Okay, so Matthew 5-7 will keep you on your toes. The idea was to try to make 1 or 2 applications for each chapter we read, and now Jesus is teaching. So I have trouble narrowing it down to less than 20 applications today. I read through this 3 times and decided to just talk about the 1 thing that struck me. So here it is.
The section we call the beatitudes (verses 3-12) is full of promises with conditions, and verse 9 got to me. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." I want to be called a child of God! Am I a peacemaker? Sometimes making peace isn't as easy as it sounds. I have learned lately that keeping the peace is one thing, but making it is entirely different. Keeping the peace usually means giving in to someone who is threatening to cause trouble, and when you do that you usually let someone else down. Making peace usually requires standing up to that person for the good of everyone. So making peace may mean stirring things up a bit first. (Am I making sense?)
I do not want to let people down. I do not want to simply keep the noisiest people happy. I want true peace in the church and in my family. I want to help make true peace, not keep false peace.
Look, I am apt to keep grumpy people happy just because when I am supposed to lead, I don't want conflict. And yet, I am also apt to pick a fight with others in authority just because I like to question everything. But, when I think about it, what I really desire is to be called a child of God, which is conditional on my peacemaking abilities. Lord help me.
God, may I seek not to keep the peace, or disturb the peace, but may I seek to be a maker of true peace. Grant me the courage and the wisdon to do just that. Amen.
Boy. It's 8:37pm and I've been working all day at the office, and this chapter! Holy cow! Talk about overload! There is just SO much in these 48 verses.
ReplyDeleteSo, like Rob I am commenting on the one passage that stuck out to me, and that is verses 23 and 24. I'm not sure how, but I think I always read this verse, "...and you suddenly remember that you have something against someone, go and be reconciled to that person first." Reading it tonight I realized for the very first time what it really says; "...and you suddenly remember that SOMEONE else has something against YOU!"
Wow! That changes that idea completely. I can be big and accept that I am holding ill feelings towards someone and that I need to fix it. But to take responsibility for someone else's ill feelings towards me? I tend to think that's their problem, not mine. But Jesus seems to be saying it IS my problem. To walk "in Christ" means to take the higher road even when "it's not my job man!' That scripture just got a lot harder to me.
(Hope that made sense...very tired...)
Susie...I never realized that about the verse that stuck out to you too. That totally changes the whole meaning. I think you really hit it on the nail when you said that as Christians we need to take the high road. Looking back at the whole chapter from that perspective, it seems like many of the verses are pushing us to take the high road. Intead of just keeping peace we should make peace, we need to turn our other cheek when slapped on the one, give up our cloak when sued for our tunic, and love and pray for our enemies. We are urged to do more so that we truly can be the salt and the light.
ReplyDeleteExactly Sherry! I haven't read Matthew in awhile. I forgot how convicting it is...in a very good way.
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