Devotional

A PERFECT

DevotionalDevotional

Everyone knows that famous impossible….except for Jesus. He alone passage of Scripture in Matthew is perfect. We can never be ... on this 5 where Jesus teaches on the Beside of eternity. Isn’t that our thinking? Attitudes. The “Blessed are they that…” And Jesus’ commandment becomes scripture. Let’s look at this chapter, but basically unreasonable. being a trouble-maker, I’ll begin at the end and work my way back to the beginning. So what to do with verse 48? We basically gloss over it and think that it’s better to have an impossible standard You see, we all ignore the last part than none at all, so it doesn’t mean because we don’t know what to do that Jesus’ instructions can actually be with it. These hard sayings of Jesus followed. Nobody can be perfect like are bothersome not only to ordinary God is. church folk but theologians as well. Quite frankly we all are embarrassed that Jesus is reported to have said these things. Best to skip over it or we’ll never make it to heaven. O you don’t know what I’m talking about? Read Mathew 5 starting with the last verse first and work your way back to the beginning, We love the ‘Blessed be’s’ but these hard sayings make of all of us murderers, fornicators and adulterers through sins of the heart. Like the Pharisees, we have a legalistic approach to God and to each other. The Law judges behaviour…. action. It largely ignores intent. then we can chat. But under the Grace of the New The chapter’s topic becomes A Perfect Heart. And the reason we avoid these verses is because everyone knows that’s Covenant, Jesus gives just One Law, not 613 nor the ten special ones arbitrarily selected and made into doctrine by 50 | KW MagazineJuly 2020

us. Where do we find this law? Which chapter and verse? The ‘verse’ is not written on papyrus, etched in stone, or printed on paper. That law is written in your own heart. Your conscience. That law is love. Whoever loves knows God in spirit or understands the spirit of God for God is Love. Whenever we break the golden rule of Love, we injure our conscience. Our hearts become defiled or bitter.

Learning God through ‘teachings of men’ like the Pharisees doesn’t allow us to discern the Beauty and Simplicity of this new covenant. Love is pure. Perfect. It’s not an obligation to follow (Jesus said his yoke is easy, his burden is light). Love is an intent. A good intent. Do you intend good for another, for yourself? If so, that’s perfect. That’s a perfect heart.

We don’t think like that because we use the law to control others. The law needs somebody to get mad at. To lock up in jail. To throw into the dungeon. But if you’re not mad at anybody but like a little child can only see good, that’s the innocence of love.

Because of our legalistic orientation, we think of sin as breaking the law….and so we get our list out like the Pharisees and recite: I don’t drink, smoke, go to parties, kill, steal or fornicate. Therefore, I am not so bad. But all those laws were thrown out with Jesus’ new covenant, and for those who think that means license to do everything, Jesus demonstrates to frustrate these legalists….things actually get worse for you. Because your outward behavior might look clean, but is your heart? Jesus covers bad behaviour in the new covenant. Prostitutes, thieves, murderers, are welcomed and accepted under this new dispensation… once one decides to keep the one and only law that matters.

Love won’t deliberately hurt another. If it does by mistake, it will stop (repent) and repair what’s broken. Fix what has gone sour. Love will forgive. Love will help the weak and broken. Love is God.

This frustrates the Pharisees who want to be rewarded for their good behavior and condemn others for their mistakes.

While Pharisees debate on when divorce is appropriate and under what circumstances one might kill, Jesus simply says to us, “Be perfect like a doting Dad to his darling daughter”. Then it’s easy, even in anger to sin not. Because your heart is never set on revenge. There is no root of bitterness defiling your conscience. All you want, for everyone, is the best thing you would want for yourself.

All those hard sayings now make perfect sense. Don’t be modern day Pharisees. Don’t be defiled by the imperfections of others. Just love them. That’s perfect. Of course, we’re prone to mistakes, but we all want somebody to help us get back on track when we fail, so do the same for the people who bother you. That’s applied Christianity….and how we end up with the BE- attitudes. p

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