August 20, 2016
Matthew 7:3-5
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Quote of the Week
First, keep yourself at peace; then you can make peace among others. A peaceable person does more good than one very well educated. A hot tempered person makes evil out of good; that kind of person believes the worst. But a good, peaceable person interprets everything to the good.
Peaceable persons do not cultivate a critical attitude about others; but a discontented person tosses and turns with all sorts of criticism. Such critical people do to enjoy a quiet heart, do not allow others a quiet heart, speak at the wrong time, leave undone what needs doing; while criticizing others for neglecting out its, they neglect their own duties!
First, therefore, get your own house in order; only then can you show concern about your neighbors house.
Thomas a’Kempis, The Imitation of Christ. From Book II: 3. The Good and Peaceable Person. (Edited and Paraphrased by Donald E. Demaray. Alba House Press.)
DO THE 8.20.16 SIXTH DAY EXERCISE HERE.
In case you are just joining us, each week we share in an exercise called “The Sixth Day Exercise.” As Genesis 1 has it, God created human beings in his own image on the sixth day. Genesis 3 shows us the desecration of the image of God in our race which has only compounded itself across the centuries. It’s why the Image Bearer himself, Jesus Christ, came. His life, death, resurrection and ascension reversed the curse of sin and death and created a pathway whereby our broken race could be made gloriously whole again; restored to the Creator’s intent. Paul put it this way:
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22.
Given we were made on the Sixth Day, it makes sense that we might stop and assess how it’s going on the long journey of being “remade” on each successive sixth day.
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J.D. Walt serves as Seedbed’s Sower in Chief. jd.walt@seedbed.com.