As part of my studies at the seminary, I am reading through the daily lectionary as prescribed by the Presbyterian Church. This includes one Psalm, one Old Testament reading, one Epistle, and one reading from the Gospels. That's a lot of reading to get done every single morning, but I'm two straight weeks in without missing one, and I'm truthfully loving it. I'm discovering that I'm so scatter brained that if I don't have someone telling me what I should be reading every day, I'm just going to be all over the place.
I've been reading through Matthew 5 and 6 these last few days, which are a part of the Sermon on the Mount. If you've been following this blog with any kind of frequency, or know me as a person, you probably know that these three chapters are my absolute favorites in the scriptures. How can you not love them? They are a collection of Jesus' most famous instructions! If you were to ask Jesus "How should I live my life?" his response would be something very similar to Matthew 5-7. I have read these three chapters about a hundred times even in just the last few years. I even tried my best to memorize these passages at one point.
So why is it that when I'm reading them now, I'm realizing that my life and the life Jesus describes for us are two totally different things?
From something so simple as yelling at people in traffic on my way to the Crowder concert last week (love your enemies I assume covers even Browns fans) to how I pray, and whether I'm making a big show about my faith, I'm finding that there are still areas in my life that need some serious work if I'm going to be living in the Way of Christ.
I'm also reading a book right now for fun (in-between my seminary reading) called The Year of Living Like Jesus by Ed Dobson (seen rocking an AMAZING Jesus-era beard above). Pastor Ed goes through an entire year of trying to shape his life around the kind of life that Jesus would have lived, and from day one realizes that it's an incredibly hard thing to wrap your mind around. Our culture has changed significantly, but still I think a lot of the struggle is outside of just the cultural challenges. The truth is, Jesus gave us an incredibly difficult prescription for this life.
Now, I also really affirm and believe in Grace. Jesus spells out the way we are to live, but knows already that we don't stand a chance. But still, I find it compelling to do everything in my power to live the way Christ would have me live. I want to be more generous. I want to forgive more. I want to love more. I want to pray in a way that's glorifying to God. I want to give my worries over. I don't at all want to lose my saltiness.
What's the most challenging part of living like Jesus for you?
Godspeed,
Jason
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