Devotion

In the readings from this past Sunday, we heard the final two teachings of the antithesis section of the Sermon on the Mount. The
entire reading was Matthew 5:38-48. The format of an antithesis is the following:
1) Jesus shared an ancient teaching and started out by saying, “You have heard that it was said.”
2) Jesus applied the teaching to our heart or made it harder
3) Jesus gave examples of how his hearers could live out the teaching.

These ten verses of the Sermon on the Mount have influenced many people. Many pacifists came to their understanding of non-
violence through these ten verses.

Learning how to love our enemies or even love the people who push our buttons is a life-long task. Fortunately God is willing to help
us. The Scriptures this week and the devotion can also help us.

Enjoy! Comments can be E-mailed to pastor@colpres.org

Monday, March 21
Read Matthew 5:38-42
The idea of an “eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” comes from Old Testament laws, Leviticus 24:18-21 & Deuteronomy 19:21. It
comes from an idea called the talion formula, that is the punishment for somebody who does a wrong-doing is equal to the pain that
the person caused. Thus if a person gouged out another person’s eye, the punishment for the perpetrator would be the loss of an eye.

Jesus made a dramatic change in his teaching. He encouraged people to resist retaliation. This teaching in the Sermon on the Mount
influenced Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. as they developed their philosophy of non-violent resistance.

Jesus’ teaching is a beautiful vision for our personal lives and for our community. Today, as you pray, pray for the courage and
strength to live it out in your own life. Pray that we at Chain of Lakes can be a community that teaches people to implement this
teaching into our lives. A lot is at stake!

Tuesday, March 22
Read Matthew 5:43-48
In a number of ways Jesus again taught a different understanding of self. In verse 46 Jesus appealed to a person’s self-interest as he
taught people to love their enemies.

“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
Jesus wanted his followers and us to know that if we only love people who love us, we are no different than the hated tax collectors.
We are more developed people when we extend love to everyone.

We might not identify enemies, but we probably can identify people who push our buttons. Today, consider spending all of your time
in praying for that person/people. Look at the person/people as God views them—with deep love and compassion. Pray that love can
overcome the emotions the person stirs up in you.

Wednesday, March 23
Read 1 Peter 3:8-22
This is a powerful passage. Consider memorizing the first verse and then recalling it during the day.

“Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”

Today, as you pray, pray this verse to God. Insert your own name into the verse so that you are praying this for yourself. Try
repeating the verse at least 40 times. As you are doing this, the verse becomes part of you!! What a vision for our lives.

Thursday, March 24
Read Leviticus 19:17-18
The second part of the Great Commandment—which can be found in Matthew 22:39—comes from this passage in Leviticus. Many of
us know this verse. We’ve heard many sermons on it.

A good question for us to ponder is who is our neighbor? In the Old Testament the neighbor was a fellow Israelite. When Jesus came
he expanded the idea of a neighbor. In the story of the good Samaritan—Luke 10:25-37—he was asked the question, “Who is my
neighbor?” Jesus went on to share the story of a Samaritan helping a Jew who had been beaten and was on the side of the road.

Who is our neighbor? Who does Jesus want to be our neighbor? To whom can we be a neighbor today? As you pray today, share
some thoughts with God about these questions. Pray for support in sharing love with your neighbor.

Friday, March 25
Read Proverbs 25:21-22
Again we read a Scripture about treating our enemies with love and compassion.

One way to understand the metaphor of heaping coals of fire on someone’s head is that the fiery coals represent the shame of an
enemy to our own kindness.

When we love an enemy or someone who pushes our button, we are ultimately displaying the character of Christ with that person.
Today pray for strength to feed and give water not only to our friends, but our enemies.

Saturday, March 26
Read Mark 12:28-34
Like last week, this week we are closing with this famous teaching of loving others. This week we read Mark’s version. The story in
Matthew is Matthew 22:34-40; the story in Luke is Luke 10:25-28.

To Jesus offerings and sacrifices were important, but they paled in comparison to loving our neighbor. When we love we are not far
from the Kingdom of God.

At Chain of Lakes we say that we want to make an impact on the world. Making an impact always involves love. We can’t make a
long-term impact on people’s lives if we don’t love.

As you pray today, pray that this teaching will be lived out by the people of Chain of Lakes; pray that this teaching will be recognized
and expressed in the world.