I am a task-oriented person. I like to-do lists and I love the feeling of accomplishment when I can check the box or take something off the list when I have finished it. Too often, I live my life from my to-do lists and focus entirely on the tasks that need to be done. But life is not just a long checklist.
It is easy to fall into that trap of feeling like I have accomplished something simply because I have checked an item off my to-do list. Even during this study, as I have been working on strengthening the foundation of my life I have struggled with this. Did I check all the boxes today? It starts to become very task-oriented, and it is easy to forget what I am trying to accomplish. I sometimes rush through the reading and spend just a few minutes in prayer, not because I want to build my relationship with God, but because I want to check off a box on my list. The point of this study is to grow my faith and my relationship with God. The tasks are a means to an end, they are not the goal. Too often, we treat our spiritual lives like a simple checklist.
Go to church. Check.
Read the Bible. Check.
Pray. Check.
And even worse, we sometimes rate our Godliness not by the things we do, but by the things we don’t do. I don’t use drugs. I don’t get drunk. I don’t use very bad language. I don’t do… whatever is on your mental list of things a “good Christian” does not do. We become focused on not being like the “sinners” instead of being like Christ.
Jesus continues his “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5: 21. He was addressing the same thought process with the people then. The Law of the Old Testament is not just a checklist. It is a guide. A guide that reveals the heart of a person.
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Matthew 5: 21-22
The Law says do not murder, but Jesus says don’t be angry. I confess that I do get angry. Does that mean I am condemned to hell? No! That is where grace and mercy comes in. This is the standard that Jesus sets for us to live and it is the life God wants us to live. But the point that Jesus is making through most of the teachings here, is that life is not a checklist. I haven’t killed anyone, so therefore I’m a good person. It is much easier to control my actions than it is to control my mind and my heart. I can be very angry with someone and still control my actions and not murder them. What is important is our heart. If we fix our heart problem, then we won’t have to teach about “don’t murder.” Murder comes from an angry and selfish heart. It is the result of and the action behind a heart that does not love God.
It is easy to go through life and check off all the right action boxes. But it is the heart that demonstrates our love for God and for others. Love the Lord your God with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself, and the heart will be right. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else will take care of itself.
