Week 19, Day 1 and 2
May 9 and 10 Scripture: Matthew 23-24 “The greatest among you will be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11) “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,” (Matthew 24:12) Today my reflections take me to my own personal heart and faith. Do I love Jesus genuinely? Does my heart match my outward actions and appearances? There are, of course, failures and disparity. I don’t know that I will ever get the inside to match the outside, and vice versa, but that seems to be the heart of what Jesus is doing in Matthew 23. There is significant disparity between what is seen in the lives of the Pharisees, and what is in their hearts. There is the appearance of righteousness, but inside they are dead. Reading 23 and going right into 24 opens my eyes to something that I think is intentional on Matthew’s part. Genuine faith will sustain us in life’s difficulty. If what is inside us is rotten, well, it won’t sustain us when there is an increase of wickedness around us. I must grow in the character of Christ to endure and walk faithfully amid the wickedness of the world. As the wickedness in the world increases, the wickedness that is within me, must decrease. It’s one thing to say that, and it’s another to grow in Christ. Spiritual training is not something we are accustomed to, but they are activities and training exercises that help us grow in Christ. They can be things like; Lectio Divina, which is the careful, repetitive reading of God’s Word, or there’s closed-door and distraction-free prayer. Another training exercise is Bible reading plans, and Bible studies. You can also grow a lot and strengthen your faith by sitting in silence. These are all ways in which we practice the presence of God and grow in Christ. These help us in tearing down the sins that so easily entangle us, and help us in running the race of faith well. As the pressure on the world increases, it provides an excellent opportunity for us to solidify our faith. I think of the 3 friends in the furnace in Daniel. What Azariah and company experience is wickedness in the world, and an opportunity to show the character of their faith. Let us grow in Christ to face the trials and wickedness of the world. Don’t let the wickedness of the world cause your love to grow cold. The way we do this is shown in Matthew 23, grow deeper in love with God, genuinely and truly. So that when the pressure comes, what is in you – Christ - will shine.
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AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
December 2022
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