This Sunday, November 2, I’m stirred in my heart to teach from Matthew 18. As I was thinking about this message, these three words dropped into my mind: Clarity. Purity. Unity.
In Matthew 18, Jesus teaches about relationships—how to handle offenses, forgive others, and walk humbly before God and people. The disciples asked Jesus who the greatest in the Kingdom were. Do you think status or “being right” was important to them?
Jesus brings clarity in a cluttered world seeking status, dealing with pride and comparison. He calls for purity of heart, the kind that forgives, not because others deserve it, but because we’ve been forgiven. And God desires unity, not uniformity, but a heart connected to His love, to extend grace and forgiveness toward one another.
When we lose clarity, our relationships become clouded. When we lose purity, our hearts can become polluted. But as we seek to please God in our relationships, the Spirit of Christ brings unity—in marriages, families, and our church ‘ohana.
Lord Jesus, please give me clarity to see relationships as You do, grace to keep my heart pure before You, and a stronger desire for unity to love and forgive others as You have loved and forgiven me. You are so awesome!
