February 20, 2016 ~ Day 11
My 2016
Lenten Journey: Exploring the Gospels to discover what following Jesus and
becoming more like him would look like? ‘And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to
myself” (John 12:32 NRSV).
Matthew
5:27-37 ~ in
these ten verses, Jesus’ teachings
about adultery, divorce and oaths can be summed up quickly: “your behavior is
but a reflection of what’s in your heart.” Pure thoughts and intentions
virtually never produce sinful behavior. Theologian, Paul Tillich, says that
sin always is a state (of mind—a condition of the soul) before it is an action.
At my age takes consistent
effort to sustain any degree of physical fitness, and If I slack off from
regular exercise for as little as a week, the aches and stiffness are back. My
mind and my awareness, on the other hand, seem always to be in hyper drive! It
seems as though I’m always the disciplinarian: over my body to keep it going,
and over my mind to keep it from running away!
In the early days of personal
computers, there was a phrase, “garbage in, garbage out” (sometimes in the form
of the acronym, “GIGO”). A computer can’t output anything that isn’t first
input. The human mind is not altogether different, although it’s more a matter
of degree, because the human mind is always in “input” mode—even when we sleep.
Cut to the chase: the way to manage
my behavior is to discipline my mind and my awareness. While my mind is always
on “input mode”, and I don’t always have control over what goes in, I do have
control over what I access. That’s why, if
I am to follow Jesus, it’s so important to make time daily for intentional
input: reading and study (in addition to sermon preparation), and prayer.
My primary hope in prayer is to
align my will with God’s will. It’s a daunting task, and sometimes I actually
make a connection. Still, there is value in the effort, even when the
connection is not made. Life is more about the journey – and about whom I
follow. If I follow Jesus, I don’t need to worry about the destination—or about
my behavior.
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (John
14:9 NRSV)
‘And I, when I am lifted up from the
earth, will draw all people to myself” (John
12:32 NRSV).
That's the
way it looks through the flawed glass that is my world view.
Together in the Walk,
Jim
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