You've got something in your eye.
Pointing the finger at another's fault or shortcoming comes naturally to us. It was the first response of the first man and woman when God approached them in the garden after their rebellion. 'It was the woman'. 'No, it was the serpent'. Jesus has some wisdom for us when it comes to pointing fingers.
You’ve heard the phrase “Love your neighbor”, but was Jesus really serious when he said we are to love our enemies? This countercultural and counterintuitive way of Jesus is not only exemplified in his life and death, but it is also an expectation on those who would call themselves his followers. But how can we do this?
Ever broken a promise? Ever had someone break a promise to you? Jesus seemed to think this was a pretty big deal. But why did it matter enough to put up there alongside murder, sex, and the tearing apart of households? Could it really be that any time we are not true to our word that is ‘from the evil one’? How can we even have hope of being more honest, reliable, and faithful with our words?
Each week over the next two months we’ll journey through one of the beatitudes in Matthew 5. Take time to move slowly through the rhythms of reflection.
Read. Listen. Reflect.
This week we focus on Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…”
Find the full guide here: missiodeicommunities.com/beatitudes
Murder. Sex. Adultery. Divorce. Jesus wasn’t afraid to talk about the heavy stuff.
But where the religious leaders thought they had these things all figured out, Jesus seemingly takes it a step further and makes it even harder to be right with the Law. When it came to obeying the Law, Jesus seemed to agree with what they all should’ve already seen through the Old Testament Scriptures, God looks at the heart.
Jesus began his sermon on the mount with the words, “Blessed are…”
He went on to make several outrageous claims as to who is blessed. What does it mean to be blessed and how can we make the list of people who are? Is this a checklist to attain? We explore the beginning of the famous Sermon on the Mount by examining the good life Jesus came to offer those in need.
Each Wednesday over the next two months we’ll journey through one of the beatitudes in Matthew 5. Take time to move slowly through the rhythms of reflection.
Read. Listen. Reflect.
This first week we focus on Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”
Find the full guide here: missiodeicommunities.com/beatitudes
To wrap up our series in the Psalms, we look at some of Jesus' words at the end of his sermon on the mount side-by-side with Psalm one. The wisdom in these words bring us to our starting point in coming to the Scriptures, as well as our starting point in current life circumstances. We must begin with the question of who God is and how He is at work in the world, rather than beginning with ourselves, in order to rightly understand our place.
