Wednesday Reading: Matthew 5:38-42
Key Verse: Matthew 5:41
41 And whoever shall compel you to go a mile, go with him two.
Devotion:
As you read through God’s Word there are going to be times when you come across things that just maybe you have not thought about or maybe you didn’t want to think about. We all like to think that when we face adversity that we too will be able to stand upright and “take it like a man”, but in reality many of us crumble and fall reacting in many different ways that are not entirely Christian (to put it mildly). Jesus did not come to reject us just because we are weak and He is strong; far from it. In fact Jesus came to show us that we will give in and that we will fail but that He is willing to still forgive us for those times when we will fail Him.
He wants us to come to Him honestly and to admit to our failings and our shortcomings. He does not want us to project this image that somehow we are stronger than we seem and that we can stand up to anything… He knows just how weak we are and He knows how we will fail – but still He is willing and waiting for forgive us.
This then gives us a real reason to “turn the other cheek”. He wants us to know that we can stand firm with Him by our sides and accept the flak that comes our way. He wants us to know that that flak is not intended to trip us up or to make us fail but rather to strengthen us in our walk with Him. If we are able to lift Him up in praise when our world seems to be crumbling around us, then we are going to come forward a whole lot stronger than when we first met our stumbling stones. Yes it is going to be hard to accept the abuse at times, but accepting it with Christ by your side will only make you stronger!
Points to Ponder:
How much further can you go?
How far did Christ go for you?