Hard sayings of Jesus
There are several passages in the New Testament that are just difficult. I understand them okay (most of them). They’re just really hard to live out. Over the next few posts, I will mention some of these. Feel free to join the discussion as you see fit.
Matthew 10:34-39 states:
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. But in this passage we see that he causes division as well. There is a specific focus on family members turning against each other because of Jesus.
Join the discussion. How have these verses played out in your life?
Don’t miss your chance
I took our dog outside recently so she could do what needed to be done. Lucy is a 50 lb black lab / cocker spaniel mix. I leashed her up and walked her outside, but left the front door open. As I stood on the porch, and Lucy was walking around, our cat sneaked out the front door and paused on the porch. Lucy loves our cat–so much that she would eat her if she could. But Lucy didn’t see her. The cat slowly crept past her until she was out of harm’s way.
I couldn’t help but think that Lucy missed her chance and she didn’t even know it. Then I wondered, “How many times have I missed an opportunity because I wasn’t paying attention?”
Work. You get wrapped up in the duties of the day and just hope you can survive until tomorrow. Or worse, you were wasting time on your phone because you knew you get finished, but your work was not done well. Did you miss the chance to make a positive impression on your boss?
School. You’ve thought about taking some classes or going back to finish your degree, but you just haven’t done it yet. Have you missed the chance to increase your knowledge?
Home. You really want to lead your family and be the right Christian example, but instead of having family devotions, you spend your time on Facebook. Or you love your spouse, but you’re not doing much to show it. This may the scariest of all. Have you missed the chance to train up your children in the way they should go? Have you lost the opportunity to build your family’s legacy?
Witness. If losing the chance to be right husband and father is the scariest, then losing the chance to witness is the most common. In all the areas above, how many people in your life (not strangers) need to know how Jesus has changed you? How many people will not accept the gift of salvation because you didn’t share it with them? I hope that sobering question guides your and my actions today.
