Skip to main content

My Theological lesson for the Week


              I was a little bewildered when the Holy Spirit chose to alert me to a deeper meaning of the Sermon on the Mount.  Do you ever have those moments when you read something in the scripture that causes you to want to shut the book and not read further?  As I read this familiar passage, God pointed out that I was guilty of the sins Jesus exposed in His sermon.   I thought to myself: Surely this is not what the Holy Spirit is saying to me.  I even read back through it, looking for something else I could focus on.  But no, it was clear God was guiding me to reflect on how this sermon exposed my personal sin in ways I would rather not consider.
               I didn’t like the feeling of reading a sermon that exposed my sin.  I wanted my Bible reading to point out how I could do better, or even how much better I am than the average sinner.  Why would God draw my attention to these sins at this time? 
              I couldn’t figure it out, so I looked up commentaries to make me feel more comfortable about my sin.  I was determined to justify myself.  It was there that I discovered that I am not alone in my desire to justify sin.  I found several commentators who were willing to give me rationale for not fully facing the sinner that I am.  It felt good for a moment, but I knew that wasn’t the reason God pointed my sin out to me.
              It was in a discussion with my husband that my theology lesson was made clear.  As I read from The Sermon on the Mount, his response was:  So what Jesus is really trying to say here on the Sermon on the Mount is that we are all screwed—excuse my language—he used a more forceful word.  Then he went on to explain: Jesus is really telling us here that our sin is far worse than we can ever imagine.  That’s the reality.  So what our Contrarian God is also implying in this sermon is that His forgiveness and grace expands far deeper than we could ever have conceived. 
              My sin is far beyond my own knowledge.  I needed the Holy Spirit to gently nudge me to be willing to look at my sin.  Jesus knows every ounce of unholiness about me and He is willing to forgive so great a sin.  This is a monumental lesson that my mind does not really take in fully.  If I’m unwilling to face my sin, I miss out on the realization of the deep, deep grace of God.
The other lesson I learned is that I have no place to judge my brother, for I am a sinner too.  This is a lesson I find difficult to remember.  Suddenly the realization of my sin was truly a gift from God.  I became grateful to open my soul more deeply to the grace He offers.
              If you are having trouble judging others, perhaps a quick read of the Sermon on the Mount might be good for your soul.

Copyright © 2017.  Deborah R Newman  teatimeforyoursoul.com  All Rights Reserved.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Pilgrimage that Started with Tears

                Who would think I would shed tears deciding to set out on a wonderful journey that I have longed to take for many years?   Before I was ready to fully accept God’s invitation for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, I had to journey to a place of agreement between what my soul wanted and what the Lord wanted for me.   For years I have been declining opportunities to travel to Israel—not because I didn’t want to go but because I wanted to go with my husband by my side.   I know that God could have arranged that for me, but instead He asked me to accept that He wanted me to be willing to go and leave everything behind.   When I was asked to make a decision about going on a Pilgrimage to Jerusalem, God gave me this verse in answer to my prayer -- Debi, observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are cr...
2 comments
Read more

Jesus from the Cross

May you experience a holy Holy Week…I participated in daily Holy Week devotions at my church.  You can watch and reflect on the video devotions about Jesus Seven Sayings from the Cross each day at:  http://www.pcbc.org/worship/easter/holy-week-devotionals/ Jesus from the Cross               Jesus’ journey to the cross was extraordinarily short, yet it transformed death from being eternal to only temporary. He literally trampled death by death.   Jesus was arrested around 1:30 a.m.; and by 3:00 p.m. that same day He was dead.  In less than 14 hours He was tried by illegal courts, flogged, walked the 650 yards to Golgotha, the place of the skull, crucified on a cross and died.  Though God asked so much of Him, He would not permit the suffering to last one minute longer than necessary. Jesus hung on the cross from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.  Those were probably six of the longest hours of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Bliss of Knowing You are Loved by God

            There is bliss of knowing that you are loved by a real and intimate God.   I have felt that bliss. I don’t experience it all the time and sometimes it takes me a while to notice how much I miss it.   Often I come back to my senses when I read the spiritual writings of one who is explaining how great God is and I am reminded how good He is to me.               I suppose the saints stayed more connected to the bliss of God on a regular basis and missed it far less than me.   I wish I knew their secret; all I can tell you is that it is a cycle for me to find myself unaware of God for a time.   It is often a struggle to reconnect each day. What brought me to my senses recently was a huge blessing He sent my way.   This good thing literally came to me directly from the hand of God.   I didn’t even consider sharing the joy I was ...
Post a Comment
Read more