You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.
But I say
Everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire
2. You Have Heard That It Was Said
'You shall not commit adultery.'
But I say
everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
3. You Have Heard That It Was Said
Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce
But I say
Everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
4. You Have Heard That It Was Said
'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.'
But I say
Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.
5. You Have Heard That It Was Said
'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
But I say
Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
6. You Have Heard That It Was Said
'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
It's not always so easy is it?
It's not just a matter of not killing someone, but of not being angry with them.
It's not just a matter of simple divorce, but of considering what the heart cost is.. you are CAUSING someone to commit adultery if you simply divorce them with no sexual immorality grounds.
It's not just a matter of love your neighbour and hating your enemies... What good does that do in the long run? How does that show you being like God (which as believers we are to strive to be like).
It's not just a matter of X, Y or Z...what is your heart?
Is it a heart the strives after the things of God.
Where is MY heart today?
That's the question I need to live by in all the things I do.
I strive hard to teach my boy...it's choices we make... will we be selfish or will we give of ourselves for others? What choice are we making this day? This minute and you know what? As I teach him, I teach myself because it's just so EASY to just think of me and my concerns.. to put myself ahead over everyone else... but that's not copying God well is it?
And he's the one I need to copy... not the building up of myself. I need to become less so MORE of him is shown and seen.
How goes the lessening for you???