Living on Mission, Held to a Higher Standard

Living on Mission, Held to a Higher Standard

We all know that it’s wrong to murder. Even though that’s been pretty clear since Cain and Abel, God went ahead and wrote it down for Moses in the 10 Commandments. Not murdering became the standard and it remained the standard until Jesus came on the scene and raised the bar.

In our passage this week (Matthew 5:21-26,) Jesus tells His followers that not murdering is not enough. He expects more. He expects a lot more. He wants us to go beyond not murdering to reconciliation.

Yikes! That’s a tall order. Not murdering was hard enough (ask Cain,) but now you want me to go all the way to reconciliation?

People can do amazing things – but we are limited. We can’t see our own forehead (without a mirror.) We can’t make ourselves taller. We can’t stick a watermelon in our ear. You know what else we can’t do? We can’t reconcile a relationship while harboring anger/bitterness/rage in our hearts. If that stuff remains in our hearts we’re not meeting Jesus’ standard – He said we’d still be subject to judgment.

So, how do we meet Jesus’ higher standard? We are unable to do this in our own power. But check out Ephesians 4:31-32, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32) Kindness, tenderheartedness, forgiveness. Now THAT sounds like a recipe for reconciliation! It’s a recipe powered by the Holy Spirit. We must remember and embrace the love that purchased our forgiveness and allow that same power to work through us toward others. This is the heart of our mission.

Let’s practice Living on Mission and live according to a higher standard as people of reconciliation.

Pastor Angela