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People of God in Matthew
By daniel | July 19, 2006
I read through Matthew this past week, and I wrote down a list of like 30 things that stuck out to me. Then, to gather my thoughts, I grouped stuff and tried to sum stuff up. Here's what I found about the people of God:
Stewards. We are the keepers and guardians of all that belongs to Jesus here on earth. He has entrusted his very Kingdom to us, and asked that we care for it in a responsible manner — in fact, He asks that our care be representative of His own care. I found two primary places of responsibility: His household, and our lives. Jesus cares a great deal about His people (his household/family). For me, that means that when I'm thinking about things that are important, His people and His Church had better make the list. Jesus wants me to care for His people. He also wants me to use what He's given me, and invest everything into His Kingdom. This is the common ones, like time, giftings, money, etc. This is also the less-commonly-mentioned things like your home, any other possessions you may not have considered, your relationships, your job, your life plans, your life-crushing illness or circumstances, etc. If any of those don't seem to apply, post a comment, and tell me why! All things he has given are useful for His purpose, and the building up of His kingdom. I think I'd call the building of the kingdom both the establishment of the current citizens, and also the letting others know their true King.
Followers of Jesus. We are Jesus' followers — this means we do certain things, and go certain places — namely, we do what He does, and go where He goes. (I wish it came as easy to me as it did to just type that.) Jesus spells out clearly some things that His followers would do, and in fact, be identified by:
- Giving money, time, etc to the needy, poor, hungry, sick, weak, imprisoned, naked, weary, depressed, enslaved. This list screams to me how selfish I am.
- Hearing what He says, and Doing it. Do I hear when God speaks? Do I respond appropriately? Both are important questions.
- Love impartially. God gives His gift of rain to everyone, from His humble servants, to the purposeful followers of His Enemy. Our love should be just like that. Lavished on all. It comes from an unlimited supply, right?
- Ruthless in our pursuit, eliminating anything that holds us back from Jesus' mission, kingdom and people. The smallest things can ensnare us over time and drag our very souls to hell. This is serious business.
These are just some things that stuck out to me — I'm trying to read the NT to study who I am supposed to be. If you see anything else to add, post a comment!
Topics: Spirituality - Essays |
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