Still Far from Perfect
The sermon I heard today was preached on Matthew 5:38-48
You have heard it said, "An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy," But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
I know I've read this passage many times before today, just something about it struck my heart. I don't usually think of myself as having enemies. I'm pretty laid back, and I get along with most people, but there are people in this world I don't particularly like and those are the ones that I should be praying for. It seems odd that the people I should think of first when I pray are not my friends or family, but rather those people that I don't particularly like. Why? Because more than likely, they need more prayers than the people I do like. Jesus laid before us a hard example to follow, and I for one cannot follow in his footsteps without his grace. It seems that everyday I see a new dark spot upon my heart, and everyday I work to rub out those dark spots. Perhaps some day together we will rub them out, but for now, I'm still far from perfect.
You have heard it said, "An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy," But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
I know I've read this passage many times before today, just something about it struck my heart. I don't usually think of myself as having enemies. I'm pretty laid back, and I get along with most people, but there are people in this world I don't particularly like and those are the ones that I should be praying for. It seems odd that the people I should think of first when I pray are not my friends or family, but rather those people that I don't particularly like. Why? Because more than likely, they need more prayers than the people I do like. Jesus laid before us a hard example to follow, and I for one cannot follow in his footsteps without his grace. It seems that everyday I see a new dark spot upon my heart, and everyday I work to rub out those dark spots. Perhaps some day together we will rub them out, but for now, I'm still far from perfect.