30 July - Matthew 5

Today we’re back in the book of Matthew, chapter 5. This chapter is packed full of great stuff. We will talk about a few:

1. Matthew records a time when Jesus taught his disciples about living in a relationship with God. Jesus starts off by showing some things we should see in our life as a result of having a relationship with God. We should be: humble, thirst for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. 
2. Jesus goes on to say that following him does cost us one thing; our whole life. We can’t follow Jesus half way. It’s all or nothing. 
3. Jesus gives a couple different illustrations to help us understand how having a relationship with God should cause us to share God’s love with others. He said we’re like salt, which was used to preserve and flavor food but if we lose our “saltiness” we’re useless to help other people find God. He also said we’re like a light that shouldn’t be hidden. We shouldn’t hide our faith; instead the love of God we’ve experienced should overflow towards others.
4. Many people think Jesus took the old laws (or guidelines) away but Jesus never says that. What he says is that he fulfilled the laws God had put in place for us to follow so that we can live in a relationship with him. This doesn’t mean we ignore the old laws. In fact, Jesus raised the standards for us to live by now because we have a direct connection with God to help us live. Jesus shows what he means in the following laws: The law said “do not murder” - Jesus said don’t even stay angry with someone or it’s the same as murdering them. The law said “do not commit adultery” - Jesus said if you even think about someone sexually inappropriately it’s the same as having sex with them in your mind. 
5. Jesus wants our whole life to be a relationship with him. He is trying to show his audience that it’s not a list of rules to check off. We can’t compartmentalize God.  It’s about a relationship. In our relationship with God we don’t try to do just the minimum (like the law) instead we strive to draw closer to him everyday. This is why Jesus raises the bar for us.

Have you been trying to do just the minimum to “get by” with God? Jesus shows us it’s a complete commitment to him. Are you completely committed to Jesus? Does the love you’ve experienced from God spill over into your daily life? Are others around you positively effected by God’s love in your life? If so, how? How can you show people God’s love today?