Day 3 - Matthew 5-7

We've just started our cycle again in reading the Gospels in 40 days. I pray that you will continue to allow the scriptures to speak to you even as they become more familiar to you. Don't let their familiarity make you lax in the reading, still come to them with enthusiasm asking the Spirit to speak clearly through the words of the day.

I am sure when you do this, you will discover something new and fresh every time you read!

Today we are reading Jesus' sermon on the mount that includes the beatitudes and Jesus' explanation of the expectations of God (via the Commandments).

There are many parts of this passage that strike me every time I read it.

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth...You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill." (Matthew 5:13a, and 14a, The Message)

It's a good reminder to me that God is expecting me to make a difference wherever I happen to be. I'm to bring light to dark places and to spice up the bland. It's my task to be a catalyst for positive change in the world, but especially in my world, in the place I live, among the people around me.

And so are you!

That's the very nature of the kingdom, not to be an island of escape from the world, but rather becoming the change we want to see in the world!

In fact, our worship centers shouldn't be called sanctuaries, rather lighthouses. Sanctuaries are places of safety, refuges where the world can't touch us. But they also become hidden to those on the outside, making what happens within to be secretive, and distrusted.

No, our places of gathering should be more like lighthouses, prominently perched on key places revealing both the dangerous and safe passages.

So today, not just in the reading or in your study but also in your normal, everyday lives, be a beacon of hope in the name of Christ!

Peace ><>
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