Matthew 5:38-42
Reflect
Jesus’s consistent mode of operation is to awaken those that are apathetic, and to calm those that are anxious.
Today’s passage flies in the face of our culture’s fascination with cancel culture. You know how this works. Somebody wrongs you and exclude them. Yes, that includes passive avoidance as well as the more rampant public shaming of their behaviour.
Sure, certainly bad behaviour is not to be condoned, but we have all received God’s mercy and grace and need to allow for that to flow through us. God does not cancel, and neither should we.
When someone wrongs us, do we see that person as someone to create bolder boundaries from, or as someone that desperately needs to have Jesus fill the void in their pain?
As my kids are now older, I may share the many years that my sinful actions caused immense pain in my life and into the lives of others. Sure, there is the risk that I could be labelled as a hypocrite as many things from my past are uncovered. However, I desire for them to see how the mercy of God has matured me and I am no longer satisfied with embracing sin. By God’s glorious grace, the behaviour from the past is no longer part of who I am. My sins are cancelled, my future is not.
How is Jesus’s emphasis on not cancelling a person for their behaviour affecting how you accept yourself as well as those you encounter?
Pastor Dan
Pray
- Pray for our Prime Minister and Premier, Mayor Sohi, your MP, your MLA, and any other government officials God brings to your mind.
- Pray for our Worship Ministries Assistant, Daniel Zander.