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Wednesday January 8 - Be decisive
“Settle matters quickly with your adversary... do it while you are still
together on the way...” Matthew 5:25
Years before I became a pastor, I remember my boss telling me to keep a clear desk and a short ‘to-do’ list. On the face of it, that’s just what Jesus is saying: “Get things sorted out as soon as possible.” There’s never a shortage of excuses for putting things off; prevarication is a constant temptation. If we continually delay, we will end up achieving very little! It’s a salutary thought that there will be a day when we each have to give an account. If our defence is a pitiful, “I fully intended to do that but...” it will not hold water. So, let’s keep a short account, seeking wherever possible to settle unfinished business while we can.
I sense there will be some people reading this reflection who are finding life difficult, who are confronted by an adversary of a different nature, the devil. The Bible makes it clear that our ‘adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him...’ (1 Peter 5:8-9). You may feel that the adversary is on your back, constantly accusing you, trying to undermine your faith. Dear friend, we must also settle such matters quickly, not by placating, but resolutely resisting the devil, knowing he will flee (James 4:7). We resist by praising God, for it’s praise that ‘silences the foe and the avenger’ (Psalm 8:2).
Lord, please show me the things I need to put right today, and help me to have the courage to go ahead and do it. Amen.
Thursday January 9 - Be pure
“But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already
committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28
Wow! It’s hard to kick this statement into the long grass. At the time, adultery was an especially serious crime – in that culture, it was punishable by death (Leviticus 20:10). Tragically, society has now embraced adultery as part of life, often screened as family entertainment before the ‘watershed’. Jesus had already said that unrighteous anger is on a par with murder; now Jesus places sexual fantasy alongside adultery. This must have been shocking to the pious ears of his hearers.
Perhaps right now we are trying to find some ‘wiggle room’ to justify our thinking? Jesus redefined sin as something that begins and develops in the heart. This is certainly true of the story of David and Bathsheba; the first glance was innocent, the second was fatal (2 Samuel 11). Noticing that someone is attractive is not a sin; looking with sexual intent, fantasising, certainly is. This phrase implies someone engaging their imagination in lust. Because this is a heart issue it applies to both sexes.
We may have just recovered from the anger issue, only now to be floored by lust. Jesus has lifted the bar to a height that no-one can jump! Once again, we are all found wanting; there is none righteous (Romans 3:10) – that is, apart from Christ. Where does that leave us? Unclean, I guess, like Isaiah needing to be touched by God’s redeeming power (Isaiah 6:1-8).
Lord, create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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