When you read the sermon on the mount there are some things that can mess with your mind and trying to figure out how to live as a passionate follower of Jesus. Here's two of them:
1. Contrast Matthew 5.16 and Matthew 6.1
--Matthew 5.16: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
--Matthew 6.1: Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will not have a reward from your Father in heaven.
2. Contrast Matthew 7.1 and Matthew 7.
--Matthew 7.1: Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
--Matthew 7.6: Do not give to dogs what is holy or cast your pearls before swine (i.e. judge others as to whether you should give them the good things of the kingdom).
We are told to let our light shine and to do things in secret. We are told not to judge, but to know who the dogs and swine are so we don't cast our pearls before them. So just how does this work?
A thought: Jesus wants us to think. There are times when we need to let our light shine and times when we need to do things in secret. We need to figure out which is which. There are times when we need to not judge, to think the best of others and times when we need to know that we are just throwing our pearls before swine. We need to know which is which. The Scriptures call this being a person of wisdom, we call it confusing. Jesus calls us to think, too often I just want rules to follow.
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