jesus and one of the Bibles greatest evangelists! Part of Saul's transformation to Paul involved God sending a man named Ananias to go heal Saul. He of course had second thoughts as Saul was a well known persecutor. God was sending Ananias to place hands on and heal a great enemy. No matter how evil the sinner, it should not preclude them from receiving Gods love through us. How powerful a message it is to give more to your enemies than they want to steal from you.
In the end, the Kingdom of Heaven is like the man who sold all his possessions to buy a precious pearl in Matthew 13:45, and walking an extra mile with someone to further the Kingdom of Heaven and exemplify God's love does not seem so steep a price.
Questions to Consider
Are you willing to love your enemies or at least love the unlikable people in your life?
Action Step for the Week
Since we hopefully will have few opportunities to go the extra mile with someone who is forcing us to, try to find ways to go the extra mile with people in your life especially the ones you initially would rather not walk the first mile with.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Is God's Mercy Dangerous?
The last of three posts on "Go now and leave your life of sin".
Key Scripture Passage
Reflection
God's mercy can be dangerous!
Now how in the world could something so amazing as God's mercy ever be dangerous?
The danger lies in our choosing to act in whatever way we wish and to think that we are innocent of any wrongdoing just because God shows us mercy. Soon we allow our culture to shape what we consider right and wrong rather than God's Word. We dismiss greed, lust, and more as perfectly normal because it's the way we see others, even those in the church, living.
And we love this passage from John 8. Certainly if Jesus could show mercy to a woman caught in adultery, we must be innocent of any wrong doing.
Or are we? A closer look at this John 8 passage shows that Jesus offered the woman a pardon, not an acquittal. He called her behavior "sin"; He didn't declare her innocent. There's nothing close to a "You're OK, I'm OK." perspective from Jesus here. To the contrary - Jesus tells her to change her lifestyle. The one person who was without sin has the moral authority to encourage her to leave her life of sin.
And Jesus would say the same words to us today. If we're really going to go and extend the kingdom, we have to be ones who respond to God's dangerous mercy not with presumptuous lives, but humble, obedient lives that appreciate offering up ourselves as living sacrifices is a very reasonable act of worship to this Mercy Giver.
Questions to Consider
Have you handled God's grace dangerously? Given your behavior, do you consider yourself innocent of any wrongdoing, or guilty and in need of a pardon?
Action Step for the Week
Identify those sins you have been dismissing as small and inconsequential since everyone else does them. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to leave such a life of sin.
Key Scripture Passage
Reflection
God's mercy can be dangerous!
Now how in the world could something so amazing as God's mercy ever be dangerous?
The danger lies in our choosing to act in whatever way we wish and to think that we are innocent of any wrongdoing just because God shows us mercy. Soon we allow our culture to shape what we consider right and wrong rather than God's Word. We dismiss greed, lust, and more as perfectly normal because it's the way we see others, even those in the church, living.
And we love this passage from John 8. Certainly if Jesus could show mercy to a woman caught in adultery, we must be innocent of any wrong doing.
Or are we? A closer look at this John 8 passage shows that Jesus offered the woman a pardon, not an acquittal. He called her behavior "sin"; He didn't declare her innocent. There's nothing close to a "You're OK, I'm OK." perspective from Jesus here. To the contrary - Jesus tells her to change her lifestyle. The one person who was without sin has the moral authority to encourage her to leave her life of sin.
And Jesus would say the same words to us today. If we're really going to go and extend the kingdom, we have to be ones who respond to God's dangerous mercy not with presumptuous lives, but humble, obedient lives that appreciate offering up ourselves as living sacrifices is a very reasonable act of worship to this Mercy Giver.
Questions to Consider
Have you handled God's grace dangerously? Given your behavior, do you consider yourself innocent of any wrongdoing, or guilty and in need of a pardon?
Action Step for the Week
Identify those sins you have been dismissing as small and inconsequential since everyone else does them. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to leave such a life of sin.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Commission or Omission?
The second of three posts on "Go now and leave your life of sin".
Key Scripture Passage
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach. Titus 2: 11-15a NIV
Reflection
I remember as a teenager hearing a preacher say, “if you don’t give your life to Christ after hearing the gospel message over and over, your punishment in hell will be even worse.” That scared me enough to get me out of my seat and head down the aisle to the altar to pray for Jesus to save me. The funny thing is that after that prayer, I waited for my life to change and nothing seemed to happen. I kept falling into the same old sins. Why was I unable to “go and leave my life of sin?” I tried my best to stop sinning, but this salvation thing just didn’t seem to be working for me. Nevertheless, I kept going to church and listening and gradually the Holy Spirit began revealing God’s truth to me, convicting me of my sin and I made an amazing discovery – Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sin, and the Holy Spirit was there to give me power to stop doing the ridiculous and destructive things that the devil had convinced me were good. As I took my baby steps towards Jesus, I discovered that following Him was delightful. Saying “no” to sin and “yes” to Jesus was an amazing adventure.
In those early days of following Christ, the sins I was learning to say “no” to were the ones that theologians call “sins of commission” (the things we do that we shouldn’t). But now, the struggle is oftentimes with the “sins of omission” (the things that we should do but don’t). When I look at the list of the “go” passages that we are studying this year, my sins of omission are glaring . . . go and make disciples, go back and report what you hear and see, when you pray, go into your room, go with him two miles. And just like when I was a young believer, I realize that I need the Holy Spirit to show me God’s truth, to convict me of my failure and to give me joy in obedience and eagerness to be on the adventure with Him. Failing to obey Jesus’ most important instructions for extending His kingdom to earth is the life of sin that I must leave behind.
Questions to Consider
What are the sins in your life that you are ignoring? Sins of commission? Sins of omission?
Action Step for the Week
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the sins He wants to help you overcome. Write them down in your journal. Confess and ask for His forgiveness and His power. Take steps today to follow Jesus in obedience in each of the areas He shows you.
Key Scripture Passage
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach. Titus 2: 11-15a NIV
Reflection
I remember as a teenager hearing a preacher say, “if you don’t give your life to Christ after hearing the gospel message over and over, your punishment in hell will be even worse.” That scared me enough to get me out of my seat and head down the aisle to the altar to pray for Jesus to save me. The funny thing is that after that prayer, I waited for my life to change and nothing seemed to happen. I kept falling into the same old sins. Why was I unable to “go and leave my life of sin?” I tried my best to stop sinning, but this salvation thing just didn’t seem to be working for me. Nevertheless, I kept going to church and listening and gradually the Holy Spirit began revealing God’s truth to me, convicting me of my sin and I made an amazing discovery – Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sin, and the Holy Spirit was there to give me power to stop doing the ridiculous and destructive things that the devil had convinced me were good. As I took my baby steps towards Jesus, I discovered that following Him was delightful. Saying “no” to sin and “yes” to Jesus was an amazing adventure.
In those early days of following Christ, the sins I was learning to say “no” to were the ones that theologians call “sins of commission” (the things we do that we shouldn’t). But now, the struggle is oftentimes with the “sins of omission” (the things that we should do but don’t). When I look at the list of the “go” passages that we are studying this year, my sins of omission are glaring . . . go and make disciples, go back and report what you hear and see, when you pray, go into your room, go with him two miles. And just like when I was a young believer, I realize that I need the Holy Spirit to show me God’s truth, to convict me of my failure and to give me joy in obedience and eagerness to be on the adventure with Him. Failing to obey Jesus’ most important instructions for extending His kingdom to earth is the life of sin that I must leave behind.
Questions to Consider
What are the sins in your life that you are ignoring? Sins of commission? Sins of omission?
Action Step for the Week
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the sins He wants to help you overcome. Write them down in your journal. Confess and ask for His forgiveness and His power. Take steps today to follow Jesus in obedience in each of the areas He shows you.
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