ESOCS Devotional 19 March 2022
TEXT: MATTHEW 5:43-48
MEMORY VERSE: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48 KJV
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
Matthew Chapters 6 – 7 is called the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus gave it on the hillside near Capernaum. In it, Jesus taught the rules for kingdom life that leads to eternal life, as against the teachings of the Pharisees that lead to damnation.
Jesus’ teaching in our text centred on how to “Love your enemies”. In the prelude to this, He talked about retaliation – we are not to retaliate evil, thus taking the laws into our hands. But by loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good (Matthew 5:43, 44).
The Pharisees interpreted Leviticus 19:18 as teaching that they love only those who love them; and they thought that Psalm 139: 19-22 and 140: 9-11 meant that they should hate their enemies. But Jesus says we are to love our enemies. Doing so shows that we are obedient children of God. Of course, this is only possible for those who are born again. We should rely on the Holy Spirit to help us do so.
Jesus concluded our text by saying we must be perfect just like our Father, God. The word “perfect” here means being complete as a result of God’s righteousness that comes through His grace. How can we be perfect? Character – we must be flawless in our character. But we cannot be so on our own, but can aspire to be as much like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ. Holiness – we must separate ourselves from the world’s sinful values and ways of life (1 John 2:15-17). We should be devoted to God’s desire, rather than our own, and exhibit His love and mercy wherever we find ourselves. Maturity – we must daily grow in our godly and spiritual life, just like a baby grows in behavior into a child, teenager, and an adult. God expects same from us (Hebrews 5:11-14). Love – we must love others, just as God loved us, for love is of God (1 John 4:7, 8).
Jesus established a high standard of conduct for kingdom life, so that we will be aware of what is needed for salvation, even though Christ has given it to us; our behavior must not be immoral or short of that standard. We must surpass that of the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20) to access the kingdom.
- Are you challenged by the life styles of today?
- The guidance of the Holy Spirit is what you need to overcome.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
FURTHER READING: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Romans 5:8; Hebrews 6:1
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ESOCS Devotional 19 March 2022
