Convicted

I was having a hard time figuring out what to write about today from our reading.  Took me a minute to realize that it was just me causing the delay.  Why?  I woke up angry...woke up to the sound of the boys fighting, and I allowed it to set me off on the wrong foot.  Will was arguing over his lost shoes, Nate is whining about everything, and the first words out of my mouth were yelled instead of spoken kindly.  I just have a bad attitude, and I'm trying to shake it.

Then I get to read Matthew 5, where Jesus said that being angry is just as bad as murder.  Great way to start off the day, right!?!  Turns out it's a great personal reminder that God is just as concerned about my heart as He is my actions.  So when Jesus starts teaching the disciples about how Old Testament laws are still applicable (they covered more than just moral law with the ten commandments, but also ceremonial law and civil law), we see that keeping each and every law perfectly doesn't grant us a spot in Heaven.  The laws were given to make us aware of the sin that resides in all of us.  We don't have the ability to be "good enough" to get into Heaven.

So that's how my morning started.  Angry before my feet touched the floor, feeling convicted after reading Matthew 5, and now I have a choice for the rest of my day.  Do I knowingly hold onto the fleeting feeling of irritability, or choose to let it go and love others like God loves me?  hmmmmmmmm

There's a book that our church gives away to new visitors called "Since Nobody's Perfect...How Good is Good Enough" by Andy Stanley.  There's a few copies floating around the family, so if you get a chance to borrow a copy it's a great book to read more about this idea.