March 8: “You Are to Be Perfect Like Your Heavenly Father”
♫ Music:
Day 20 - Monday, March 8
Title: “YOU ARE TO BE PERFECT LIKE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER”
Scripture: Matthew 5:21-24, 27-30, 38-42, 43-48
“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.”
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Poetry:
Possible Answers to Prayer
by Scott Cairns
Your petitions—though they continue to bear
just the one signature—have been duly recorded.
Your anxieties—despite their constant,
relatively narrow scope and inadvertent
entertainment value—nonetheless serve
to bring your person vividly to mind.
Your repentance—all but obscured beneath
a burgeoning, yellow fog of frankly more
conspicuous resentment—is sufficient.
Your intermittent concern for the sick,
the suffering, the needy poor is sometimes
recognizable to me, if not to them.
Your angers, your zeal, your lip smackingly
righteous indignation toward the many
whose habits and sympathies offend you—
these must burn away before you’ll apprehend
how near I am, with what fervor I adore
precisely these, the several who rouse your passions.
THE STANDARD LOVE REQUIRES
"You shall love the Lord your God...You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’"There is no other commandment greater than these.
Sin hidden beneath a veneer of carefully calculated discipline is dangerous—because so often we look at our lives while God examines our hearts.
Our behavior, in our estimation, may look “pretty good,” sanitized by the social rewards of being generally agreeable, understanding, and honest. But beneath the surface, our sinfulness becomes obvious in our posture toward other people. A cursory inspection of our hearts proves the piercing insight of Jesus correct.
I nurture unforgiveness, cultivating it into bitterness. I shift blame before I even stand accused. I expect my brother to repay my good deeds—with interest—in gratitude and devotion. I become curt in the face of inconvenience and dismissive in the face of polarized disagreement. I go to great trouble to deceive myself into believing that I am good.
But I am not.
And the attitude of my heart leaks, as Jesus knows it will, into my actions. Watch me fail to hold the gaze of the image bearer requesting money for a meal. Listen to the off-handed, disparaging comments I make about the neighbor who has given me some small cause for annoyance. Note the way I shoulder past my loved one’s need to be seen in my quest to be right. Hear me condemn the person who has wronged and wounded me, sounding more like the Accuser than the Advocate.
In the searching eyes of Christ, the veneer is stripped away. The great distance between what I do and what I ought to do is revealed as untraversable. But within this seemingly impossible standard of neighbor-love, there is a measure of hope. It has a source. I am called to be perfect like my Father.
My Father loves even his enemies with perfect love.
He does not withhold sunshine from the evil. His goodwill, unlike that of the world, is not limited to those who seek to please him. He guides my attention to the people I am prone to regard with disgust, vindictiveness, and apathy. “Love precisely these,” he commands, “for I fervently adore them.”
And the One who relays this standard on the Mount will soon be tried against it in the most strenuous of circumstances. Struck by the whip, he will offer his hands to receive the nails. He will surrender his garments. He will walk through jeering crowds and ascend another hill, followed closely by his cross. And as his life steadily ebbs, he will cry for forgiveness for his persecutors.
But not yet. Now, the One who will bear all sin first makes clear its gravity. He who takes great compassion on the human heart dispels any illusion about its depravity. He who will be crucified by sinful men forbids harm against brother and enemy alike with the intensity of a Father protecting his children, of a Creator who cherishes his image-bearers.
He issues again the command to love, knowing exactly what love costs.
Prayer:
Lord,
I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed by what I have done and what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart. I have not loved my neighbor as myself. I am truly sorry and humbly repent. For the sake of your son Jesus Christ, forgive me, that I may delight in your will and walk in your way, to the glory of your name.
Lord, in your mercy, hear my prayer.
Amen.
Hannah Williamson
Alumna of Biola University and the Torrey Honors College
Content Creation Specialist at Michael Hyatt & Co.
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork #1
I See My Brother as Perfect
Jason Leith
2020
Paint, tent
About the Artwork #2
James
Jason Leith
2013
Found objects, charcoal, cardboard
About the Artwork #3:
Thomas
Jason Leith
2013
Found wood, charcoal, etching, composite gold leaf
Using discarded materials such as cast-off cardboard for his sensitive portraits of the homeless community living on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, artist Jason Leith ennobles his subjects and weaves the theme of mercy into the materials of his art. Redeeming what had been considered trash and turning it into fine art emphasizes the message of redemption. The love and compassion generated through the relationships nurtured by Leith while he was creating the portraits marks the works themselves as examples of mercy incarnate. These portraits were originally exhibited in the heart of Skid Row in a temporary structure built by a team using discarded street materials. Leith says of his art, “I work to create connection and understanding. I take great effort to know the places and individuals I engage with. I hope my central drive toward friendship with subjects cancels out any threat of exploitation. I value connecting people with resources that can serve in conjunction with anything the art brings.”
https://civa.org/civablog/making-mercy/
https://sacredstreets.org/
About the Artist:
Jason Leith is the Pastor of Visual Arts at Saddleback Church in Orange County, California. His work focuses on social engagement through portraiture. His Sacred Streets portraits share the stories of homeless individuals in Los Angeles through found and recycled objects. He graduated from Biola University with a B.F.A. and is currently working toward his M.A. in Global Leadership at Fuller Seminary with an emphasis in Art & Theology. He leads a group of artists that serve their community at Saddleback Church.
http://sacredstreets.org/
Social: @JasonLeithArt
About the Music:
“I Shall Not Fear (Extended)” from the album Give Me Doubt
Lyrics:
Give me doubt so I can see my neighbor as myself
Give me doubt so I can lay all my weapons on the ground
When the armor of God was too heavy for peace
Give me doubt, give me doubt
Give me doubt
What be my courage now?
My shield from evil?
Love, be my courage now
I shall not fear
About the Lyricists/Composers:
John Arndt and David Gungor from The Brilliance
About the Performers:
The Brilliance and the Biola University Chorale conducted by Shawna Stewart
The Brilliance is a contemporary classical music duo composed of David Gungor and John Arndt. They are one of an emerging new breed of Christian artists who are taking our nature as “storied” creatures seriously and putting forward a sort of “new liturgy” which both honors the past and points the way forward into the future. Their music explores the essence of who we are as God’s creation and as his reflection. Taking their musicality to new heights by blending strings, keys, percussion and voice, along with poetry and prayer, The Brilliance appeals to diverse audiences across generations, denominations, and cultures.
http://thebrilliancemusic.com/
https://weareworship.com/us/worship-leaders-2/the-brilliance/
The Biola University Chorale is composed of thirty-six voices from various disciplines on campus, with nearly eighty percent being voice majors. The Chorale has enjoyed performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; at Disney’s D23 Convention alongside Alton White, who played Mufasa in Broadway’s The Lion King; at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Eric Whitacre; and with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra under the renowned conductor Carl St. Clair. Regularly touring domestically and internationally, the Biola Chorale’s international tours have included Ireland, South Korea, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Italy. The Chorale has also collaborated with the Biola Symphony Orchestra for performances of major choral-orchestral works including Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; Poulenc’s Gloria; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Verdi’s Requiem; Mozart’s “Coronation” Mass in C Major; and J.S. Bach’s Magnificat.
https://www.biola.edu/music/academics/ensembles/chorale
Shawna Stewart is the Director of Choral Studies at Biola University, where she conducts the Biola University Chorale and the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. As associate professor, she teaches courses in conducting and choral methods. Dr. Stewart frequently serves as an adjudicator and guest clinician for choral festivals, workshops, and honor choirs throughout the United States, including ACDA, SCVA, and ACSI. She is a member of ACDA, JEN, NATS, and SCVA, has served on the California ACDA board (six years), and is currently a Western region national board member for NCCO. Dr. Stewart holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (M.M. Conducting) and the University of Southern California (D.M.A. Choral Music). She has also held the position of Music Director at several churches in California and New York. Presently, with an additional interest in early childhood music education, she is the owner of and teacher at Children’s Music Academy in Whittier, California.
About the Poet:
Scott Cairns (b. 1954) is an American poet, memoirist, and essayist. Cairns earned a B.A. from Western Washington University, an M.A. from Hollins University, an M.F.A. from Bowling Green State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Utah. Cairns has served on the faculties of Kansas State University, Westminster College, University of North Texas, Old Dominion University, and University of Missouri. While at the University of North Texas, Cairns served as editor of the American Literary Review. Cairns is the author of eight collections of poetry, one collection of translations of Christian mystics, one spiritual memoir, and a book-length essay on suffering. He also co-edited The Sacred Place, an anthology of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, with Scott Olsen. Dr. Cairns is currently the program director of Seattle Pacific University’s M.F.A. in Creative Writing program.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/scott-cairns
https://imagejournal.org/artist/scott-cairns/
About the Devotion Author:
Hannah Williamson
Alumna of Biola University and the Torrey Honors College
Content Creation Specialist at Michael Hyatt & Co.
Hannah Williamson (’18) is a Content Creation Specialist at Michael Hyatt & Co., where she writes content to help overworked, overwhelmed leaders make their greatest contribution and lead a full life. She is a lover of books, play, thunderstorms, and good questions that spark even better conversations.