In Matthew 5, Jesus challenges us to let our light shine so that people might praise our Father in Heaven. But in Matthew 6, Jesus says to keep our good deeds private rather than doing them for the praise of others. How can we do both? The answer is that we have to forget about ourselves. Seek first the kingdom of God and do it out of love and gratitude.
June 2009 Archives
June 2009 Archives
Jesus offers some extremely challenging words to us in his Sermon on the Mount. Rather than excusing us from the Law, he tells us that it’s not only what we do that counts, but what we say and even what we think. The standard is so high that we are guaranteed to fail. But failure is part of the process of following Jesus. We can follow Jesus by failing forward.
(05/31/09) Like Israel before him, Jesus begins his ministry with hunger and temptation in the desert. Temptation is often strongest when we want good things, things that God intends to give us, but we insist on acquiring God’s blessings on our own terms… and our own timing. We want it now! Impatience is, quite literally, the devil. Jesus shows us that starting strong requires trust in God and his timing.
(05/24/09) Jesus’ entrance into the world changes everything. His presence necessitates a change in us as well. We call this change “repentance.” The sinless king of the universe showed us the way by first being baptized into repentance himself.
(05/17/09) Like Jonah, we all disobey God at times. But through Jonah we learn that God is a God who is willing to give everyone a second chance. As Jonah discovers, “You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love.” Even so, it’s always better to do what God says the first time.
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