Week 3
“Don’t think I have come to abolish the Law…but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)
Matthew 5:17-48 and The Ten Words, you know, those words we spent the summer learning are the simple foundation for a free life, have a lot of overlap. Yet, as we know, living by the words doesn’t mean we are keeping to them, that we are building on them rather than building a life around them. A part of the unease and restlessness we experience in daily living stems from the discontinuity of our lives, the dissonance between what we say we believe and how we actually live.
We say we don’t murder, but we degrade others. We say we don’t break covenant, but our hearts wander. We say we don’t condone unfaithfulness, but we don’t encourage it; we say we’re not loosed-lipped, but we make a lot of promises. We say we are not judgy or hateful, but we don’t move towards the opposition—much less those who differ from us. Living with such cognitive dissonance, ours or others, is a major source of relational anxiety.
Read Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17-48, paying attention to your heart rate, racing mind, and tightening stomach.
When you notice your body reacting, stop and ask the Spirit to examine your disquieting thoughts, revealing if there is any way you’re relating and reacting to others that don’t align with what you know and believe.
Then, ask the Spirit to show you the Way forward. Consider: How do Jesus’ words help you become aware of the dissonance disquieting your relationships, and realign you on the simple foundation?