"But I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil:
but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also."
WHAT is taught us in the Sermon on the Mount? Is it not this, that we dare not be satisfied with anything less than that which meets the demands of the new life which God has put within us? The Sermon does not teach us that, provided we do what is right, then all is well. Men would say: 'Why present the other cheek when someone has smitten you on one? Surely it is enough if you accept the blow meekly without retaliating?' But God says otherwise. If, when you are smitten on the one cheek, you do no more than bow your head and depart, you will find that the inner life will not be satisfied.
Many people tell us that the standards of Matthew 5 to 7 are too difficult. They are quite beyond us: to obey them is sheer impossibility. I admit this. They are quite impossible to the natural life. But there is the point -- you have an inner life, and that life tells you that unless you do as the Sermon on the Mount requires, you will find no rest. It is not just a question of right and wrong, but of likeness to your heavenly Father.
Watchman Nee
https://www.austin-sparks.net/
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