File: /pub/resources/text/Our.Daily.Bread: db940224.txt
-------------------------------------------------------



OUR DAILY  BREAD                        Thursday,  February 24,1994 
--------------- 
READ: Matthew 5:38-48

		"A Misunderstood Command"

	   Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, 
	        turn the other to him also.  
	             - Matthew 5:39

Geoffrey, a dedicated believer, took  seriously  our  Lord's
command  about turning the other cheek, yet he misunderstood
the meaning of what Christ taught.  When a man  struck  him,
for  example,  he  turned  the other side of his face to his
assailant and allowed him to hit it again.  He said, "I have
now  fulfilled  the  Lord's  command."  Then he proceeded to
pound his foe into submission.  That's quite  obviously  not
what Jesus had in mind.

The Russian writer  Leo  Tolstoy  also  misinterpreted  this
command.   He said we should be compeltely nonresistant when
people steal from us or hurt us.  His theory  was  that  the
wicked  would  soon  be  so  ashamed that they would correct
their ways.  But  his  logic  was  wrong.   Society  doesn't
operate  that  way.   Without  the  restraining force of the
police, the wicked would completely overpower  decent,  law-
abiding citizens.

What then did Jesus mean when He told us that we should turn
the other cheek?  He was saying we should not let the desire
to get even dominate  our  lives.   Instead,  we  should  be
governed by the principles of giving and forgiving.  Through
the power of the Holy Spirit who lives  in  us,  we  can  do
exactly what Jesus commanded.

Author:  Herbert Vander Lugt

	Let me turn the other cheek 
           As You so often did; 
        Let me feel the joy of love 
         When saying, "I forgive."  
  					-Monroe

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 
------------------- 
The best way to  get even is 
to forgive as you have been forgiven.

The Bible in One Year:  Numbers 25-27


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Daily Bread, Copyright 1994, used by permission of Radio Bible Class,
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49555, USA. Written permission must be obtained 
from RBC for any further posting or distribution. RBC provides a variety
of Bible resources, which are free of charge. RBC is not funded by any
group or denomination, and support comes voluntarily from its Members
and friends. Write for more information, or call 1-800-598-7221
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------