“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” - Jesus (Matthew 7:24-27)
Jesus finishes His sermon with a VBS song. I am sure all of us have at one time or another participated in this song and the hand motions that accompany it. From a young age, we learn the importance of building on solid ground. As an engineer, these words have an even clearer meaning for me.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has given the basis for His ministry and the foundation for all the other teaching that is contained in the New Testament. His teaching in these three chapters is the Magna Carta, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights of the Christian faith. When He finishes teaching, He gives the people the choice of accepting or rejecting His words and tells them outcome of their choice. Wise will stand, foolish will fall. Wise listen and put into action, foolish ignores and rejects. But the choice was theirs and it is ours.
He says to us that our lives are not going to be without trouble. The floods will come, the winds will blow, our houses will take a beating and the choice we make for our foundation will determine the outcome of the troubles. If we base our lives on the truth that is found in Him... bring on the rain. If we reject His truth and base our lives on something else... trouble will devastate. You have seen it. I have too. People that haven't built their lives on the Solid Rock of Jesus fold under the load of this life. People whose lives are built on Him standing strong against the winds of cancer or the rain of job lose.
But His message goes further than this life only! He is calling us to faith that leads to a life hereafter. Sure we are going to have a better life here... and that is worth living for! But Paul tells the church in Corinth, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. Jesus has better things planned of us now and eternally. The question for each of us is clear, are we wise or foolish? We will listen and do or will we ignore and fall? Just as in every other scripture, He leaves the choice to us. So...
Wise or Foolish?
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Lord, Lord...
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
(Matthew 7:21-23)
Jesus draws a stark contrast between those who do the will of the Father and those that don't. If you don't obey His will, you practice lawlessness. You are a law breaker! He tells us that many of those people, maybe many of us don't even recognize that we are spiritual criminals. We go through life doing things that make us look like we are disciples, but we are not. That should wake us up... right now! He declares that these people will not make it to heaven. That should shake us up... right now!
He draws a line of distinction between those that "do His Father's will" and those that "do religious things". We can call Him Lord, yet our lives not reflect His Lordship. He is not on the throne... something or someone else is. Jesus says that when that happens; when we say or do one thing yet our hearts indicate another, then we are law breakers. Or... we call Him Lord and give Him the reins of our lives and obey the Father. These two lives might even look the same on the outside, but where it counts (in the heart) it is dramatically different.
Every time I read these verses I get a little nervous. Some will stand before Him in the judgment and believe with all their hearts that they did many things in His name and that they are entitled to a "well done my good and faithful servant". Instead they will get, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" The difference in these two lives is one is outward action and the other is inward change. Of course the inward change produces outward action! But outward action does not necessarily produce inward change. I can hate my neighbor and still treat him properly. I can lust after my secretary and not have an affair with her.
Jesus is winding up his sermon with this conclusion... being His true disciple means that "who we are" and "whose we are" has changed. He is getting to the "heart" of the matter. Take a moment an go back and read the sermon again (beginning with chapter 5) with this view in mind. Everything He has said is richer and fuller and deeper. We can spend our lives doing many good things and still be unchanged by the Christ. Many do it... and that is tragic. May we seek the renewed mind, the changed heart, the born again nature and then serve from that position. That changes everything! May God bless you in your following Him.
(Matthew 7:21-23)
Jesus draws a stark contrast between those who do the will of the Father and those that don't. If you don't obey His will, you practice lawlessness. You are a law breaker! He tells us that many of those people, maybe many of us don't even recognize that we are spiritual criminals. We go through life doing things that make us look like we are disciples, but we are not. That should wake us up... right now! He declares that these people will not make it to heaven. That should shake us up... right now!
He draws a line of distinction between those that "do His Father's will" and those that "do religious things". We can call Him Lord, yet our lives not reflect His Lordship. He is not on the throne... something or someone else is. Jesus says that when that happens; when we say or do one thing yet our hearts indicate another, then we are law breakers. Or... we call Him Lord and give Him the reins of our lives and obey the Father. These two lives might even look the same on the outside, but where it counts (in the heart) it is dramatically different.
Every time I read these verses I get a little nervous. Some will stand before Him in the judgment and believe with all their hearts that they did many things in His name and that they are entitled to a "well done my good and faithful servant". Instead they will get, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" The difference in these two lives is one is outward action and the other is inward change. Of course the inward change produces outward action! But outward action does not necessarily produce inward change. I can hate my neighbor and still treat him properly. I can lust after my secretary and not have an affair with her.
Jesus is winding up his sermon with this conclusion... being His true disciple means that "who we are" and "whose we are" has changed. He is getting to the "heart" of the matter. Take a moment an go back and read the sermon again (beginning with chapter 5) with this view in mind. Everything He has said is richer and fuller and deeper. We can spend our lives doing many good things and still be unchanged by the Christ. Many do it... and that is tragic. May we seek the renewed mind, the changed heart, the born again nature and then serve from that position. That changes everything! May God bless you in your following Him.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Fruit Inspectors
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." Matthew 7:15-20
Watch out for false prophets!! Jesus gives His disciples a strong warning in these few verses. These warnings are echoed by the apostles in their writings as well. We need to understand that until the New Testament was completed and compiled, the gospel message was transmitted orally. God's prophet would show up in a town and teach about the Savior and then do a miracle or two to confirm that they were speaking the truth. (1 Cor 14:22) Ultimately, it was up to the hearer to determine if what they would believe. They couldn't open their Bibles and check out the message.
Jesus tells us that sometimes it is difficult to know who is bringing His truth and who is bringing a lie. He says they look like sheep. They look innocent enough, but He warns that they are really wolves. They come to destroy! Thankfully, He doesn't end His message there. He tells us that we can recognize the true "prophet" and the false "prophet". He says look at their fruit. Check out their lives, their relationships, their marriages... look at what has grown where they planted. He says, "good fruit doesn't come from thorn bushes or thistles".
The identifying marks of each prophet is evident in their lives, in the lives of their followers and in their message. A true prophet will bring about good results; lives changed for the better, peace and harmony, unity and love. It is impossible for the true prophet to bring about bad fruit. The false prophet will bring division, bitterness, greed and the like. He tells us that it is impossible for a bad tree to bear good fruit. It will not happen! Maybe for a short period of time, the appearance of good will disguise the true result; but over time, the bad fruit will become obvious. You've seen it! You know exactly what I am talking about.
As a hearer of the Word, it is our responsibility to be a fruit inspectors. Understand that He is not saying that for someone to tell you truth from God's Word they must be a sinless person. Everyone sins... the preacher sins and the teacher sins. He is calling on us to look at the results of a persons life. Do they live what they teach? Do I see a life filled with blessings? Do you see joy? Today we are blessed to have His Word available to read and study. We need to be like the noble Bereans... Acts 17:10-12. We must compare all teaching with the written Word of God.
Jesus warns us that the results of the life lived as a "bad tree" is certain. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire". Death and destruction are the reward promised to that person. It is up to each of us to determine who we will listen to, who we will follow. He gives us the ability to be fruit inspectors. Let's use His Word as the standard. I have been told that those tasked with determining counterfeit currency don't spend their time looking at fakes, they only look at the real cash. When you know what the real thing looks like, the fake is easy to spot. Let's spend our time studying the truth and the lie will be evident.
Wise or foolish?
Watch out for false prophets!! Jesus gives His disciples a strong warning in these few verses. These warnings are echoed by the apostles in their writings as well. We need to understand that until the New Testament was completed and compiled, the gospel message was transmitted orally. God's prophet would show up in a town and teach about the Savior and then do a miracle or two to confirm that they were speaking the truth. (1 Cor 14:22) Ultimately, it was up to the hearer to determine if what they would believe. They couldn't open their Bibles and check out the message.
Jesus tells us that sometimes it is difficult to know who is bringing His truth and who is bringing a lie. He says they look like sheep. They look innocent enough, but He warns that they are really wolves. They come to destroy! Thankfully, He doesn't end His message there. He tells us that we can recognize the true "prophet" and the false "prophet". He says look at their fruit. Check out their lives, their relationships, their marriages... look at what has grown where they planted. He says, "good fruit doesn't come from thorn bushes or thistles".
The identifying marks of each prophet is evident in their lives, in the lives of their followers and in their message. A true prophet will bring about good results; lives changed for the better, peace and harmony, unity and love. It is impossible for the true prophet to bring about bad fruit. The false prophet will bring division, bitterness, greed and the like. He tells us that it is impossible for a bad tree to bear good fruit. It will not happen! Maybe for a short period of time, the appearance of good will disguise the true result; but over time, the bad fruit will become obvious. You've seen it! You know exactly what I am talking about.
As a hearer of the Word, it is our responsibility to be a fruit inspectors. Understand that He is not saying that for someone to tell you truth from God's Word they must be a sinless person. Everyone sins... the preacher sins and the teacher sins. He is calling on us to look at the results of a persons life. Do they live what they teach? Do I see a life filled with blessings? Do you see joy? Today we are blessed to have His Word available to read and study. We need to be like the noble Bereans... Acts 17:10-12. We must compare all teaching with the written Word of God.
Jesus warns us that the results of the life lived as a "bad tree" is certain. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire". Death and destruction are the reward promised to that person. It is up to each of us to determine who we will listen to, who we will follow. He gives us the ability to be fruit inspectors. Let's use His Word as the standard. I have been told that those tasked with determining counterfeit currency don't spend their time looking at fakes, they only look at the real cash. When you know what the real thing looks like, the fake is easy to spot. Let's spend our time studying the truth and the lie will be evident.
Wise or foolish?
Monday, September 30, 2013
Which Road Are You On?
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Jesus (Matthew 7:13-14)
Two little verses about gates and roads. One is narrow, the other is wide. I remember from my days in the Highway Planning Department with the NCDOT that car counts were taken on roads and those counts determined how wide the roads needed to be... a little bit of traffic, a 18 foot wide two lane road; a lot of traffic, multiple lanes sometimes 140 feet wide. That seems almost intuitive ...lots of traffic, bigger road. Little bit of traffic, small road.
But what determined the traffic counts? The road went where people wanted to go! Lots of people want to go to Charlotte, big roads. Few people want to go to Boomer, little road. Jesus is giving us a lesson in roadway design. He tells us that there is a multi-lane superhighway that is headed straight to hell and that there is a quaint little two lane country road that leads to heaven. The little road is so quaint and so off the beaten path that only a few people ever find it. Only a very few.
I use Google maps now to find my way to a place that I want to go. I don't just start driving and hope to end up a grandma's house. I don't look for the road that everyone else is on and jump in line and assume that I will get to the beach. I don't look for the nicest roadway and guess that it is the one that will get me home. I go to the source, a road map or a GPS device and I follow the directions that will take me to my destination. (there is hidden meaning in this paragraph)
I believe that Jesus is making two important points in these two verses...first, it takes effort to find the small gate! You don't stumble into it, it is intentional! You search for it and you find it. And secondly, not everyone wants to walk the narrow path. Regardless of the warnings, some people (most according to Jesus) will choose the broad road. They will run headlong into hell because they want to enjoy the ride. The wide road looks so good, it is so wide and there are so many people using it. It must be the fun way.
But Jesus says, "Enter through the narrow gate." He wants us to follow Him. He tells us where the wide road leads. There is no mystery destination waiting at the end of the trip. I am not going to choose my beliefs based on what the most people believe. I am not going to pick my church based on where the most people go. I am not selecting my place to worship by how nice the building is. None of that leads to the narrow gate! The narrow gate is found by the person who searches. His Word is our GPS, our road map and that is where directions are found. That is where we must look to find our beliefs and our church.
Jesus looks us in the eye and says, "choose, wide or narrow." Sometimes the superhighway looks tempting; the wide lanes, the fast moving traffic. That is where my friends are. That is where our family is. "Choose, wide or narrow." Grandma and Grandpa drove that highway; if it was good enough for them, it is good enough for me. "Choose, wide or narrow." As sad as it is, many, no, most will choose the wide road that leads to destruction. What about you? Which road are you on? The good news is God allows u-turns. No matter how long or how far you are on that wide road, He says you can change direction and get on the road that leads to life everlasting. But you must choose... choose wisely!
Two little verses about gates and roads. One is narrow, the other is wide. I remember from my days in the Highway Planning Department with the NCDOT that car counts were taken on roads and those counts determined how wide the roads needed to be... a little bit of traffic, a 18 foot wide two lane road; a lot of traffic, multiple lanes sometimes 140 feet wide. That seems almost intuitive ...lots of traffic, bigger road. Little bit of traffic, small road.
But what determined the traffic counts? The road went where people wanted to go! Lots of people want to go to Charlotte, big roads. Few people want to go to Boomer, little road. Jesus is giving us a lesson in roadway design. He tells us that there is a multi-lane superhighway that is headed straight to hell and that there is a quaint little two lane country road that leads to heaven. The little road is so quaint and so off the beaten path that only a few people ever find it. Only a very few.
I use Google maps now to find my way to a place that I want to go. I don't just start driving and hope to end up a grandma's house. I don't look for the road that everyone else is on and jump in line and assume that I will get to the beach. I don't look for the nicest roadway and guess that it is the one that will get me home. I go to the source, a road map or a GPS device and I follow the directions that will take me to my destination. (there is hidden meaning in this paragraph)
I believe that Jesus is making two important points in these two verses...first, it takes effort to find the small gate! You don't stumble into it, it is intentional! You search for it and you find it. And secondly, not everyone wants to walk the narrow path. Regardless of the warnings, some people (most according to Jesus) will choose the broad road. They will run headlong into hell because they want to enjoy the ride. The wide road looks so good, it is so wide and there are so many people using it. It must be the fun way.
But Jesus says, "Enter through the narrow gate." He wants us to follow Him. He tells us where the wide road leads. There is no mystery destination waiting at the end of the trip. I am not going to choose my beliefs based on what the most people believe. I am not going to pick my church based on where the most people go. I am not selecting my place to worship by how nice the building is. None of that leads to the narrow gate! The narrow gate is found by the person who searches. His Word is our GPS, our road map and that is where directions are found. That is where we must look to find our beliefs and our church.
Jesus looks us in the eye and says, "choose, wide or narrow." Sometimes the superhighway looks tempting; the wide lanes, the fast moving traffic. That is where my friends are. That is where our family is. "Choose, wide or narrow." Grandma and Grandpa drove that highway; if it was good enough for them, it is good enough for me. "Choose, wide or narrow." As sad as it is, many, no, most will choose the wide road that leads to destruction. What about you? Which road are you on? The good news is God allows u-turns. No matter how long or how far you are on that wide road, He says you can change direction and get on the road that leads to life everlasting. But you must choose... choose wisely!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Ask, Seek and Knock
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
- Jesus (Matthew 7:7-12)
How many true askers are there? True seekers? True knockers? Seriously... take a moment and think that through. Most of us give lip service to the idea, but the reality is probably something entirely different.
The word translated "ask" (aiteo) brings with it the idea of beg, crave, desire and even require. "Seek" (zeteo) means to be about, to endeavor, to require and to seek after and "knock" means to rap. Sometimes our English translations leave much to be desired and this is illustrated perfectly by these three little words. Ask, seek and knock fall woefully short of communicating the strong desire and urgency that the original Greek brings to our understanding. Again, I ask, am I a true asker, a true seeker and a true knocker? Are you?
The message Jesus is bringing to those sitting on the side of the hill and to us today is God will reward those who truly ask, seek and knock after Him. In Hebrews 11:6, we are told that God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. The occasional asker, who isn't invested in the asking does not need to think that He will respond. The casual seeker will certainly never find and the one who knocks lightly and inconsistently will not find the door opened to him. While we might find that to be inconvenient in our getting what we want, when we want it; it is very consistent with what we know of God's nature. (take a moment to read Luke 18:1-8)
Jesus then reminds His students that God is the giver of good gifts. He uses the fact that parents give good gifts to their children and that if we as humans know how to give good things to our children... the Father in heaven is quite capable of providing every good thing that we need. "Dad can I have a slice of bread? Nope, chew on this stone! Mom, can we have fish for dinner? Nope, here, hold this snake." If mom and dad understand what we need, surely our Creator is in an even better position to provide for our needs and wants.
He closes His thoughts on this with the Golden Rule... "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you". In other words, get your heart right, be like God! Treat others with respect. Love your neighbor as yourself. Imagine a world where people lived out this single little rule. Every person treating the other person the way they want to be treated. World changing little thought! May it begin with each of us and spread like the flu! I am reminded of the movie "Pay It Forward". One person did something good for another person and asked them to do the same. Then they did good to someone and asked them to do the same and on and on.... may we do it today. Take a minute to watch the video link below.
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Ghandi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc8ZbVcdHpg
- Jesus (Matthew 7:7-12)
How many true askers are there? True seekers? True knockers? Seriously... take a moment and think that through. Most of us give lip service to the idea, but the reality is probably something entirely different.
The word translated "ask" (aiteo) brings with it the idea of beg, crave, desire and even require. "Seek" (zeteo) means to be about, to endeavor, to require and to seek after and "knock" means to rap. Sometimes our English translations leave much to be desired and this is illustrated perfectly by these three little words. Ask, seek and knock fall woefully short of communicating the strong desire and urgency that the original Greek brings to our understanding. Again, I ask, am I a true asker, a true seeker and a true knocker? Are you?
The message Jesus is bringing to those sitting on the side of the hill and to us today is God will reward those who truly ask, seek and knock after Him. In Hebrews 11:6, we are told that God is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. The occasional asker, who isn't invested in the asking does not need to think that He will respond. The casual seeker will certainly never find and the one who knocks lightly and inconsistently will not find the door opened to him. While we might find that to be inconvenient in our getting what we want, when we want it; it is very consistent with what we know of God's nature. (take a moment to read Luke 18:1-8)
Jesus then reminds His students that God is the giver of good gifts. He uses the fact that parents give good gifts to their children and that if we as humans know how to give good things to our children... the Father in heaven is quite capable of providing every good thing that we need. "Dad can I have a slice of bread? Nope, chew on this stone! Mom, can we have fish for dinner? Nope, here, hold this snake." If mom and dad understand what we need, surely our Creator is in an even better position to provide for our needs and wants.
He closes His thoughts on this with the Golden Rule... "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you". In other words, get your heart right, be like God! Treat others with respect. Love your neighbor as yourself. Imagine a world where people lived out this single little rule. Every person treating the other person the way they want to be treated. World changing little thought! May it begin with each of us and spread like the flu! I am reminded of the movie "Pay It Forward". One person did something good for another person and asked them to do the same. Then they did good to someone and asked them to do the same and on and on.... may we do it today. Take a minute to watch the video link below.
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Ghandi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc8ZbVcdHpg
Monday, September 23, 2013
Speck Inspector or Plank Ignorer
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." -Jesus (Matthew 7:1-5)
Can the Christian not make judgments? Certainly! This is without a doubt one of the most tortured verses in the Bible. It is pulled out by everyone at one time or another to try to put someone in their place (so to speak). "That is wrong!"... "Do not judge!" "They are a bad person."... "Do not judge." You know what I am talking about. Is that the point of this part of the Sermon? Is Jesus really telling His disciples that they are not to make judgments? Certainly not!
Ok, so what is it about? In context, Jesus is dealing with how we treat one another as His followers. He says we are to be lavishly generous with each other and remember that each of us will be judged by the same measure as we use to judge others. That should slow down the desire to decide who is in and who is out. If we are nitpickers towards others, Jesus says get ready for the same treatment. This statement puts me in mind of the Lord's Prayer... "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors".
Once again, Jesus is telling us that it is a heart matter. If we are judgmental towards His people, our hearts are messed up. He reminds us that we have our own faults. We have our own misunderstandings. We have our own sins! He says, "work on yourself, when you get that all taken care of, then you can turn that critical eye on someone else". Doing otherwise is hypocritical. (and none of use want to be like that) The picture here is of someone who fails to see their own faults (the plank), but is focused on the little things in someone else's life. (the speck)
Let's be frank here... I have done that. You have too. It is so much easier to critique others than it is to examine our own lives. Many times the thing that drives us crazy about someone else is the very thing we struggle with ourselves. Jesus doesn't say that we are not to make righteous judgments, rather He calls on us to be patient and gentle with others and to focus on our own issues. It's about humility. It's recognizing that we all live imperfectly, but with the love and support of our brothers and sisters, we can do so in a perfecting way.
I am thankful for a generous God, who gave His Son so that penalty for the plank and the speck are all paid for. Should I do my best to live perfectly? Sure. It honors Him. Am I going to do it? No! We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Love. Support. Encouragement. Acceptance. That is to be the trademark of His people! Leave the judging to the Judge. Surround yourself with people who's hearts are tuned to His heart.
Young ladies, find a young man that has the desire to help you grow closer to God. Young man, search for a young lady that wants to help you be a true man of God. Christian men and women... treat each other with lavish generosity. Be with people that make you a better person, a better Christian. Work on your life and then lovingly, with great care and gentleness help remove the speck from that person you love. That's what He calls on us to do. That is what He did.
Wise or foolish?
Can the Christian not make judgments? Certainly! This is without a doubt one of the most tortured verses in the Bible. It is pulled out by everyone at one time or another to try to put someone in their place (so to speak). "That is wrong!"... "Do not judge!" "They are a bad person."... "Do not judge." You know what I am talking about. Is that the point of this part of the Sermon? Is Jesus really telling His disciples that they are not to make judgments? Certainly not!
Ok, so what is it about? In context, Jesus is dealing with how we treat one another as His followers. He says we are to be lavishly generous with each other and remember that each of us will be judged by the same measure as we use to judge others. That should slow down the desire to decide who is in and who is out. If we are nitpickers towards others, Jesus says get ready for the same treatment. This statement puts me in mind of the Lord's Prayer... "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors".
Once again, Jesus is telling us that it is a heart matter. If we are judgmental towards His people, our hearts are messed up. He reminds us that we have our own faults. We have our own misunderstandings. We have our own sins! He says, "work on yourself, when you get that all taken care of, then you can turn that critical eye on someone else". Doing otherwise is hypocritical. (and none of use want to be like that) The picture here is of someone who fails to see their own faults (the plank), but is focused on the little things in someone else's life. (the speck)
Let's be frank here... I have done that. You have too. It is so much easier to critique others than it is to examine our own lives. Many times the thing that drives us crazy about someone else is the very thing we struggle with ourselves. Jesus doesn't say that we are not to make righteous judgments, rather He calls on us to be patient and gentle with others and to focus on our own issues. It's about humility. It's recognizing that we all live imperfectly, but with the love and support of our brothers and sisters, we can do so in a perfecting way.
I am thankful for a generous God, who gave His Son so that penalty for the plank and the speck are all paid for. Should I do my best to live perfectly? Sure. It honors Him. Am I going to do it? No! We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Love. Support. Encouragement. Acceptance. That is to be the trademark of His people! Leave the judging to the Judge. Surround yourself with people who's hearts are tuned to His heart.
Young ladies, find a young man that has the desire to help you grow closer to God. Young man, search for a young lady that wants to help you be a true man of God. Christian men and women... treat each other with lavish generosity. Be with people that make you a better person, a better Christian. Work on your life and then lovingly, with great care and gentleness help remove the speck from that person you love. That's what He calls on us to do. That is what He did.
Wise or foolish?
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Do Not Worry
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Jesus (Matthew 6: 25-34)
I stayed in a boarding house while I was in college. It was me and 12 other college guys sharing one house, two bathrooms and one kitchen. We got to know each other! And we got comfortable with each other... which leads me to tell this story - I had gotten into the habit of sharing my anxiety over tests with my housemates. I would spend days talking about my worries about my grades and how I would do on an upcoming test. I guess I had gone to the well once too often... one day a "friend" finally spoke up and said what I needed to hear. "Dale, if you spent half the time studying that you do worrying, you would be a straight A student." Needless to say, I was taken aback by such honesty. After a few minutes of digesting the comment, I acknowledged that he had given some pretty good advice.
It is easy to fall into that trap... worry. Jesus calls on His disciples to understand that worry is wasted time. "Can you add a single hour to your life through worry?" "Is clothing going to come through worry?" "What about food?" "Drink?" He tells us that God knows what we need and that all the worry in the world will not provide what He knows we need. But there we go again... up at night, ulcers, bad relationships, drug and alcohol use, socially withdrawn... all bad stuff! So why do we do it? Why do we let the concerns of this world crowd out the peace that passes understanding?
Jesus tells us that it is a priority issue. We have the wrong things in the wrong place in our lives. Our jobs are number one. Our spouses are at the top of our list. That new house, new car is what we are working for and we will worry until we get them! Jesus calmly and quietly says, "your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". He calls on His disciples to put God first, His kingdom, His righteousness... then He says everything that we need will be ours. Sure, some of the things we thought we needed will seem insignificant when we seek His will first and the worries will begin to disappear.
We are not to spend our time thinking about tomorrow. Tomorrow is not guaranteed! Stay focused on today. He says that is enough. Today has enough trouble of its' own. That test next week, don't waste time worrying about it, prepare for it while it is still today. When and if that day comes, you will find that you are ready... and without the ulcer.
God knows His creation. He knows our tendency is to think we are responsible for everything. But, He says something entirely different... go to work, do your best, put Him first and everything will work out just fine. He is in charge. Faith. Pure. Simple. Faith. You are His creation. He will take care of you. Trust Him. Get some sleep. Love your family. Enjoy your neighbors. Pour out the drink and flush the pills.
First things first! Kingdom, Righteousness... then, all these things will be added unto you. No worries!
Wise or foolish?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Jesus (Matthew 6: 25-34)
I stayed in a boarding house while I was in college. It was me and 12 other college guys sharing one house, two bathrooms and one kitchen. We got to know each other! And we got comfortable with each other... which leads me to tell this story - I had gotten into the habit of sharing my anxiety over tests with my housemates. I would spend days talking about my worries about my grades and how I would do on an upcoming test. I guess I had gone to the well once too often... one day a "friend" finally spoke up and said what I needed to hear. "Dale, if you spent half the time studying that you do worrying, you would be a straight A student." Needless to say, I was taken aback by such honesty. After a few minutes of digesting the comment, I acknowledged that he had given some pretty good advice.
It is easy to fall into that trap... worry. Jesus calls on His disciples to understand that worry is wasted time. "Can you add a single hour to your life through worry?" "Is clothing going to come through worry?" "What about food?" "Drink?" He tells us that God knows what we need and that all the worry in the world will not provide what He knows we need. But there we go again... up at night, ulcers, bad relationships, drug and alcohol use, socially withdrawn... all bad stuff! So why do we do it? Why do we let the concerns of this world crowd out the peace that passes understanding?
Jesus tells us that it is a priority issue. We have the wrong things in the wrong place in our lives. Our jobs are number one. Our spouses are at the top of our list. That new house, new car is what we are working for and we will worry until we get them! Jesus calmly and quietly says, "your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". He calls on His disciples to put God first, His kingdom, His righteousness... then He says everything that we need will be ours. Sure, some of the things we thought we needed will seem insignificant when we seek His will first and the worries will begin to disappear.
We are not to spend our time thinking about tomorrow. Tomorrow is not guaranteed! Stay focused on today. He says that is enough. Today has enough trouble of its' own. That test next week, don't waste time worrying about it, prepare for it while it is still today. When and if that day comes, you will find that you are ready... and without the ulcer.
God knows His creation. He knows our tendency is to think we are responsible for everything. But, He says something entirely different... go to work, do your best, put Him first and everything will work out just fine. He is in charge. Faith. Pure. Simple. Faith. You are His creation. He will take care of you. Trust Him. Get some sleep. Love your family. Enjoy your neighbors. Pour out the drink and flush the pills.
First things first! Kingdom, Righteousness... then, all these things will be added unto you. No worries!
Wise or foolish?
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Where's Your Treasure?
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." - Jesus (Matthew 6: 19-24)
Where your treasure is... there your heart will be also. Truth! What do you find valuable? How do I spend my time, talent and treasure? Jesus makes it plan (as always), the things you hold as valuable are the things that will take hold of your heart. He is asking me and you to consider where we invest. Take a moment or two and think that through. Where do you spend your days, your evenings, your efforts and your money? The truth behind it all is that if we are honest in our answer, we know what or who owns our hearts.
He gives insight into what most of the world pursues... relentlessly... the things of this world. Wealth, possessions, homes, cars, stuff... that is what the vast majority of people in this nation are focused on. Their hearts are owned by things. I have heard I said that most people love things and use people. God's people love people and use things. He says, "why do you labor for stuff that will either be destroyed or stolen?" He tells us that we can store up treasure that is imperishable, that never fades away. When we consider the options before us, doesn't eternal outweigh the temporary? But none the less, here we go... got to get the new Iphone, must have that new fashion, the latest model car.
Interestingly, Jesus inserts a lesson about the eye in the middle of this discussion. Why would He do that? Why is the eye connected to the treasures we seek? He says, good eye, we are full of light... bad eye, full of darkness. What we see impacts our desires. If we constantly feed our eyes the things of this world, chances are we will want those things. If we are focused on the things in heaven, then we will seek those things. What are you spending your time seeing? What am I feasting my eyes on? He calls us to look to the eternal things, the things that illuminate our lives. (Hebrews 12:1-3; Phil 4: 8-9)
Then He closes out with a truth that should shake us 'til it wakes us. It's either one or the other. It is not both! Sometimes we try very hard to have one foot planted in heaven and one on this earth, but Jesus tells us that only one thing can have our hearts. Both are masters and we get to choose which one is master of our lives. It is a choice that God allows us to make. What we choose will determine what our lives look like, where we will invest ourselves.
I am reminded of a beautiful song by Casting Crowns that deals with the pull of this world... rarely will we make one choice that leads us to choose this world over the next... it's a slow fade... be careful little eyes what you see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk
The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." - Jesus (Matthew 6: 19-24)
Where your treasure is... there your heart will be also. Truth! What do you find valuable? How do I spend my time, talent and treasure? Jesus makes it plan (as always), the things you hold as valuable are the things that will take hold of your heart. He is asking me and you to consider where we invest. Take a moment or two and think that through. Where do you spend your days, your evenings, your efforts and your money? The truth behind it all is that if we are honest in our answer, we know what or who owns our hearts.
He gives insight into what most of the world pursues... relentlessly... the things of this world. Wealth, possessions, homes, cars, stuff... that is what the vast majority of people in this nation are focused on. Their hearts are owned by things. I have heard I said that most people love things and use people. God's people love people and use things. He says, "why do you labor for stuff that will either be destroyed or stolen?" He tells us that we can store up treasure that is imperishable, that never fades away. When we consider the options before us, doesn't eternal outweigh the temporary? But none the less, here we go... got to get the new Iphone, must have that new fashion, the latest model car.
Interestingly, Jesus inserts a lesson about the eye in the middle of this discussion. Why would He do that? Why is the eye connected to the treasures we seek? He says, good eye, we are full of light... bad eye, full of darkness. What we see impacts our desires. If we constantly feed our eyes the things of this world, chances are we will want those things. If we are focused on the things in heaven, then we will seek those things. What are you spending your time seeing? What am I feasting my eyes on? He calls us to look to the eternal things, the things that illuminate our lives. (Hebrews 12:1-3; Phil 4: 8-9)
Then He closes out with a truth that should shake us 'til it wakes us. It's either one or the other. It is not both! Sometimes we try very hard to have one foot planted in heaven and one on this earth, but Jesus tells us that only one thing can have our hearts. Both are masters and we get to choose which one is master of our lives. It is a choice that God allows us to make. What we choose will determine what our lives look like, where we will invest ourselves.
I am reminded of a beautiful song by Casting Crowns that deals with the pull of this world... rarely will we make one choice that leads us to choose this world over the next... it's a slow fade... be careful little eyes what you see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Fasting and Jesus' Disciples
"And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
- Jesus (Matthew 6: 16-18)
I haven't fasted in a while, so I begin this blog with personal repentance. I know I should fast, but I don't very often. What makes it even worse... eating a biscuit from Hardees while I am trying to write this blog :-P. Anyway, I will hope to learn something as I study and write... and eat my biscuit.
Jesus begins this section with "And when you fast". Not "if you fast"... "when you fast". So, clearly His expectation is that His followers, His disciples will fast. This isn't a television fast or a cell phone fast, this is about food. Specifically, this is setting aside a period of time to focus on something spiritual and demonstrating your seriousness by doing without food. There is something different about doing without food, some mental/ physical change that occurs. Back to fasting in minute...
In my favorite movie, Driving Miss Daisy, Hoke is hired by Boolie (Miss Daisy's son) to drive Miss Daisy. She is not happy and lets Hoke know it. At one point she asks how much her son is paying him. His reply is the same throughout the movie, "that's between him and me". It was a private matter and Hoke kept it that way. What does that have to do with fasting... read on.
Jesus is calling on His followers to be different than the religious leaders of His day. Evidently, when they fasted, they demonstrated outwardly what they were doing. He says they "disfigured their faces". I can imagine the grimaces and frowns that they used to show others how much pain they were in while not eating. The point of it all was to be seen by others as "holy" people. They were interested in what others thought and not focusing on the purpose of the fast. Jesus says they get their reward here and now... attention/ recognition by people.
He calls on His disciples to fast secretly. It is between them and Him. They were to wash their faces, fix their hair and act normally. No one else was to know, only their Father who is in secret. Fasting is meant to be done privately. It is not a Christian discipline that anyone else should ever see us do. Can a group join together and all do it "privately"? Sure, but make certain that the group understands the basic principle that it is between them and their Father. As with the other truths that He is teaching in the Sermon, Jesus is telling us that this is a heart issue. It is not about outward obedience, it is about a changed heart.
He promises a reward for those that conduct themselves this way. I don't know what that is and neither do you. He doesn't say, but if it is a reward from God... I want it. If it is from the Giver of every good gift, bring it on!
There are many examples of fasting in the New Testament. Jesus fasted for forty days and nights (Matt 4: 1-9). The Antioch church fasted before they sent out missionaries. (Acts 13: 1-3) The Galatian church fasted before they selected elders. (Acts 14: 21-23) Fasting was a mark of Paul's ministry. (2 Cor 6: 4-10) And Paul taught that fasting was to be a part of our lives. (1 Cor 7: 5) In Luke 2, we meet Anna who was blessed through her fasting and in Acts 10 we learn that Cornelius was fasting when he was told to send for Peter. Fasting is found throughout the scriptures.
It was a part of the lives of the God's people in the Old and New Testament and it is to be part of the lives of His disciples now. Jesus calls on us to deprive ourselves of our desires to demonstrate our seriousness to the Father. There is something special that happens when we fast and pray. Something "supernatural"! We are more in touch with our spiritual side when we set aside the physical. Do you feel that your prayers lack passion and depth, try adding a time of fasting and see if God responds. Want to see a change in your own life, fast and pray. Want to see things change in other's lives, fast and pray. But, wash your face, fix your hair and put a smile on your face. ;-)
Fasting... that's between Him and me!
- Jesus (Matthew 6: 16-18)
I haven't fasted in a while, so I begin this blog with personal repentance. I know I should fast, but I don't very often. What makes it even worse... eating a biscuit from Hardees while I am trying to write this blog :-P. Anyway, I will hope to learn something as I study and write... and eat my biscuit.
Jesus begins this section with "And when you fast". Not "if you fast"... "when you fast". So, clearly His expectation is that His followers, His disciples will fast. This isn't a television fast or a cell phone fast, this is about food. Specifically, this is setting aside a period of time to focus on something spiritual and demonstrating your seriousness by doing without food. There is something different about doing without food, some mental/ physical change that occurs. Back to fasting in minute...
In my favorite movie, Driving Miss Daisy, Hoke is hired by Boolie (Miss Daisy's son) to drive Miss Daisy. She is not happy and lets Hoke know it. At one point she asks how much her son is paying him. His reply is the same throughout the movie, "that's between him and me". It was a private matter and Hoke kept it that way. What does that have to do with fasting... read on.
Jesus is calling on His followers to be different than the religious leaders of His day. Evidently, when they fasted, they demonstrated outwardly what they were doing. He says they "disfigured their faces". I can imagine the grimaces and frowns that they used to show others how much pain they were in while not eating. The point of it all was to be seen by others as "holy" people. They were interested in what others thought and not focusing on the purpose of the fast. Jesus says they get their reward here and now... attention/ recognition by people.
He calls on His disciples to fast secretly. It is between them and Him. They were to wash their faces, fix their hair and act normally. No one else was to know, only their Father who is in secret. Fasting is meant to be done privately. It is not a Christian discipline that anyone else should ever see us do. Can a group join together and all do it "privately"? Sure, but make certain that the group understands the basic principle that it is between them and their Father. As with the other truths that He is teaching in the Sermon, Jesus is telling us that this is a heart issue. It is not about outward obedience, it is about a changed heart.
He promises a reward for those that conduct themselves this way. I don't know what that is and neither do you. He doesn't say, but if it is a reward from God... I want it. If it is from the Giver of every good gift, bring it on!
There are many examples of fasting in the New Testament. Jesus fasted for forty days and nights (Matt 4: 1-9). The Antioch church fasted before they sent out missionaries. (Acts 13: 1-3) The Galatian church fasted before they selected elders. (Acts 14: 21-23) Fasting was a mark of Paul's ministry. (2 Cor 6: 4-10) And Paul taught that fasting was to be a part of our lives. (1 Cor 7: 5) In Luke 2, we meet Anna who was blessed through her fasting and in Acts 10 we learn that Cornelius was fasting when he was told to send for Peter. Fasting is found throughout the scriptures.
It was a part of the lives of the God's people in the Old and New Testament and it is to be part of the lives of His disciples now. Jesus calls on us to deprive ourselves of our desires to demonstrate our seriousness to the Father. There is something special that happens when we fast and pray. Something "supernatural"! We are more in touch with our spiritual side when we set aside the physical. Do you feel that your prayers lack passion and depth, try adding a time of fasting and see if God responds. Want to see a change in your own life, fast and pray. Want to see things change in other's lives, fast and pray. But, wash your face, fix your hair and put a smile on your face. ;-)
Fasting... that's between Him and me!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Prayer
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."
- Jesus (Matthew 6:5-8)
God wants us to pray! That is an important thing to understand before we proceed. He wants you to talk to Him! To Him! Jesus said, "And when you pray"; not "if you pray". He has the full expectation that His disciples will pray. That being said (that His people will be a praying people), He gives very specific direction about our prayer lives; direction that we must understand and practice if we are to be pleasing to Him.
Jesus uses a term here that He will repeat over and over throughout the remainder of the Sermon. Hypocrite. The word translated hypocrite is "hupokrites". This was a theatrical term that meant a play actor. Someone who pretended to be someone else on stage. Jesus uses this term to describe those that were doing the right things for all the wrong reasons or someone that says do as I say, not as I do. (check out Matthew 23:2,3) So, that is His direction, pray, but not like the hypocrites.
He gives us a clear picture of what He means... "they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others." Their prayers were all about themselves. Their posture, their words, their location was all about being seen by others. They wanted the attention and the praise as being holy people. Jesus tells us not to be like them. I am sure that caused a ruckus as He is specifically dealing with the Jewish leaders of His day. Their regularly scheduled prayers had become a time for them to demonstrate their religiousness. They would stand with their hands raised (1 Kings 8:22; Psalm 28:2; Luke 18:11-13) and lift their voices loudly to be heard by others. (I am not saying it is wrong to lift your hands when you pray, that seems to be a practice of God's people, both Old and New Testament, 1 Timothy 2:8)
Jesus is telling us that the problem comes when it is all a show. The way we stand, the way we speak, the words we say... if it is our intention to bring honor to ourselves, we are hypocrites. Pure and simple. He calls on His people to pray with the pure purpose of talking to their Father in Heaven. Our hearts are to be oriented towards Him. Our words are directed to Him. Our focus is on Him. He is not dealing with public prayer in our assemblies here, not specifically, but we can learn about that also. When we lead a public prayer, it should not be with different words than we use in our daily speech. There is no "holy language"; all of our speech is to "seasoned with salt" (Col 4:6). We are not to use repetition of words... "guide, guard and direct us". We are to speak from our hearts! God already knows what we need and what we are thinking, so just say it.
Jesus is calling on us to engage our hearts when we talk to God. Genuine words always mean more to the hearer and that is also true of our Father. Just say what you mean. Give Him honor and glory in your prayers. He tells us that there is a reward for that kind of prayer. I don't know what that reward is, but I know that if it comes from Him... I want it! Take a moment and pray... right now. Talk to your Father like a father wants to be talked to by His children. That will honor Him and He will honor you.
Wise or foolish?
- Jesus (Matthew 6:5-8)
God wants us to pray! That is an important thing to understand before we proceed. He wants you to talk to Him! To Him! Jesus said, "And when you pray"; not "if you pray". He has the full expectation that His disciples will pray. That being said (that His people will be a praying people), He gives very specific direction about our prayer lives; direction that we must understand and practice if we are to be pleasing to Him.
Jesus uses a term here that He will repeat over and over throughout the remainder of the Sermon. Hypocrite. The word translated hypocrite is "hupokrites". This was a theatrical term that meant a play actor. Someone who pretended to be someone else on stage. Jesus uses this term to describe those that were doing the right things for all the wrong reasons or someone that says do as I say, not as I do. (check out Matthew 23:2,3) So, that is His direction, pray, but not like the hypocrites.
He gives us a clear picture of what He means... "they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others." Their prayers were all about themselves. Their posture, their words, their location was all about being seen by others. They wanted the attention and the praise as being holy people. Jesus tells us not to be like them. I am sure that caused a ruckus as He is specifically dealing with the Jewish leaders of His day. Their regularly scheduled prayers had become a time for them to demonstrate their religiousness. They would stand with their hands raised (1 Kings 8:22; Psalm 28:2; Luke 18:11-13) and lift their voices loudly to be heard by others. (I am not saying it is wrong to lift your hands when you pray, that seems to be a practice of God's people, both Old and New Testament, 1 Timothy 2:8)
Jesus is telling us that the problem comes when it is all a show. The way we stand, the way we speak, the words we say... if it is our intention to bring honor to ourselves, we are hypocrites. Pure and simple. He calls on His people to pray with the pure purpose of talking to their Father in Heaven. Our hearts are to be oriented towards Him. Our words are directed to Him. Our focus is on Him. He is not dealing with public prayer in our assemblies here, not specifically, but we can learn about that also. When we lead a public prayer, it should not be with different words than we use in our daily speech. There is no "holy language"; all of our speech is to "seasoned with salt" (Col 4:6). We are not to use repetition of words... "guide, guard and direct us". We are to speak from our hearts! God already knows what we need and what we are thinking, so just say it.
Jesus is calling on us to engage our hearts when we talk to God. Genuine words always mean more to the hearer and that is also true of our Father. Just say what you mean. Give Him honor and glory in your prayers. He tells us that there is a reward for that kind of prayer. I don't know what that reward is, but I know that if it comes from Him... I want it! Take a moment and pray... right now. Talk to your Father like a father wants to be talked to by His children. That will honor Him and He will honor you.
Wise or foolish?
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
The Heart of Giving
"Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you." - Jesus (Matthew 6: 2-4)
The question is "Why?". It isn't what or when or even where, it's why. Jesus, once again is talking about the "heart" of the matter. There is a "why" behind every action. I go to work, why? I want me family to eat. I spend time with my wife, why? I love her and I want her to know it. I attend church every opportunity, why? I love God and His people and I want to be with them every chance I get. I sing songs to God and His people, why? It expressed my feelings and uplifts my spirit. I pray, why? It is the only way that I have to speak directly to my Father. I give an offering, why? That is the question Jesus asks of us today? Why do we give our offerings? What is our motive?
Let's take a look at a story that Mark includes in his gospel... And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
The poor widow's offering was different than the others. They had plenty and giving a little was no sacrifice to them. They still had their fine chariots and lavish homes. They still had their refrigerators full of food and their closets filled with the latest fashions. She made the decision to give everything she had to live on. How do you do that? How do you decide that eating today is optional when you have the opportunity to give to others? Certainly, we see the difference. We understand that one is given out of excess and the other is given from the heart.
When Jesus encountered the rich young ruler, who undoubtedly gave at the Temple as commanded, He called on him to give everything. (Matthew 19:16-30) The young man was very sad because he had great possessions (or better yet, many things possessed him).
Jesus calls on His disciples to give. The New Testament doesn't say how much. (that may surprise some of you) The tithe was an Old Testament command and just as with other commands, had been distorted and abused. So, the heart was to be engaged when the amount to give was being considered. Paul tells the church in Corinth, Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor 9:7) No longer was the giving out of compulsion. Now, each of us is called on to give "as he has decided in his heart". The widow decided to give everything, from her heart. The rich had decided to give out of their excess. Jesus saw the heart of both and praised the widow for her heartfelt decision.
He tells us that our giving should be between us and God. It is not for show. It is not to get praise from others. It is a private matter and is to be a heart decision. I can imagine the rich of His day, parading their gift down the street with a band announcing their arrival. All eyes on them and what they were giving. The attention was theirs. Meanwhile, the widow arrives without notice and slips here coins into the plate without any notice. But He noticed! The One that counts... noticed. And He says, "She will get her reward from the Father". The rich, with their band playing got their reward from the people. There is a clear difference.
What about you? This Sunday when you bring your offering to the LORD, where is your heart going to be? Will you quietly give as you have been prospered? Will you give only from your excess funds? Or, will you bring the offering that your heart is telling you to bring? When you place your gift in the basket, will you be filled with joy or will you be thinking about what you could have done with those funds? New pair of shoes? Pocketbook? New motorcycle? New___? You fill in the blank. Jesus sees the heart. He knows our intentions. God doesn't need our money. It is for our benefit that we can give. Think about that for a moment.
Wise or foolish?
The question is "Why?". It isn't what or when or even where, it's why. Jesus, once again is talking about the "heart" of the matter. There is a "why" behind every action. I go to work, why? I want me family to eat. I spend time with my wife, why? I love her and I want her to know it. I attend church every opportunity, why? I love God and His people and I want to be with them every chance I get. I sing songs to God and His people, why? It expressed my feelings and uplifts my spirit. I pray, why? It is the only way that I have to speak directly to my Father. I give an offering, why? That is the question Jesus asks of us today? Why do we give our offerings? What is our motive?
Let's take a look at a story that Mark includes in his gospel... And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."
The poor widow's offering was different than the others. They had plenty and giving a little was no sacrifice to them. They still had their fine chariots and lavish homes. They still had their refrigerators full of food and their closets filled with the latest fashions. She made the decision to give everything she had to live on. How do you do that? How do you decide that eating today is optional when you have the opportunity to give to others? Certainly, we see the difference. We understand that one is given out of excess and the other is given from the heart.
When Jesus encountered the rich young ruler, who undoubtedly gave at the Temple as commanded, He called on him to give everything. (Matthew 19:16-30) The young man was very sad because he had great possessions (or better yet, many things possessed him).
Jesus calls on His disciples to give. The New Testament doesn't say how much. (that may surprise some of you) The tithe was an Old Testament command and just as with other commands, had been distorted and abused. So, the heart was to be engaged when the amount to give was being considered. Paul tells the church in Corinth, Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor 9:7) No longer was the giving out of compulsion. Now, each of us is called on to give "as he has decided in his heart". The widow decided to give everything, from her heart. The rich had decided to give out of their excess. Jesus saw the heart of both and praised the widow for her heartfelt decision.
He tells us that our giving should be between us and God. It is not for show. It is not to get praise from others. It is a private matter and is to be a heart decision. I can imagine the rich of His day, parading their gift down the street with a band announcing their arrival. All eyes on them and what they were giving. The attention was theirs. Meanwhile, the widow arrives without notice and slips here coins into the plate without any notice. But He noticed! The One that counts... noticed. And He says, "She will get her reward from the Father". The rich, with their band playing got their reward from the people. There is a clear difference.
What about you? This Sunday when you bring your offering to the LORD, where is your heart going to be? Will you quietly give as you have been prospered? Will you give only from your excess funds? Or, will you bring the offering that your heart is telling you to bring? When you place your gift in the basket, will you be filled with joy or will you be thinking about what you could have done with those funds? New pair of shoes? Pocketbook? New motorcycle? New___? You fill in the blank. Jesus sees the heart. He knows our intentions. God doesn't need our money. It is for our benefit that we can give. Think about that for a moment.
Wise or foolish?
Monday, August 26, 2013
Practicing Your Righteousness
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." - Jesus (Matthew 6:1)
In Chapter 5, Jesus tells His disciples that they are the light of the world; they are a city on a hill, a lamp on a stand to be seen by others to bring glory to God. Then He pivots and says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." Now, I know you see the difference. One is pointing to God and the other is pointing to ourselves. Jesus wants His followers to know the difference and practice the kind of righteous acts that give Him the glory.
He has already warned us back in 5:20 that if our righteousness doesn't exceed that of the Pharisees, we won't see heaven. The Pharisees were righteous, but they were righteous for there own glorification. They wanted the best seat in the Temple, they wanted to be noticed while praying and they wanted everyone to see them give their offerings. Jesus is holding them up and saying, "Don't be like them, don't act righteous... be righteous... all the time!" Not external... internal!
This short section is an introduction to the sections to follow on giving, praying and fasting. Jesus is calling on His followers to have their hearts right as they consider these acts of worship. Just as He called them (and us) to heart obedience in Chapter 5, He wants us to be less concerned with outward appearance and more concerned with inward righteousness. If our hearts are right, then right actions will follow. Our righteousness must flow from a heart filled with love for God, His Son and the Spirit.
His warning is one that should stop us in our tracks. The result of that kind of righteousness, the kind that is for show is the forfeiture of our reward. That is serious business. We can spend our lives acting righteous and be seen by everyone around us as a dedicated Christian, yet God sees our hearts and says... no reward! He isn't saying this to the wicked. He isn't saying this to those that have never heard of Him. He is saying this to His followers. He is saying this to those that know God, those that have made the decision to be His disciples. He says "Beware" and "no reward" with the intent of waking us up and calling us to religious activities that are from a sincere heart.
I will examine "giving" in my next blog entry. What does it look like to give from a sincere heart? Think about that and tune in tomorrow for some scriptures that deal with that topic. Peace.
Wise or Foolish?
In Chapter 5, Jesus tells His disciples that they are the light of the world; they are a city on a hill, a lamp on a stand to be seen by others to bring glory to God. Then He pivots and says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." Now, I know you see the difference. One is pointing to God and the other is pointing to ourselves. Jesus wants His followers to know the difference and practice the kind of righteous acts that give Him the glory.
He has already warned us back in 5:20 that if our righteousness doesn't exceed that of the Pharisees, we won't see heaven. The Pharisees were righteous, but they were righteous for there own glorification. They wanted the best seat in the Temple, they wanted to be noticed while praying and they wanted everyone to see them give their offerings. Jesus is holding them up and saying, "Don't be like them, don't act righteous... be righteous... all the time!" Not external... internal!
This short section is an introduction to the sections to follow on giving, praying and fasting. Jesus is calling on His followers to have their hearts right as they consider these acts of worship. Just as He called them (and us) to heart obedience in Chapter 5, He wants us to be less concerned with outward appearance and more concerned with inward righteousness. If our hearts are right, then right actions will follow. Our righteousness must flow from a heart filled with love for God, His Son and the Spirit.
His warning is one that should stop us in our tracks. The result of that kind of righteousness, the kind that is for show is the forfeiture of our reward. That is serious business. We can spend our lives acting righteous and be seen by everyone around us as a dedicated Christian, yet God sees our hearts and says... no reward! He isn't saying this to the wicked. He isn't saying this to those that have never heard of Him. He is saying this to His followers. He is saying this to those that know God, those that have made the decision to be His disciples. He says "Beware" and "no reward" with the intent of waking us up and calling us to religious activities that are from a sincere heart.
I will examine "giving" in my next blog entry. What does it look like to give from a sincere heart? Think about that and tune in tomorrow for some scriptures that deal with that topic. Peace.
Wise or Foolish?
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Love Your Enemies!
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Jesus (Matthew 5:43-48)
Those listening to Jesus on the side of the hill were Jews. They viewed everyone else as "gentile". They were God's chosen (see my blog on that here - http://dalesdailybible.blogspot.com/2013/07/unity-among-gods-people.html) and everyone else was not. That could set up some pretty bad attitudes among God's people. Jesus confronts this attitude head on in this section of His sermon.
The teaching of His day was "love your neighbor, hate your enemy". That is what His audience had been taught and that is how they conducted their lives. I imagine that there were some raised eyebrows at this point in His lesson. I have experienced some of that myself when preaching. :-) Jesus looks them in the eye (or in their hearts) and says, "yep, you are to love your neighbor as yourself, for sure, but I say you are to love your enemies also, those that treat you badly, love them too." What? Love my enemy? Love someone that calls me names? Love someone that seeks to harm me? That's right!
He tells us that God provides for those that we "hate" the same as He provides for those we love. God does not withhold His blessings from those that we have bad feelings towards. The evil person gets the same sunshine as the good; the bad people get the benefit of His rain just the same as everyone else. We may not like that. We might wish that the sun would only shine on His followers. But the example is that God loves everyone and so should we. (John 3:16) That doesn't mean that God is happy with everyone, for sure He isn't. But His love is universal. He hates sin, but loves the sinner. He sent His Son to die for everyone, but not everyone will choose to accept His gift... but He still loves them.
His example is what Jesus is calling us to follow. The word "love" needs to be understood here. There are numerous Greek words translated love in English. Unfortunately, the English language is woefully inadequate in the translation of these words. The word here is "agape" and means that we choose to love that person. We seek their best interest. We want good things for them. It doesn't require that we have fond feelings towards them, but it does require that we choose to seek their benefit.
For the Jew that decided to follow Jesus, it meant that those that they had called "dogs" had to be loved. It meant that they would care enough about them to tell them about Jesus. Fortunately for you and me, they listened and obeyed. How else do you explain your faith. They wrote it down. They told their neighbors. They traveled and told everyone they met. They sent missionaries to other nations and along with them, sent the love bathed message of the Savior. We must follow their example, just as they followed the Father's example.
He tells us that loving only those that love us is human nature. That kind of love has it's reward here and now, but the kind of love He calls us to has an eternal reward attached. He says that perfection follows when we have that kind of love. We will be like our Father! Complete. Mature. Perfect. His call is not always an easy one, but His call is for our benefit... always!
You have an enemy? Love them. Someone treating you badly? Pray for them. In the doing of it, you will be perfected. You will be like your Father. That my friends is an amazing promise. Claim it.
Wise or foolish?
Those listening to Jesus on the side of the hill were Jews. They viewed everyone else as "gentile". They were God's chosen (see my blog on that here - http://dalesdailybible.blogspot.com/2013/07/unity-among-gods-people.html) and everyone else was not. That could set up some pretty bad attitudes among God's people. Jesus confronts this attitude head on in this section of His sermon.
The teaching of His day was "love your neighbor, hate your enemy". That is what His audience had been taught and that is how they conducted their lives. I imagine that there were some raised eyebrows at this point in His lesson. I have experienced some of that myself when preaching. :-) Jesus looks them in the eye (or in their hearts) and says, "yep, you are to love your neighbor as yourself, for sure, but I say you are to love your enemies also, those that treat you badly, love them too." What? Love my enemy? Love someone that calls me names? Love someone that seeks to harm me? That's right!
He tells us that God provides for those that we "hate" the same as He provides for those we love. God does not withhold His blessings from those that we have bad feelings towards. The evil person gets the same sunshine as the good; the bad people get the benefit of His rain just the same as everyone else. We may not like that. We might wish that the sun would only shine on His followers. But the example is that God loves everyone and so should we. (John 3:16) That doesn't mean that God is happy with everyone, for sure He isn't. But His love is universal. He hates sin, but loves the sinner. He sent His Son to die for everyone, but not everyone will choose to accept His gift... but He still loves them.
His example is what Jesus is calling us to follow. The word "love" needs to be understood here. There are numerous Greek words translated love in English. Unfortunately, the English language is woefully inadequate in the translation of these words. The word here is "agape" and means that we choose to love that person. We seek their best interest. We want good things for them. It doesn't require that we have fond feelings towards them, but it does require that we choose to seek their benefit.
For the Jew that decided to follow Jesus, it meant that those that they had called "dogs" had to be loved. It meant that they would care enough about them to tell them about Jesus. Fortunately for you and me, they listened and obeyed. How else do you explain your faith. They wrote it down. They told their neighbors. They traveled and told everyone they met. They sent missionaries to other nations and along with them, sent the love bathed message of the Savior. We must follow their example, just as they followed the Father's example.
He tells us that loving only those that love us is human nature. That kind of love has it's reward here and now, but the kind of love He calls us to has an eternal reward attached. He says that perfection follows when we have that kind of love. We will be like our Father! Complete. Mature. Perfect. His call is not always an easy one, but His call is for our benefit... always!
You have an enemy? Love them. Someone treating you badly? Pray for them. In the doing of it, you will be perfected. You will be like your Father. That my friends is an amazing promise. Claim it.
Wise or foolish?
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Turn The Other Cheek
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you." - Jesus (Matthew 5:38-42)
What's this all about? I grew up quoting the "eye for an eye" verse thinking that God had given me permission to extract a little revenge. In the Old Testament, the punishment was to be equal to the damage that a person had experienced. The human tendency is to extract a pound of flesh for an eight ounce wound. Even our modern day legal system still utilizes this concept. The "damages" rewarded to the harmed party is to be based on the actual value of the lose. (supposedly)
Jesus, as with the other sections we have discussed is trying to clarify what God teachs on the subject. Teachers had distorted the truth of God's law and had applied it from a selfish point of view, just as they had anger, divorce, lust and oaths. Instead of the Law protecting, the teachers had perverted into a justification for retaliation. It was used to satisfy man's natural desire for revenge. Jesus would have none of it.
He called on His followers to be different (as always). They were to handle matters of personal injury with consideration of the other person. (Phil 2:3-4) Of course they were to speak out against evil and injustice, just as He did. But the disciple's speech is to benefit the offender as well as those that are harmed. If someone slaps you on the cheek, turn the other cheek. This would demonstrate a generous attitude. Of course we can defend ourselves, that is not the point here. The backhanded slap was a great insult during Jesus' day. This isn't a life threatening assault, rather this is an injury to pride and He calls for a response in love, not vengeance.
Someone wants your shirt, go the next step and offer you coat. Someone compels you to walk a mile with them, walk the second one also. The idea here is that Jesus' disciples were and are to have a generous spirit that responds to personal attacks with kindness. (check out Romans 12:20) Someone has a personal need that they need help with; (need!) the Christian is to help. This is not a license to steal, rather it is a call to generosity. Your brother needs a loan to help him meet a pressing need, if you have the funds.... as they say... help a brother out. (interest free!)
Many say that Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount cannot be lived out in today's world. I strongly disagree! His teaching is just as applicable toady as it was 2000 years ago. Nothing in this sermon is un-doable when the teaching is understood in the context of His day. Knowing what He said and what the people who heard it understood it to mean is very important. If we approach the teaching without any understanding of its' context, His followers would be either dead or naked without any money. That is not the point here, He is calling on His disciples to respond to everything with an attitude of generosity and love; always keeping the other person in mind when we respond.
Can you imagine a world where people lived out the Sermon? It is not unimaginable and in fact that is what He calls on us to do. Live it out, teach others to do the same. Like a virus, this kind of heart change is to spread throughout the entire world, bringing restoration to mankind; bringing humanity back into compliance with the Creator's plan. Try it for a day, then try it for two, then try it for a week. Approach everything with this attitude and see how it goes. Let me know.
Wise or foolish?
What's this all about? I grew up quoting the "eye for an eye" verse thinking that God had given me permission to extract a little revenge. In the Old Testament, the punishment was to be equal to the damage that a person had experienced. The human tendency is to extract a pound of flesh for an eight ounce wound. Even our modern day legal system still utilizes this concept. The "damages" rewarded to the harmed party is to be based on the actual value of the lose. (supposedly)
Jesus, as with the other sections we have discussed is trying to clarify what God teachs on the subject. Teachers had distorted the truth of God's law and had applied it from a selfish point of view, just as they had anger, divorce, lust and oaths. Instead of the Law protecting, the teachers had perverted into a justification for retaliation. It was used to satisfy man's natural desire for revenge. Jesus would have none of it.
He called on His followers to be different (as always). They were to handle matters of personal injury with consideration of the other person. (Phil 2:3-4) Of course they were to speak out against evil and injustice, just as He did. But the disciple's speech is to benefit the offender as well as those that are harmed. If someone slaps you on the cheek, turn the other cheek. This would demonstrate a generous attitude. Of course we can defend ourselves, that is not the point here. The backhanded slap was a great insult during Jesus' day. This isn't a life threatening assault, rather this is an injury to pride and He calls for a response in love, not vengeance.
Someone wants your shirt, go the next step and offer you coat. Someone compels you to walk a mile with them, walk the second one also. The idea here is that Jesus' disciples were and are to have a generous spirit that responds to personal attacks with kindness. (check out Romans 12:20) Someone has a personal need that they need help with; (need!) the Christian is to help. This is not a license to steal, rather it is a call to generosity. Your brother needs a loan to help him meet a pressing need, if you have the funds.... as they say... help a brother out. (interest free!)
Many say that Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount cannot be lived out in today's world. I strongly disagree! His teaching is just as applicable toady as it was 2000 years ago. Nothing in this sermon is un-doable when the teaching is understood in the context of His day. Knowing what He said and what the people who heard it understood it to mean is very important. If we approach the teaching without any understanding of its' context, His followers would be either dead or naked without any money. That is not the point here, He is calling on His disciples to respond to everything with an attitude of generosity and love; always keeping the other person in mind when we respond.
Can you imagine a world where people lived out the Sermon? It is not unimaginable and in fact that is what He calls on us to do. Live it out, teach others to do the same. Like a virus, this kind of heart change is to spread throughout the entire world, bringing restoration to mankind; bringing humanity back into compliance with the Creator's plan. Try it for a day, then try it for two, then try it for a week. Approach everything with this attitude and see how it goes. Let me know.
Wise or foolish?
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Oaths and the Christian
"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No; anything more than this comes from evil." - Jesus (Matthew 5: 33-37)
In the Old Testament, oaths were not condemned and in some cases even required. (Ex 22:10-13, Num 5:16-22) The problem came when the Jew began to think that some oaths were binding and others were not. Depending on what they pointed to in their oaths, some were to be kept in all circumstances, while others might be overlooked if need be. They would swear by heaven if it was something that they were intending to keep and as they intended less and less to keep the vow, they would reduce the value of the item mentioned... heaven, earth, Jerusalem and their own heads.
Jesus reminds them that heaven is His throne, the earth is His footstool, Jerusalem is the city of His King and even their heads are under His control so that everything that they might swear by is intimately connected with God. When they didn't keep a vow, they brought shame on their Father in heaven. Jesus tells us that while they had been taught not to "swear falsely", His teaching is that we are not to swear at all.
Why? His disciples were and are to have the distinction of being honest... always. His people had no need to swear to anything because everything that came our of their mouths was to be truth. If Christians tell the truth and are known for that, then those that hear them say something will know that they can rely on it. We are to answer plainly and truthfully in every circumstance. (2 Cor 1:17-24; James 5:12)If an individual always tells the truth, then oaths are unnecessary. Further, Jesus says that to take an oath with the intention of deceiving others is evil. Deception is from the devil, the father of lies. Jesus, on the other hand is called the "truth" and His followers were to imitate Him.
Is taking an oath always wrong? No. Jesus was using exaggeration to make a point to His listeners. We know that Jesus Himself answered under oath before the high priest in Matthew 26:63,64 and truthful oaths are found in the letters of Paul. (Rom 1:9; 1 Cor 15:31; 2 Cor 1:23; Gal 1:20) His point is that we should not need to offer assurances to others that what we say is true. I hear many people today say "Let me honest with you" or "If I am to be totally truthful with you" and it makes me wonder what to believe when they don't say those things. But, His disciples are to let their yes be yes and their no, no.
When a Christian is called upon to take an oath in a court room, they should raise their hands and do so. When a Christian is called upon to have someone witness a legal transaction, they should do so. Obeying the laws of the land is called for until that law conflicts with the teaching of God. In this case, it does not. The problem comes when we begin to use oaths as a way to convince someone that a lie is the truth. Speak clearly, speak plainly, mean what you say and say what you mean. That is what Jesus is calling on us to do. Truth? Truth.
Wise or Foolish?
In the Old Testament, oaths were not condemned and in some cases even required. (Ex 22:10-13, Num 5:16-22) The problem came when the Jew began to think that some oaths were binding and others were not. Depending on what they pointed to in their oaths, some were to be kept in all circumstances, while others might be overlooked if need be. They would swear by heaven if it was something that they were intending to keep and as they intended less and less to keep the vow, they would reduce the value of the item mentioned... heaven, earth, Jerusalem and their own heads.
Jesus reminds them that heaven is His throne, the earth is His footstool, Jerusalem is the city of His King and even their heads are under His control so that everything that they might swear by is intimately connected with God. When they didn't keep a vow, they brought shame on their Father in heaven. Jesus tells us that while they had been taught not to "swear falsely", His teaching is that we are not to swear at all.
Why? His disciples were and are to have the distinction of being honest... always. His people had no need to swear to anything because everything that came our of their mouths was to be truth. If Christians tell the truth and are known for that, then those that hear them say something will know that they can rely on it. We are to answer plainly and truthfully in every circumstance. (2 Cor 1:17-24; James 5:12)If an individual always tells the truth, then oaths are unnecessary. Further, Jesus says that to take an oath with the intention of deceiving others is evil. Deception is from the devil, the father of lies. Jesus, on the other hand is called the "truth" and His followers were to imitate Him.
Is taking an oath always wrong? No. Jesus was using exaggeration to make a point to His listeners. We know that Jesus Himself answered under oath before the high priest in Matthew 26:63,64 and truthful oaths are found in the letters of Paul. (Rom 1:9; 1 Cor 15:31; 2 Cor 1:23; Gal 1:20) His point is that we should not need to offer assurances to others that what we say is true. I hear many people today say "Let me honest with you" or "If I am to be totally truthful with you" and it makes me wonder what to believe when they don't say those things. But, His disciples are to let their yes be yes and their no, no.
When a Christian is called upon to take an oath in a court room, they should raise their hands and do so. When a Christian is called upon to have someone witness a legal transaction, they should do so. Obeying the laws of the land is called for until that law conflicts with the teaching of God. In this case, it does not. The problem comes when we begin to use oaths as a way to convince someone that a lie is the truth. Speak clearly, speak plainly, mean what you say and say what you mean. That is what Jesus is calling on us to do. Truth? Truth.
Wise or Foolish?
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Divorce
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." - Jesus (Matthew 5: 31,32)
When I began the effort to blog through the Sermon on the Mount, I dreaded the day that these two verses would arrive... and here they are. The church has struggled for decades, maybe centuries with divorce and what to do with those that have gone through it. Bible scholars have debated the meaning of words and phrases and they still don't agree, so don't look to me for a definitive thought. Rather, pick up your Bibles and dig into it; allow His word to have the final say on the subject. First, divorce is a reality. The church is not likely to ever teach enough, love enough or condemn enough for it to disappear. The pews of our churches are filled with those that have experienced the pain of divorce and continue to live with the consequences of a broken family. Jesus' teaching on the subject must be the final answer and the foundation that Christian marriages are built upon.
So, what does our Savior have to say about this controversial subject? Without a doubt, He means something. Certainly, these two verses are not intended to be a complete discussion on the matter. Rather, just like in the previous verses we have looked at, Jesus is correcting a teaching and bringing it back into alignment with what God's commands had to say on the subject. So, with the understanding that this is not intended to be the end-all on the matter; but rather a correction of bad teaching, let's dig into it.
When Jesus lived, divorce was a man's privilege. A woman was his wife as long as he wanted her; she had no rights in the matter. It had become the norm for a man to divorce his wife over anything. Bad dinner... divorce. Laundry not done... divorce. Bad hair day... divorce. You get the idea, God had given the Jews an exception to His plan for marriage and they took the ball and ran with it. (see Deuteronomy 24:1-4) God's directive on divorce dealt with a cheating wife and the teachers of the Law had moved the standard to be for almost anything. Additionally, the main teaching in Deuteronomy 24 deals with the giving of a certificate of divorce and the giving up of the right to remarry. God intended for marriage to be for life, but when the marriage was destroyed by infidelity, He gave them a way out.
Jesus' words in these verses were intended to bring His disciples back to the "garden of Eden" concept of marriage. He calls on His followers to return marriage to it's intended state. One man, one woman for life. He limits the right to divorce to those who have an unfaithful spouse. In His kingdom, marriage is to look very different than those outside of His rule. His people, Christians would work through problems and seek to keep the marriage union. He tells us that if we divorce for any reason other than sexual immorality and that person remarries, we cause them to commit adultery and the person that marries them. He is holding the "injured party", the one seeking a divorce to a very high standard. He says to us, you send them away for any reason other than unfaithfulness, you are responsible for their sin.
That shines a whole different light on the subject. In His day, a woman had no other option than to marry to survive, so the power rested with the man and Jesus says to the man, "Treat her with respect! She is not disposable when you are tired of her." He places marriage back where God had intended it to be. In these two verses, Jesus is certainly teaching against divorce; but this is not the entirety on the subject. He is not trying to answer every question related to the subject in these few words, but He is aiming to restore the sanctity and permanence of institution.
God hates divorce and with good reason. The destruction of a family unit brings nothing but pain and sorrow to everyone involved. His kingdom is injured every time a Christian couple divorces. He calls on His disciples to live differently, by a different standard... His Standard. He was counter-culture then and He is counter-culture now, but that doesn't change His message. Take responsibility for your heart, whether it is anger or lust or the desire to change spouses; Jesus says we are to live differently and keep our hearts pure. We are called on to live in a way that puts the interests of others on the same level as our own and that is true in marriage as well.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:3-5)
If we lived looking out for the interests of our mate, divorce would end. What does he/she need from me? What can I do to help her/him live a life that pleases God? Jesus says the same thing to husbands and wives... think about the other person, live in such a way that you are a blessing to them. Challenging? Sure. Doable? You bet. Married person, you want to honor God... stay married, love your mate, place their needs above your own. That brings Him glory.
Wise or foolish?
When I began the effort to blog through the Sermon on the Mount, I dreaded the day that these two verses would arrive... and here they are. The church has struggled for decades, maybe centuries with divorce and what to do with those that have gone through it. Bible scholars have debated the meaning of words and phrases and they still don't agree, so don't look to me for a definitive thought. Rather, pick up your Bibles and dig into it; allow His word to have the final say on the subject. First, divorce is a reality. The church is not likely to ever teach enough, love enough or condemn enough for it to disappear. The pews of our churches are filled with those that have experienced the pain of divorce and continue to live with the consequences of a broken family. Jesus' teaching on the subject must be the final answer and the foundation that Christian marriages are built upon.
So, what does our Savior have to say about this controversial subject? Without a doubt, He means something. Certainly, these two verses are not intended to be a complete discussion on the matter. Rather, just like in the previous verses we have looked at, Jesus is correcting a teaching and bringing it back into alignment with what God's commands had to say on the subject. So, with the understanding that this is not intended to be the end-all on the matter; but rather a correction of bad teaching, let's dig into it.
When Jesus lived, divorce was a man's privilege. A woman was his wife as long as he wanted her; she had no rights in the matter. It had become the norm for a man to divorce his wife over anything. Bad dinner... divorce. Laundry not done... divorce. Bad hair day... divorce. You get the idea, God had given the Jews an exception to His plan for marriage and they took the ball and ran with it. (see Deuteronomy 24:1-4) God's directive on divorce dealt with a cheating wife and the teachers of the Law had moved the standard to be for almost anything. Additionally, the main teaching in Deuteronomy 24 deals with the giving of a certificate of divorce and the giving up of the right to remarry. God intended for marriage to be for life, but when the marriage was destroyed by infidelity, He gave them a way out.
Jesus' words in these verses were intended to bring His disciples back to the "garden of Eden" concept of marriage. He calls on His followers to return marriage to it's intended state. One man, one woman for life. He limits the right to divorce to those who have an unfaithful spouse. In His kingdom, marriage is to look very different than those outside of His rule. His people, Christians would work through problems and seek to keep the marriage union. He tells us that if we divorce for any reason other than sexual immorality and that person remarries, we cause them to commit adultery and the person that marries them. He is holding the "injured party", the one seeking a divorce to a very high standard. He says to us, you send them away for any reason other than unfaithfulness, you are responsible for their sin.
That shines a whole different light on the subject. In His day, a woman had no other option than to marry to survive, so the power rested with the man and Jesus says to the man, "Treat her with respect! She is not disposable when you are tired of her." He places marriage back where God had intended it to be. In these two verses, Jesus is certainly teaching against divorce; but this is not the entirety on the subject. He is not trying to answer every question related to the subject in these few words, but He is aiming to restore the sanctity and permanence of institution.
God hates divorce and with good reason. The destruction of a family unit brings nothing but pain and sorrow to everyone involved. His kingdom is injured every time a Christian couple divorces. He calls on His disciples to live differently, by a different standard... His Standard. He was counter-culture then and He is counter-culture now, but that doesn't change His message. Take responsibility for your heart, whether it is anger or lust or the desire to change spouses; Jesus says we are to live differently and keep our hearts pure. We are called on to live in a way that puts the interests of others on the same level as our own and that is true in marriage as well.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:3-5)
If we lived looking out for the interests of our mate, divorce would end. What does he/she need from me? What can I do to help her/him live a life that pleases God? Jesus says the same thing to husbands and wives... think about the other person, live in such a way that you are a blessing to them. Challenging? Sure. Doable? You bet. Married person, you want to honor God... stay married, love your mate, place their needs above your own. That brings Him glory.
Wise or foolish?
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Do You Take Sin Seriously?
"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell." - Jesus (Matthew 5: 27-30)
Just as with murder and anger, Jesus raises the bar, no that is not right... he puts the bar where it was intended to be from the beginning on the subject of adultery. Again we read, "You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery". Adultery had become an act and Jesus says, "nope, it is about the heart". Just like with anger and murder, Jesus tells us that adultery begins in the heart. It is not only possible, but it is a reality that people have hearts filled with lust, yet most will not commit adultery today.
God's plan has always been to reconcile people to Himself. From Adam's fall, to the Old Law and through Jesus, God has been and still is working to restore things to a pre-fall condition. I understand that it will not be complete until Jesus returns and brings with Him a new heaven and earth (whatever that means). But for God, it was never about changing the actions of His greatest creation. Actions can change and the heart remain the same. God wants changed hearts! He wants everyone to live sin-less lives. He wants everyone to be like His Son. That is His plan.
So, Jesus looks into our hearts and says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away." Is He advocating the mutilation of our bodies to eliminate the source of sin? Of course not! What He is calling on us to do is to take sin as seriously as He does. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:21-23) He calls on us to police our eyes. We are responsible for what we allow to enter into our hearts. He says, "if you can't control your eye, better to live this life without it than to allow the eye to send a person to Hell." Of course He is using figurative language to make a point.
Then He says the same thing about the hand. His point isn't that we should start doing away with body parts;His point is that we should view sin with that kind of seriousness. Imagine cutting off your own arm. I watched the movie "127 Hours" and saw the lengths a person will go to in order to save their physical life. Jesus says... what about your spiritual lives? Like the rock that trapped that young man in that canyon, sin has many of us caught between the Rock and a hard place. He condemns our sins and He provides an escape to those who will follow Him. In the movie, the young man tried everything he could think of to escape his situation, but in the end he had no other choice than to remove the thing that held him captive. We must do the same!
The Hebrew writer puts it this way... Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12: 1-2) The solution to our problem is found in Jesus. He both pioneered and perfected faith and fixing our eyes on Him and following Him will move us away from sin and into the life that He calls us to, the restored life.
Sin is serious business. Too often, we take it lightly; we toy with it and walk along the edge of the cliff. Other times we just run headlong into sin without any regard to its' consequences. But Jesus calls on His followers to confront their sinfulness, deal with it and "cut it off" at its' source. He says start with the heart and the actions will take care of themselves... no lust in the heart means no adultery.
What about you? Do you take sin that seriously? Do I? It was sin that separated man from God in the Garden and it is sin that separates us from Him today. (Isaiah 59:2) Thankfully that is not the end of the story... God wants reconciliation, He is pursuing that with you! How will you respond to His appeal?
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
Just as with murder and anger, Jesus raises the bar, no that is not right... he puts the bar where it was intended to be from the beginning on the subject of adultery. Again we read, "You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery". Adultery had become an act and Jesus says, "nope, it is about the heart". Just like with anger and murder, Jesus tells us that adultery begins in the heart. It is not only possible, but it is a reality that people have hearts filled with lust, yet most will not commit adultery today.
God's plan has always been to reconcile people to Himself. From Adam's fall, to the Old Law and through Jesus, God has been and still is working to restore things to a pre-fall condition. I understand that it will not be complete until Jesus returns and brings with Him a new heaven and earth (whatever that means). But for God, it was never about changing the actions of His greatest creation. Actions can change and the heart remain the same. God wants changed hearts! He wants everyone to live sin-less lives. He wants everyone to be like His Son. That is His plan.
So, Jesus looks into our hearts and says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away." Is He advocating the mutilation of our bodies to eliminate the source of sin? Of course not! What He is calling on us to do is to take sin as seriously as He does. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:21-23) He calls on us to police our eyes. We are responsible for what we allow to enter into our hearts. He says, "if you can't control your eye, better to live this life without it than to allow the eye to send a person to Hell." Of course He is using figurative language to make a point.
Then He says the same thing about the hand. His point isn't that we should start doing away with body parts;His point is that we should view sin with that kind of seriousness. Imagine cutting off your own arm. I watched the movie "127 Hours" and saw the lengths a person will go to in order to save their physical life. Jesus says... what about your spiritual lives? Like the rock that trapped that young man in that canyon, sin has many of us caught between the Rock and a hard place. He condemns our sins and He provides an escape to those who will follow Him. In the movie, the young man tried everything he could think of to escape his situation, but in the end he had no other choice than to remove the thing that held him captive. We must do the same!
The Hebrew writer puts it this way... Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12: 1-2) The solution to our problem is found in Jesus. He both pioneered and perfected faith and fixing our eyes on Him and following Him will move us away from sin and into the life that He calls us to, the restored life.
Sin is serious business. Too often, we take it lightly; we toy with it and walk along the edge of the cliff. Other times we just run headlong into sin without any regard to its' consequences. But Jesus calls on His followers to confront their sinfulness, deal with it and "cut it off" at its' source. He says start with the heart and the actions will take care of themselves... no lust in the heart means no adultery.
What about you? Do you take sin that seriously? Do I? It was sin that separated man from God in the Garden and it is sin that separates us from Him today. (Isaiah 59:2) Thankfully that is not the end of the story... God wants reconciliation, He is pursuing that with you! How will you respond to His appeal?
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Are You A Murderer?
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny." _ Jesus (Matthew 5: 21-26)
It is impossible for me to do an adequate job in a short blog on this group of verses, so I am going to give a few thoughts and let you explore it deeper in your own mind. First, this is the first of several contrasting sections where Jesus compares what has been verbally taught by the scribes and Pharisees and the true intent of God's words. So, as you read He will say... "You have heard that it was said" and then give a "But I say" as a means to contrast truth and untruth. When Jesus is pointing to scripture, He will say... "It is written"; but when he is referring to oral teaching he uses "you have heard it was said".
So, for sure He is talking about a teaching that had taken hold and continued to be taught by religious leaders. The command that is referenced here is found in Exodus 20:13, "Thou shall not murder" and the penalty was death. The second part of the teaching is the tradition, "whoever murders will be liable to judgment". The teaching held that it was the act only and not the intent that mattered. A self-righteous legalist could be satisfied that he had not committee the act, yet harbor murderous thoughts towards his brother. With murder in his heart, he could say, "I have kept the Law".
Jesus moves the ball down the field and relates the keeping of the Law to the intent of the heart. No longer was it the act that determined the obedience, now it is about our intentions. He says, hate your brother, call him names, say he is good for nothing, tell others that he is a fool... face judgment. For you see, the act of "murder" is more than the taking of a life. Long before the trigger is pulled or the knife is wielded, the heart has determined an action. For out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. (Matthew 15:19)
Jesus then calls on us to be reconciled with our brother or sister. He tells us that our worship is to be interrupted by this. Let's pause for a moment and let that settle in... our relationship with our family is to have priority over our worship of the Father. Problem with a brother, put down the song book and fix it! Dispute with a sister, stop talking to God and go talk to her! First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Our relationship with the Father is not what it should be when we harbor animosity towards our family members, so He calls on us to take action to fix our broken relationships and come back to worship when unity is restored.
How's your heart? What are your motives? How are your relationships? Jesus deals with difficult issues because He wants you and me to have the best life possible, here and hereafter. Take a moment and think about what your heart is filled with. He calls on His disciples to clean house, allow God to move in and change you from the inside out. Think about it.
Wise or Foolish?
It is impossible for me to do an adequate job in a short blog on this group of verses, so I am going to give a few thoughts and let you explore it deeper in your own mind. First, this is the first of several contrasting sections where Jesus compares what has been verbally taught by the scribes and Pharisees and the true intent of God's words. So, as you read He will say... "You have heard that it was said" and then give a "But I say" as a means to contrast truth and untruth. When Jesus is pointing to scripture, He will say... "It is written"; but when he is referring to oral teaching he uses "you have heard it was said".
So, for sure He is talking about a teaching that had taken hold and continued to be taught by religious leaders. The command that is referenced here is found in Exodus 20:13, "Thou shall not murder" and the penalty was death. The second part of the teaching is the tradition, "whoever murders will be liable to judgment". The teaching held that it was the act only and not the intent that mattered. A self-righteous legalist could be satisfied that he had not committee the act, yet harbor murderous thoughts towards his brother. With murder in his heart, he could say, "I have kept the Law".
Jesus moves the ball down the field and relates the keeping of the Law to the intent of the heart. No longer was it the act that determined the obedience, now it is about our intentions. He says, hate your brother, call him names, say he is good for nothing, tell others that he is a fool... face judgment. For you see, the act of "murder" is more than the taking of a life. Long before the trigger is pulled or the knife is wielded, the heart has determined an action. For out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. (Matthew 15:19)
Jesus then calls on us to be reconciled with our brother or sister. He tells us that our worship is to be interrupted by this. Let's pause for a moment and let that settle in... our relationship with our family is to have priority over our worship of the Father. Problem with a brother, put down the song book and fix it! Dispute with a sister, stop talking to God and go talk to her! First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Our relationship with the Father is not what it should be when we harbor animosity towards our family members, so He calls on us to take action to fix our broken relationships and come back to worship when unity is restored.
How's your heart? What are your motives? How are your relationships? Jesus deals with difficult issues because He wants you and me to have the best life possible, here and hereafter. Take a moment and think about what your heart is filled with. He calls on His disciples to clean house, allow God to move in and change you from the inside out. Think about it.
Wise or Foolish?
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