Another favorite scripture of the group was Matthew chapter
five. Also known as the "Sermon on
the Mount". I encourage you to
read the entire chapter this week, but will touch on a few verses that stuck
out to one of the Bible study's members...
While discussing verses 13-16, we began asking each other if
we were the salt and light that we should be to those around us. We also asked each other what this area of
scripture meant, and how we could apply it to our lives. One member mentioned that darkness is only
the absence of light. How we speak or
what we talk about/call other people is our representation of Christ. Reconciliation, forgiveness, repentance, and
loving others are all ways we can shine our light in the darkness.
Verse 28 brought up a bit of discussion... We all agreed
that, when we think of lust, we usually associate it to men. Women are not as drawn in by the looks of a
guy, while men can totally fall into sin just by looking at a woman. We asked each other if, in society today,
men fall prey to the lust of the eye as much as they used to, since provocative
clothing etc... is all around them all the time. One of the girls gave this great analogy: Dogs love treats. A dog could be in a room surrounded by
treats, and he could enjoy eating every single one of them. But when tomorrow comes around, he will
still love treats. He will not get
tired of them or say "Oh, I've had a lot of treats lately..." or
"I can get a treat whenever I want, so why would I want one now..." He would always want more treats. Our conclusion... It doesn't matter how much
we are surrounded by the provocative clothes or sexy advertising of this
world... It is still tempting, and it always will be.
Part two of this verse's discussion brought up the point of
how we as women can help prevent lust.
Dressing appropriately, not flirting, etc... are great examples of how
we can be a better sister in Christ to all of our fellow brothers out
there. One idea is to think of the
people around you (especially guys) as true brothers and sisters. This will help you put your actions and
reactions to people in a better perspective.
Verses 31-37 talk about Divorce and Oaths/Promises... What great topics to put one after
another. One more downfall of our
current world is not keeping our promises.
Don't make a promise that you can't keep. When you say I do, that means for better or for worse, in
sickness and in health... Not divorce
when: I don't feel the spark between us anymore, I see another person over there
that I would like to get to know better, or you don't have any money anymore so
why are we still together... A promise
should be a lasting covenant. Also like
verse 37 says so clearly, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No,'
'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." If you don't make promises, you can't break
them. Be a person of your word... Don't
allow the words of your mouth to become unreliable.
Verse 48 is very humbling.
"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is
perfect." He wants us to strive
for perfection. This is a verse that
gets overlooked a lot. Yes, it is
impossible for us to be perfect, but we should have the same attitude as Jesus
had... We should strive for perfection as best we can.
What are some of the verses of Matthew chapter five that
really stand out to you? Have you ever
thought about what we discussed above?
What would you add to our discussion about these selected verses?
Blessings!
~ S*
