Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven – Matthew 6:10
“Has anyone met our new boss?” asked Howard, one of three employees gathered within the conference room. “Nope,” Candice answered, “but I heard he’s bringing with him a new playbook, which means drastic changes.” “Well, I hope his new playbook is similar to the one my pastor talked about on Sunday, and it’s full of patience and forgiveness of mistakes,” Molly declared.
If given the task to summarize in one sentence what a Christian’s life should be according to Jesus’ teachings in Matthew, chapters 5 through 7, I would say: It’s intentionally living according to a new playbook by adopting different approaches. That instead of viewing an opponent as someone in need of punishment, this person should be the object of prayer. And, instead of allowing disagreements to become generational legacies, they are addressed expeditiously through an open heart and forgiveness.
Seeking to live intentionally as a Christian requires dying to one’s own way of handling situations. It’s choosing to pray for and forgive unbiasedly. In other words, it means throwing out an old playbook.