Oct 13 - Matthew 5:25-26

Jesus said,

Come to terms quickly

with your accuser while you

are on the way to court with him,

or your accuser may

hand you over to the judge,

and the judge to the guard,

and you will be thrown into prison.

Truly I tell you, you will never get out

until you have paid the last penny.

Matthew 5:25-26

·       Do not go to court.

·       Do not sue.

·       Do not expect justice or to feel better afterwards.

Those aren't commands ... as if from God on high. They're simply my wisdom and advice from being a pastor for twenty years.

My advice: If you go to court, you lose.

The first loss is usually financial. (It's like gambling. In Las Vegas, a few lucky folks walk away rich from a court battle. But most walk away poorer. In court it’s not fun. And the house always wins.)

The “house,” in this case, is the legal profession. There are many honorable lawyers, but a massive industry is built richly around two sides not being able to compromise or forgive. And in my increasing experience, bigger money usually rigs the system against the little guy … often simply outspending the poor until they give up or give in. And if the house wins, you almost always lose. (And yet there are enough occasional jackpots to keep the little guy gambling.)

Wait.

Buried in that last paragraph was the second way we lose when we go to court. Here's the quote: "a massive industry is built richly on two sides not being able to compromise or forgive."

Too many people expect "justice" (pay back) to make them feel better. Forgiveness is hard, but it's usually forgiveness -- not pay-back -- that helps us move on. That sets us free.

For example, you've been hit by a bus. You want justice ... and a little help with your medical bills. So you sue. Four years later, after subtracting all the legal fees, you might get a few thousand dollars more than you would have gotten in the first place. But look at the cost. For four years, you've been mired in something you could have moved on from years before. For years, you’ve been embattled and embittered against a bus driver (who probably made a simple human error, not unlike the dozens that you make everyday.) For four years, you've poisoned his life. And for four years, you've poisoned your own. Instead of moving forward, you’ve been stuck reliving the past with every call from the lawyer (that costs you another hundred dollars).

Forgiveness is more freeing than bitterness!!!

And the desire for your slim chance at a jackpot (a win at someone else's expense) is not worth years of bitterness and unforgiveness.

Jesus' reasons for not going to court further the advice. What if the non-guilty is declared guilty?! (Settle out of court!)

Yes, work to settle. Strive to compromise. Make it a priority to forgive. That’s how you move forward. That’s how you are set free. And it take trust – the confidence that the God of justice will set the scales right in the end!

In Christ's Love,

a former advertising professional

that the National Bar Association

is not hiring to lead their next

advertising campaign

 

Oct 12 - Matthew 5:23-24

Jesus said,

"So when you are offering

your gift at the altar,

if you remember that

your brother or sister has

something against you,

leave your gift there

before the altar and go;

first be reconciled to

your brother or sister,

and then come and

offer your gift.

Matthew 5:23-24

Which is more important -- worship of God or reconciliation with man?

I'm guessing you know the answer. 

"The chief end of man," begins the Westminster Confession, "is to glorify God ..."

And here's the key, the heart of Jesus' meaning: Love of neighbor -- including forgiveness -- is part of loving God. Indeed, we can fully worship God until we reconcile with our neighbors. 

You knew that, right?

So ... who do you need to forgive before you can truly worship God?

Actually, let me add an incentive. The Westminster Confession adds four more words to what I wrote already ... "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever."

Now add that key piece of being human -- that chief end of man -- to my statement just before the last paragraph: "So ... who do you need to forgive before you can truly enjoy God."

You can't fully enjoy God, nor life, until you forgive others. It's hard. But you're the one in bondage until you forgive. You ... not the other person who may not even know they hurt you. You. Jesus sends you away from the altar as part of worship. He wants you to go and discover the key to greater joy and worship -- forgiveness. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wonders

if masochism is the

path to greater joy

(No! But the more I'm hurt,

the more I have to forgive.

And the more I forgive,

the more I get to enjoy God)

Oct 10-11 - Matthew 5:21-22

Jesus said

"You have heard that it was

said to those of ancient times,

‘You shall not murder’; and

‘whoever murders shall be

liable to judgment.’

But I say to you that

if you are angry

with a brother or sister, 

you will be liable to judgment

Matthew 5:21-22

I'm not angry today. But I surely have been in the past. As a young man, I had too quick of a temper. 

Am I therefore liable for judgment?

Yes. 

My fate is certain. I am guilty. 

The penalty is death. 

I'm not being dramatic. This is my condition -- sinner. This is my judgment -- guilty. This is the appropriate punishment -- death. 

Sinner. Guilty. Death. That's your situation too. 

Too often people think of Jesus as the one who loosened the law and defeated legalism. No! He sharpened the law. 

Why? To convince us that we are guilty. 

 Have you ever been angry? Guilty! Have you ever lusted in your heart -- much less with your body? Guilty. Have you ever fudged on your taxes or not given your employer a fully day's work? Thief!

Jesus' point is this. You are guilty. You deserve death. 

Why is that Jesus' message? 

Because until we realize that we need a Savior, we are proud hypocrites. We are insufferable bores. We are deceived liars. We think we can be good enough, and therefore try to do life without God. 

It's only when we realize how sinful we are that we reach back to God. 

The Savior wanted you saved. Therefore, to keep you to think you could save yourself with your own goodness, he showed us the real sharpness of the law and the real futility of our sinful nature. 

And then, through the cross, he offered us the only path to life. 

In Christ's Love,

a sinner who now

comprehends grace

Oct 9 - Matthew 5:20

Jesus said,

"For I tell you, unless

your righteousness exceeds

that of the scribes and Pharisees,

you will never enter

the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:20

For the last two days we focused on the Law ... indeed, the doing of the Law. Why? Because Jesus focused on the doing of the Law.

But ... as the Savior says here, "being good" doesn't save us. Indeed, our degree of righteousness (exceeding the Pharisees or not) is not what punches our ticket and buys us a trip to heaven.

So ... God's law is important. He gave it to Israel as a way to live successfully in the Land. He gives it to us as a way to live joyfully in the Kingdom. But ... it's not what saves us.

Jesus hints at this truth here. The rest of the New Testament states it more clearly. We are justified by God's grace, effective through faith and apart from the works prescribed by the law -- Romans 3:23ff and scores of other passages.

Why is grace the rule rather than righteousness? Because no matter how perfect we try to be, we will inevitably fail. We will sin and fall short. We'll soil ourselves and deserve condemnation rather than an invitation into the presence of a holy God.

We must be saved, therefore, by God's action. By grace.

And if it's his action, rather than our own that makes us righteous, Jesus is saying, "get off your high horse ... because it's not really very high."

He's saying, "Quit being a Pharisee!"

Wait. A Pharisee used to be a good thing, an honorable thing. The Pharisees were passionate God-followers (if rule-followers was what it meant to follow God).

But by the time of Jesus, their rule following became legalism. And they became judgmental hypocrites.

And that's what we become when the Law of God becomes the focus.

Grace must be the focus.

God's grace to us.

Our grace to others.

This doesn't encourage permissiveness. Grace doesn't excuse sin. The Law is still the path to human joy and success in the Kingdom. Obedience is still a path to bringing God joy. But it's not about legalism and judgment. It must be, instead, about freedom and joy.

We must seek to set our neighbors free. And we do that by loving them. And introducing them to the Prince of Grace. And letting him discover peace by following this Prince ... and this freedom ... and this life.

In Christ's Love,

a guy whose righteousness

does not exceed the Pharisees

(and yet I'm righteous nonetheless

through the One whose does)

Oct 8 - Matthew 5:19

Jesus said,

Therefore, whoever breaks one of

the least of these commandments,

and teaches others to do the same,

will be called least in the kingdom of heaven;

but whoever does them and teaches them

will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:19

Jesus did not come to abolish the law -- see verse 19.

Indeed, Jesus reveres the Old Testament. He sees it at God's explicit Word. He states here that he reveres God's law ... and that we should too. Indeed, he says that he came to "fulfill" God's law -- see verse 17 again.

But that's not the focus I heard when reading this passage today.

To me, the main phrase is, essentially, "teach others."

·       Teach others to revere the Law.

·       Teach others to love the Old Testament.

·       And most of all, teach others to follow the one who fulfills the Law.

Jesus completes us and history. And that is what we're called to teach.

In Christ's Love,

a great guy

… or at least, one

who sees the path

to being "great"

Oct 7 - Matthew 5:17-18

Jesus said,

"Do not think that I have come

to abolish the law or the prophets;

I have come not to abolish

but to fulfill. For truly I tell you,

until heaven and earth pass away,

not one letter, not one stroke of a letter,

will pass from the law until

all is accomplished."

Matthew 5:17-18

Many "good Christians" say that they don't like the Old Testament with all its blood and laws. That they prefer instead the New Testament. (That's okay. The world without a Savior IS a mess!)

What's not okay is saying that they don't like the God of the Old Testament. No. That's not okay. Why? Because it's "the same God."

And God is consistent. Consistently loving. Consistently holy. Consistently law-giving. Consistently grace-filled.

As Jesus says here, not one dot of an i has changed with the coming of the Messiah.

Sure, we might need to interpret the laws differently -- read: correctly. (As Jesus showed, might need to loosen some of the legalism on some laws like the Sabbath, making it again about the freedom of rest and the pleasure of worship, rather than strict duties of a day. But on the other hand, we might need to sharpen our understanding of other laws. For example, yes, the act of adultery is an obvious sin, but, as Jesus says, so is the simple, divisive "lusting in our hearts.")

Indeed, God's laws haven't changed. Why? Because human hearts haven't changed.

I've often envisioned a tight-rope. Jesus was the only human ever to walk that tight-rope perfectly, not falling off on either the side of legalism or permissiveness.

You and I fall off of that tight rope all of the time ... and sometimes on different sides for different issues. Sometimes we wink at sins we like, saying, "It's not that bad," while making a "Federal case" about a sin that offends us.

So here's what I've found helpful ...

If I find I'm too legalistic or too permissive about anything that's clearly in scripture, then I probably need to lean a little in the other direction to attempt to stay balanced on the tight rope.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be able

to walk across Niagara Falls

on a high wire and not fall off

(but I'll practice on the wire

of legalism and permissiveness

until I get it right)

Oct 6 - Matthew 5:16

Jesus said,

"In the same way,

let your light shine before others,

so that they may see your good works

and give glory to your Father in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

This phrase is part of our baptismal liturgy.

And every time it prompts me to make this observation: Baptism is God's action. He takes us. He washes us. He forgives our sins. He adopts us into his family. Yes, we have to show up. Yes, we have to submit to the waters. But this phrase is the only thing we're asked to do.

And what is it?

We are called to let our light shine.

Why? So that God will see our light and God will love us more?

No. So that others will see our light and maybe they'll love God more.

The only thing our baptismal liturgy asks us to do is be light so that we can draw other to THE LIGHT!

In Christ's Love,

a guy who used to have

a Snoopy night light --

while my night light

fights the Red Baron,

I'll fight "this present darkness"

Oct 2- Matthew 5:14-15

You are the light of the world.

A city built on a hill cannot be hid.

No one after lighting a lamp

puts it under the bushel basket,

but on the lamp stand, and

it gives light to all in the house.

Matthew 5:14-15

Having just returned from Israel, my favorite place was the region around the Sea of Galilee.

Not much has changed since the days of Jesus.

Galilee is really a lake more than a misnamed sea, just a couple miles across. And though this is the only freshwater body in Israel, they've kept it remarkably rural, agricultural.

If "Lake Genneseret" -- it's alternate title -- was in the U.S., there'd be scores of water skiers and jet skis. There'd be craziness and noise and commotion. But there must be a rule against motorized craft.

Thus, this quiet agricultural region is the easiest place to imagine a first-century carpenter wandering the hillsides and teaching beside the shore.

There's just one rising city nowadays near the shores of Galilee. Tiberius -- a literal city on a hill rising out the sea -- cannot be hid. No matter where you are at night in the Galilee region, the bright lights of Tiberius gives you your bearings. 

In Jesus' day, the villages would have been much smaller ... and obviously, the glows would have been much less bright without electricity. Nevertheless, the hills of nighttime Galilee would have been dotted with pinpricks of light, like little stars amid the hills.

"A city built on a hill cannot be hid."

Jesus calls you and me light. We shine whether we like it or not.

·       Some of us with brightness, reflecting the brilliance of the true and greater Light.

·       Others of us sink to level of the world, becoming part of the red light district. Indistinguishable from anything else -- except for our hypocrisy.

·       Others of us try to hide our light, not wanting to draw attention to the Light that we say lives among us.

And the problem is ... the shores of our Galilee are no longer peaceful. Our corner of the world is getting darker. Jesus is asking, will you leave the compromises of the red light district a and come out from under the bushel basket? Indeed, will you boldly shine?

In Christ's Love,

a Baked Alaska

(if I'm going to be

some sort of a flame,

I might as well be a

sweetly flaming desert)

Oct 1 - Matthew 5:13

Jesus said,

“You are the salt of the earth;

but if salt has lost its taste,

how can its saltiness be restored?

It is no longer good for anything,

but is thrown out and

trampled under foot.”

Matthew 5:13

What do your salt and pepper shakers look like?

We have a set of poodles. The white poodle is salt. The black one is pepper.

That's a funny way to ask: What do you think of when I -- or Jesus -- talk about salt?

Salt has had a long and vital role in world commerce. It's obviously a spice. It's also necessary for life. But according to saltworks.us, "Salt ... in many cultures, symboliz[ed] immutable, incorruptible purity."

Well, if that's the case in, then Jesus is saying, "if salt has lost its 'immutable, incorruptible purity' how can it be restored?"

In this passage -- along with the next passage calling us to be light -- we hear Jesus' call to witness to the world. Indeed, as salt, we are called to flavor the world with the gospel. A similar passage -- 2 Corinthians 2:15 -- calls us to be "the aroma of Christ ... among those who are perishing."

We are to flavor the world with the Gospel. Often it is our words that speak loudest. But mostly it's the aroma of our actions that flavor our testimony most fully. And that why Jesus is challenging to always watch our actions and check our character ... for if salt has lost its 'immutable, incorruptible purity' how can it be restored?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to be salt

(and is working on it with

more salt than pepper hair)

Sept 30 - Matthew 5:11-12

Jesus said,

"Blessed are you when people revile you

and persecute you and utter all kinds

of evil against you falsely on my account.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward

is great in heaven, for in the same way

they persecuted the prophets

who were before you.

Matthew 5:11-12

I've often said that being a prophet is one of the worst jobs in the kingdom.

God calls you to walk up to a murderous and adulterous king, poke your finger in his eye, and say, "It's all your fault. You are the root of all problems in this world!" (Then sometimes, like Elijah, you run for your life! Indeed, you run so long and far that you collapse on a mountain and scream, "I wish I was dead.")

Yes, being a prophet is a crummy job.

And apparently Jesus failed Advertising 101. Instead of softening the call to discipleship and playing up all the benefits, he said essentially, "Wow ... being a disciple is just like being a prophet! People are going to revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely. Want to sign up?"

My temptation would have been to focus on the considerable "blessings" -- "blessed are those who ..." Yes, you will be honored by the Father. Yes, your names will be written in the history books ... and more importantly in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Yes, that would have been me. That's a human method.

But Jesus wasn't trying to sell anything.

We shouldn't follow for the benefits (even though they're considerable, eternal). We should follow simply because He is God. Duty. We should stand up boldly because this is the only truth. We should confront sin (instead of wink at it like we do) simply because it is abhorrent in God's eyes ... and we should hate what he hates. We should embrace being reviled by a repulsive culture because that's one of the few places light shines in a darkened world.

How's that for a job description? It won't be easy. But can you trust that this is the path to being truly able to "rejoice and be glad"? (And here's the human advertising benefit: Will you be prophetic in a lost world, trusting that "your reward is great in heaven"?)

Will you?

In Christ's Love,

a guy who needs

to be bolder

(How about you?)

Sept 29 - Matthew 5:10

Blessed are those who are

persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10

With this verse, the Beatitudes turn. They go from general to prophetic.

The general beatitudes -- though directed to Jesus' followers, of course -- could be followed generally and profitably by anyone, whether they follow Jesus or not.

This beatitude (and the next one) are aimed directly and prophetically, though, at Christ's followers. He's saying that if you follow the path of righteousness (and the truly right thing is testifying to the truth), then you may be -- will be -- persecuted.

Some generations are more favorable to testifying to the truth. And we American Christians have had a long and easy run of being able to generally express our faith. But that season has ended. We're about to join the majority of Christians -- historically and around the world even today -- in having to bold if we're going to stand up for righteousness and truth.

Are you ready to be bold?

Well, it depends on what "blessed are those who" means, doesn't it? Do you expect blessings for integrity and truth or are you more controlled by worry and fear over the potential consequences?

In fact, did you know that perhaps an even better translation for "blessed are those who" is "happy are those who"? Happy? Does happy really go along with persecution?! Indeed, do you really expect that a greater "happiness" comes from standing with integrity and for truth -- even if it brings persecution or gossip or eye-rolling or job loss or jail time -- than by "just going along" with culture?

This begins to be a measure of faith and trust. Is this world the most real thing to you? In that case, then we cave. Or is God's Kingdom the most real thing to you? Then we stand.

If this world is the most real thing to us, then we look for temporary happiness ... which eventually gets trampled upon by violence, abuse, persecution, wars, sickness, and finally death. But when the Kingdom of Heaven becomes our greater Reality, the God, truth, hope, and everlasting peace and joy become a source of eternal happiness and blessing.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who wants to become

a ever-truer disciple,

so that along with

the eleven faithful disciples

and thousands of true saints

throughout history,

I find joy in proclaiming the truth

... even when it means persecution

October: How can we pray? ... and LEARN to pray!

Saturday is Prayer Time.

(Come anytime 8-noon).

How can we pray …

for you …

for your friends and family …

for our church and ministries …

for the world.

also

Intercessory Prayer Team Training:

Want to pray (or learn to pray)?

Mary Louise leading Sundays 5-6pm.

October 4, 11, 18

Sept 28 - Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

On the day I write this, the headlines (like the seemingly do everyday) scream of ISIS' brutality, Syrian deaths, border riots in Europe, and cop killings in America.

There is no peace.

And what's more, I'm one of just seven billion people on this beleaguered planet. I want the violence to stop. But how can little me be a peacemaker?

Discouragement is Satan's tactic and lie. "You're just one little person, Ed. You can't do anything." So, overwhelmed, I sit passively on my couch and numb myself with banal (and often crude) sit-coms, right?

Wrong.

You and I are peacemakers -- or not -- one relationship at a time.

When we are pure of heart, meek, and seeking mercy (other beatitudes, of course), we positively shape our heart, our disposition, and our impact on a peace-less world.

What is daily -- and powerful --peacemaking?

·       We love.

·       We forgive.

·       We help and serve.

·       We stand up boldly for truth ... while somehow simultaneously turning the other cheek.

·       We hunger and thirst for righteousness ... and refuse to compromise with crass expediency.

·       We stop winking at sin and evil.

·       We stop passing by the poor and oppressed.

·       We bless the children in our sphere.

·       We advocate for truth.

·       You don't complain "when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on [Jesus'] account" (another beatitude). And we change the world one relationship at a time.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who is more than

1 in 7,000,000,000

-- because me and God

are always a majority

Sept 26-27 - Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8

Scientifically, "pure" means free of imperfections and contaminants.

Chemical compounds -- even commercial products like Ivory soap -- advertise that they are 99.44% pure.

"Pure" is a spiritual term too. Biblically, it means clean, unstaffed, blameless, and without guilt.

"Pure" also reflects the process of becoming honorable and blameless. Malachi 3:2 tells of a "refiner's fire" – a purify process. John 15 speaks of "pruning" – purity by sharp elimination. Both of these are reflect God's purposeful process of making his children holy, righteous, and pure.

And it's a purity of heart that God desires. The heart is, of course, the seat of emotions and the impulse of actions. The heart, in biblical, figurative language, is also the center of all that we are. And that's what God wants pure.

Are you pure to your very core? Well, that, as Jesus said, is how we begin to see God ... feel God ... touch God ... know God.

Sure, God can (and occasionally does) break through unexpectedly to make his presence known. And that's a few times in a life exception. Most commonly, though, the way to see, touch, and feel God is through ever-increasing purity.

All the time rebellious people say to me, "well, if I could just see God, then ..." Yes, God does occasionally speak to those hearts (though often they ignore it, because they aren't in a place to accept, change, and embrace). Yes, frequently God does speaking on our journey toward deeper faith and purity, rewarding us along the way. But mostly we know and see God when we seek God with a pure and obedient heart.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who uses Ivory soap

(my washed skin is 99.44% pure,

now I'm working on my heart)

Sept 25 - Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will receive mercy.

Matthew 5:7

 

What is mercy?

 

I'm told that Shakespeare called it "nobility's true badge."

I'm told that it's also the only word that Chuck Norris doesn't know the meaning of!

 

The Urban Dictionary also reminded me that it's a game you played with your little brother -- whipping his arm behind his back, causing pain, as if you're threatening to break his arm, and demanding that he cry out, "Mercy!" (Which is the opposite of mercy, of course!)

 

Mercy, like most of these beatitudes is relational. Why? Because all of life is relational. 

We live because of God's mercy and grace. If our Lord wasn't loving and forgiving -- merciful -- our hope would be hellish. Yes, we live because of God's mercy and grace. 

But let me take this a step further ... We live when we're merciful to others. Meaning: We live more fully. We discover, indeed, what living is all about. 

Forgiveness is arguably the most important thing in the world. Why? Because that's the whole reason that Jesus can to this earth. 

 

Forgiveness and mercy are subsets of a greater love. And without love, life is not life. It's just a pale caricature of what living is meant to be. 

 

Who do you need to forgive -- to merciful too?

 

It's hard. I know. They hurt you. But if you want a greater life, the "blessing," as Jesus said, begins when you are merciful. 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who occasionally

spells "mercy" with an "i"

-- “Father, merci (thank you)

for your mercy”

 

Sept 24 - Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger

and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6

Have you ever been desperately hungry and thirsty?

Probably not! Nevertheless, Jesus' obviously still works.

We know need. We can imagine desperation.

And the question is: Are you desperate for righteousness?

Righteousness has two components. The first is being at the right place at the right time with the right people doing the right thing. It is summarized by my wife's favorite phrase: "God's way is the best way." Simply put, righteousness is obedience.

The second sense of righteousness is "rightness" in relationships. That applies to the human level, of course. A few verses later in Matthew 5:23-24, Jesus says, " when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift." If God's ways is the best way, then part of righteousness is forgiveness, reconciliation, and human relationship. Which relationships in your life do you need to hunger and thirst for right reconciliation?

Further, if right relationship is the goal, a right relationship with God must be the primary goal of our relationship. Indeed, Jesus is telling us, in part, that if we're not right with God, nothing is right.

In Christ's Love,

a left-handed guy

who wants rightness

Sept 23 - Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5

 

What does "meek" mean?

In my mind "meek" sounds to me like "weak." Is Jesus saying that the passive and weak will inherit the earth? 

 

Psalm 37:11 says, "The meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity." Almost quoting this, is Jesus saying that those with the intestinal fortitude of milk toast will insure peace and prosperity?

 

Does “meek” mean “weak”? It means “humble.”

 

Now, some people certainly associate humbleness with weakness … but something transformative happens when we are humble before God: We transcend our own fragile mortality.

 

Some see bravado (or money or military power or even self-sufficiency) as strength. But on our own, even “the strongest people” inevitably age, falter, stumble, and die. Empires and fortunes come and go. But when we are humbly dependent upon God, we attach ourselves to his strength.

 

And it is through his power that we “inherit the earth” – inherit, what? A hopeful life on earth.

 

How do we stare down sickness, persecution, political turmoil, wars, and death with hope and joy? How? With God’s love, joy, peace, and patience.

 

And he makes this power available to those who humbly approach him and submit to his ways.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants to be submitted and meek –

knowing when to stand boldly and speak,

and when to simply turn the other cheek

 

 

 

 

Sept 22 - Psalm 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4

Mourning is not a blessing.

It hurts.

It's an almost literal hole in our soul. A piece of us -- a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend -- has been ripped away from us (at least in an immediate, physical, temporal sense). And it's hard to function with such a gaping wound.

Mourning is not what I'd call a blessing. So what does Jesus mean here in the Sermon on the Mount?

There are two common interpretations of this.

First, Jesus is prefiguring his death and the eternal fate of all things through him. If we love Jesus enough to cling to him in faith when he dies -- and therefore mourn -- we will be comforted by the resurrection. And by extension, those who cling to Jesus when a loved one dies -- even in the midst of obvious human mourning -- will be comforted by the resurrection too.

That's how I've traditionally viewed this passage. Essentially, "this world is hard, but heaven is coming!"

And that's true.

Nevertheless, probably a more contextually accurate way to read this verse is in light of the preceding verse -- "blessed are the poor in spirit." Jesus was talking about the present condition of our heart and soul. He wanted us to be humble and thankful, not proud and entitled.

What if we put "blessed are those who mourn" into the context of our heart and soul's condition?

What do our hearts have to mourn about?

Sin.

What Jesus is calling us to do in these first two beatitudes is to humble our hearts and grieve over the sins that separate us from God and one another.

Our world has developed the brazen habit of laughing at and excusing sin. No! It's cost is frayed relationships, broken marriages, fatherless children, violence, wars, etc. We must not laugh with the world. We must grieve.

In Christ's Love,

a guy who is not "comforted"

by justifying my actions

or rationalizing my sin,

but only by Jesus' costly grace

which drove him to the cross

Sept 21 - Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"

Matthew 5:3

Has that phrase ever seemed upside-down to you?

 

Should we want to be "rich in spirit"?

 

But perhaps we live in too "rich" of a culture to catch the meaning. Wealth tends to focus our hearts on the wrong things. It is often proud and entitled. Callous -- intentionally or unintentionally -- to the plight of others. Often the richer people are in things, the poorer they are in spirit! 

 

Poverty, on the other hand, can create a humbleness. A reverent dependence -- the joyful realization that our life (right down to our daily bread) is dependent upon a "higher power." Now for some, that higher power is luck. For others it's the government. For "the poor in spirit," it's an honest, thankful, trusting dependence on God.  

 

Rich -- even rich in spirit -- can be proud and entitled. While "poor in spirit" is humble. 

 

I can easily fool myself. Yes, God wants me and gifts me to work hard, but he's my provider ... not me. 

 

Martin Luther expresses this powerfully and beautifully in his Small Catechism. As we seek today a poorer, more humble, more joyfully and worshipfully dependent spirit, let us pray Luther's words ... 

 

I believe that God has created me and all that exists; that he has given me and still sustains my body and soul, all my limbs and senses, my reason and all the faculties of my mind, together with food and clothing, house and home, family and property; that he provides me daily and abundantly with all the necessities of life, protects me from all danger, and preserves me from all evil. All this he does out of his pure, fatherly and divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness on my part. For all of this I am bound to thank, praise, serve and obey him. This is most certainly true.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who desires to more fully

thank, praise, serve and obey him.

This is most certainly true.

 

Sept 20 - Matthew 5:1-2

When Jesus saw the crowds,

he went up the mountain;

and after he sat down,

his disciples came to him.

Then he began to speak,

and taught them, saying ...

Matthew 5:1-2

Mahatma Ghandi, a Hindu, loved Jesus. 

At least ... he loved Jesus' teaching. 

This Indian leader based the whole peace-focused freeing of India on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. (He even said that he might've become a Christian if he'd seen any Christian living fully and wonderfully according to the Sermon on the Mount.)

 

That's our goal for these next few weeks ... to shape our lives more fully around Jesus' seminal teaching. 

 

And to do that starts with prayer ...

 

Jesus, I want to be a disciple, sitting at your feet. Humble my spirit. Break through the noise. If we want to impact this broken world, let me model my service after You and any Saint who's modeled himself on you. 

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who yearns for

a powerful way to change

a broken world

(and Jesus modeled

a different kind of power)