“DO NOT THINK!”

Matthew 10:34-39                                      (ESV)

“34 "DO NOT THINK” that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I HAVE NOT COME TO BRING PEACE, BUT A SWORD.

35 For I have come to SET A MAN AGAINST his father, and a daughter AGAINST her mother, and a daughter-in-law AGAINST her mother-in-law.

36 And a person's enemies will be those of his OWN HOUSEHOLD.

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than ME is not worthy of ME, and whoever loves son or daughter more than ME is not worthy of ME.

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow ME is not worthy of ME.

39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for MY sake will find it.”

One of the most difficult passages of Scripture is written above.   There are many instances where people confuse “loving” a human relative with condoning their actions.  JESUS makes it abundantly clear that we are called to LOVE even our enemies.  So how do we LOVE our friends and family when they are living their lives contrary to what GOD says for us to act like as Believers?  

Being set AGAINST someone sounds as controversial as it can, yet it can be done in a heart of LOVE.  For me, the biggest thing that I have difficulty with is “DO NOT THINK”!  We seem to desire not to offend and not alienate others.  But we sometimes have to lovingly hurt those we LOVE to make them SEE the errors of their ways.  Of course, we have an option of allowing them to continue down the same path that leads to destruction, and only GOD can change a heart, so we must act according to HIS Plan for each situation.  

The Apostle Paul was blinded on his journey to persecute Believers.  The Pharaoh of Exodus 14 was allowed to be swallowed up by the Red Sea (Exodus 14:28)!  We can’t determine when ALMIGHTY GOD will “cease striving” with an individual, but we can live our lives in such a way to reflect HIS LOVE without agreeing with their choices.  Moses went to Pharaoh many times and told him how to avoid Judgement.  Pharaoh chose to depend upon his own wisdom to deliver Egypt, and we see those results???

JESUS says in Matthew 6:24 “"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”  Whether it is money or anything else, we are called to love JESUS CHRIST above ALL!  Our family, our friends, our possessions, our own desires......we need to be subject to what the SPIRIT OF GOD is directing us to do in our lives.  

For me, I need to “DO NOT THINK” that I can serve anything, nor anyone, else.  My THINKING is where I begin falling into doing exactly it is that I don’t want to do (Romans 7:15-20)!  Far too often I have followed my own instincts, my desires, or my heart instead of doing what I am instructed to do in the HOLY BIBLE.  When I “DO NOT THINK”, but trust in HIS WORD, my decisions are more inline with HIS WILL!!!