NO DOUBLE STANDARD July 5, 2020

No better words could sustain the human spirit more than the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, some of the most profound and timeless of which are found in today’s Word in the gospel of Matthew chapter 7.

The first five verses address the core of the matter—what is in our hearts.  Too often, we only see the faults in others, and if we see they fail or stumble, instead of trying to understand and to pray for them, we are so easily tempted to think that maybe there is something wrong that they have done, that is why misfortune is upon them.  Oftentimes we fail to realize that we are all fallible human beings, each of us have our own strengths and weaknesses, beauty and ugliness in the physical and emotional aspects.  Our Lord calls that with a harsh word—hypocrisy—and it may indeed be offensive, but as His children, who go through life being called by His Name, we should pay attention to our motivations too.  We cannot impute on others the wrong or the bad we ourselves are trying to hide.  That is, we have to clean the planks on our own eyes, before we point out the little mote in others.

Verse 6 is something that tells us not to waste precious time on things that will have no value.  How do we spend our days? Do we spend it increasing in learning and wisdom, or do we fill the hours away in mindless escapism through social media and games?  Do we live our lives pursuing things that will last and endure, or do we epitomize YOLO, and think that we must gain all the happiness we can now like there is no tomorrow.  Alas, there is still tomorrow.  And if we are blessed to be able to live beyond the grave, there is eternity to contend with.  And where do we go from there, according to the Word and even other philosophies for those who do not believe the Word, is determined by how we live now.

Verses 7 to 12 tells our that all we need we have to ask, precisely because we can do nothing of our own, while we have a good GOD who is willing to give us what we ask, for our good and the good of those around us.  Instead of constantly complaining and whining about the sad state our country and our world is in right now, maybe we should take this time to pray and ask GOD for more.  He is the origin of the word UNLI—He has unlimited power, He has unlimited provision, He has unlimited patience to guide us and see us through, and to shower us with His grace and mercy that gets renewed day by day.

Verses 13 to 23 warns us against following the crowds of this world.  Too often, they only lead to something which is not good.  And the worst part of it is that if a person is gullible enough and lacks discernment to determine right from wrong, or to read the person who is trying to convince them to go on one direction, that person will be led astray, and worse, will be harmed and destroyed.  It doesn’t take a superpower to know if one should like or follow a lead, or like social media, to know if it is just worthless click-bait that will open your account to hacking and viruses.  Our Lord said, “…to know them by their fruits.”  Meaning that in life, always, we need to do a background check.  Does that person who is trying to recruit you to a money-making opportunity ‘legit’, or is that just a pyramid scheme meant to lure from you your hard-earned income?  Is that person who professes love and affection to you really sincere, or will that person in the future push you away when your use and service grow stale?  Is that new work or new opportunity one that will really sustain you and your loved ones through the long haul, or will that only lead to you compromising your values and your faith?  Is that belief or philosophy or ideology that some people are trying to sell to you, really good and just, or is that just made to coerce you to bondage and servitude to lost causes that will only take your freedom and your life away?  Truly, “wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it…and…small is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Verses 24 to 27 then records Jesus telling us that if we put into practice the things we hear from Him, it will be like building our house upon the rock, which cannot be shaken even with floods and storm.  But if we do not put them into practice, when trials come, the house we have built on the sand will be destroyed and ruined.

This is quite a challenge for one such as me, for I am primarily a visual person.  Good thing we have the written Word, because even if I listen to sermons or messages week in and week out, I still cannot remember many of them enough to apply them to daily life.  But if there is a chance like this to read GOD’s Word every day, then there is a greater chance of seeing the spoken word firsthand, then being able to visualize them in the head, and a higher probability of remembering them after so many years later on.

And lastly, we have the last two verses in the chapter which says that Jesus Christ was a credible and believable teacher of these truths from the Father, because He shows authority, “not as the scribes”.  I wondered why the Word was stated so, until I learned what scribes do.  They were indeed those people in ancient times who write the laws of the Torah on tablets and parchments, and recite them to the people, but often without much conviction, for they are only reading from the page.  And when people examine their lives, they too cannot comply or were not able to live up to what the law has stated.  It kind of reminds us of many people today, where some commented, “do as I say, but do not do what I do.”  Jesus had authority because He lived what He preached.  And this is the easiest way to learn if what we heard is true or not, and if we allow ourselves to be led by it.  We have to know if the person who says something truly lives up to or can be really seen as trying to, do what they are telling others to do also.  We can know them by their fruits, and that is what our Savior and Lord tells us to watch out for.

In this life, and in every day that we struggle to live through its many challenges, we can only have hope and peace if we do as what the Lord tells us to do, and if we do them as we say them to others.  There is no double standard with GOD, and so there mustn’t be in our lives too.