02/15/2023 I am so thrilled when I see evangelists and preachers, teachers, books, art, and movies speak or books write on the on the glory of God, and the works of the Lord and the goodness of God around us. Seriously, and in all truth, there really is no end to the goodness of God. However, I was pondering yesterday how much I need to read Jesus teachings, and I remembered hearing a thing about a Christian brother suing another brother over something. I do see a void in the church today where ministers don’t read just verses and verses of Jesus’ teachings, except maybe sometimes you’ll find a teacher going through a book of the Bible like expository, and then its wonderful! But thinking on this idea, It made me think back to my college math professor Dr. Colwell. In college before class started, he used to teach for less than 5 minutes from one verse in Matthew (5, 6, or 7) or read just a few of Jesus’ words, or verses of letters in red, before class. He didn’t really teach or expound, he simply read the verse and then we would pray. One day it stuck out to me like a light in a dark place, the reading of the professor to our class what seemed an obscure passage at first, and it was the first time I ever really stopped to think about the conscience issue of Christians suing one another in court.
I think he tied in the idea from 1 Corinthians 6:7 – (Paul’s words) leaning towards not ever suing your brother in the Lord, and I appreciated it because I had never heard that before, at least I had never REALLY heard that before. It stuck out to me because it seemed so plain and not even really moral at the time, but like just a good command Jesus would want us to follow. How many more lessons were there in the Word of God that I had missed? And during those days I began to read the Bible for myself, and learned that Jesus had much to say about practical things like how to treat our neighbor, how to know our lives are valued, about not worrying, about putting the kingdom of God above our own, and about oaths in general and giving “our neighbor” the benefit of the doubt. After reading Matthew 5, 6, and 7 it’s clear that Jesus had wanted to mend and defend some of the ideas of the Old Testament like highlighting faithfulness to one wife, not giving way to murder by keeping anger out of your heart, forgiving your brother in Christ and loving your enemy, and definitely knowing that the heart has to be diciplined because it is full of wickedness, and also being generous to the point of sacrifice, keeping your word, being aware that God’s righteousness will take care of our own.
God doesn’t shy away from the problems, solutions, and the struggle in between! I challenge me and I challenge you to read Matthew 5, 6, and 7!
Rebekah's Reflections 