The More I study...the less I really know...

Seems like the more that I study God's word, the less that I really know. I continue to dig deeply into what God says to us through his word and am currently taking our middle and high school groups through Matthew 5-7 doing a series on "the heart of Jesus." But here's the funny thing about this series. The more that I dig into the passages of scripture, the more i realize that I don't actually live the principles of scripture that Jesus teaches in this sermon on the mount. Which is problematic beings that I say that I "follow" Christ. If I really followed Christ, I might want to start like listening to what he says and putting it into practice.

I guess I'm a good person...But that isn't what Jesus called people to be. He called them to be radicals about their faith. He called them to deal with sin very directly. He called them to love people, to live in a way that acknowledges his power. And for so long, and in so many different situations...I have not done that.

Matthew 5-7 is a "problematic" section of scripture for me. And yet, it has me fixated on trying to live out Jesus principles in my own context. Is this possible? It was possible (apparently) for the audience that Jesus spoke to. He wasn't speaking to a people that naturally did these things that he calls us to. He is speaking to an audience that is shocked by what he is saying. They were amazed at what Jesus was calling others to be a part of. And I am also.