Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Today's Passage: Matthew 23

This passage speaks such truth to today's church.  I have met many Christians that are focused more on their appearance rather than their heart.  Just like how Jesus says to the Pharisees you clean the outside of the cup but you leave the inside dirty.  A lot of times we as believers feel like we have to put on a good "Christian" face to convince everyone else that we have it all together.  Truth be known, no where in scripture does it say if you believe in Jesus and follow all the commands you will have a perfectly smooth and hassle free life.  In fact James 1:2-4 says:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

This passage points out that if we live a bump free life then we are not actually growing in our faith.  Persevering through tough times is what makes a mature and complete believer.  So take heart the next time you feel a little frazzled because life has happened. 

Woe to those who want to just look like they have it all together, and many blessings to those who through God's power persevere and truly become more complete.

Posted on Wed, February 23, 2011 by Michael Haffner filed under

2 comments (Add your own)

1. Mike wrote:
I have no knowledge of when the end of the age will come. But reading Matt 24, it struck me how many things could easily point to the time being near at hand. It seems that many over the last 2000 years have read and seen the same similarities to their lifetime. Today, it's not hard to imagine an Iranian nuke laying waste to the temple or any modern realization of a specific prediction. But the gut feeling I get is more generalized. Matt 24:12 "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold..." It seems to me that over my lifetime alone, wickedness seems to increase with each passing year, and peoples love grows colder. When I was a child, we never locked our doors. I could not do anything wrong without word getting back to my parents before I could even get home. Neighbors generally cared for the welfare of all the kids in the neighborhood. Of course there were bad apples in every bunch, but in general, it was a different world. And that was only several decades ago. We are fortunate to have found neighbors who still hold those same values I grew up with, but it took time and luck to find such a place. I don't know when the end of the ages will come, but it sure feels like we are headed in that direction.

Thu, February 24, 2011 @ 11:36 PM

2. Mike wrote:
My previous comment ended up on the wrong blog, it should have been on Matt 24. Sorry for any confusion.

Fri, February 25, 2011 @ 11:27 AM

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