Meditation for today:
We may... [complain] when Jesus tells us that anger makes us liable to judgment, not just going so far as murder. Instead of making things easier for us, He sets the standard even higher. What are we supposed to do? Doesn’t Jesus know how hard things are already?
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our human ideas of justice and equity that we can’t see the logic of divine mercy. We grit our teeth and try to be good, and then we are tempted to complain when those we don’t judge to be good enter God’s kingdom. We complain when it seems we just can’t reach the standard of perfection that Jesus expects. But this attitude blocks our view of a fundamental truth: Each person—including you and me—needs God’s mercy to reach heaven.
Thank God that He isn’t fair!...It’s not about rules; it’s about love! When Jesus seems to raise the standard on holiness, it’s not because he wants us to roll up our sleeves and try harder. It’s because he wants us to rely on him even more! He’s not counting how many rules we can uphold. He is looking to see how much we have surrendered to him. Why? Because he knows that the closer we are to him, the less we will want to sin.
No comments:
Post a Comment