Gen. 16-17
Ten years Abram and Sarai waited for God to fulfill His promise of a son to them. Ten years…and they grew impatient – or perhaps just anxious and confused. Either way, they began to question what they believed to be true. I’ve done it – “Maybe God is expecting something from me in order to fulfill this promise…”. So they tried to ‘help’. I am comforted both by the fact that even the greatest names in the Bible “get it wrong” at times and by the fact that God uses their – and my – mistakes as part of His plan. He is an amazing God.
Matt. 5:27-48
Jesus continues to urge us beyond the letter of the law – it is the attitudes and the motives that lead to the actions that matter. God doesn’t just want us to check the right boxes, He wants our hearts and our minds in the right place. Like love, sin isn’t just something you ‘do’ – it is a state of mind, a heart condition, an attitude. “Create in me a clean heart, O LORD, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Ps 51:10)