Matthew 5:17-48

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

I wouldn’t blame you if you skipped this page. I didn’t even want to write it, much less do it. Love my enemies, God? I don’t think so. I don’t want to. Actually, what I want is revenge. And yet, where would I be today if You had felt that way toward me? I would still be a helpless, hopeless, lost sinner, an enemy of Yours. Thank You for loving and saving me.

We often use the term “sanctity of life” to express opposition to abortion, but it has a much broader meaning than that. It means showing appreciation and respect for every person because each man, woman, boy, and girl is created in the image of God. It means considering the life of each person to be valuable, unlike people in some cultures who consider human life to be expendable. The acts of terrorism perpetrated by human bombs underline that attitude. All people are of great value to God, so we should value everyone greatly as well. To defame, to disrespect, another person in thought or speech is to make light of the image of God in which every person has been created.

Matthew 5:43-45a says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” This is certainly the opposite of the way the world and human nature think about enemies. It is absolutely impossible for me to love my enemies with my human resources, and God knew that before I was born. That’s why He tells us in Romans 5:5 that His love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us, so God will love others, even our enemies, through us with His love if we are willing to be channels and allow Him to do that.

A soldier was amazed to hear General Robert E. Lee speak about a fellow officer in complimentary terms. He said, “General, don’t you know that the man you so highly praised is one of your worst enemies, and that he misses no opportunity to slander you?” “Yes, I know”, replied the General, “but I was asked for my opinion of him, not his opinion of me.”

God wants us to seek ways to relate redemptively to all people. Even our enemies need to know Christ. Many evil people have changed when they became Christians. The best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him a friend--and help him become a brother in Christ.

Father, may I remember that You love all people and may I allow You to show them Your love through me. Amen.

Do you need a "be-attitude" adjustment?

Matthew 4:23-5:16

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.” Matthew 5:1-2

The theme of the Beatitudes is true righteousness. The verses are not rules to follow but a description of what a Christian who is filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit is like. It is similar to the list of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23a, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” 

Every one of the qualities in the Beatitudes and the fruit of the Spirit list should be found in each Christian. So the beatitudes are attitudes that ought to be in our lives if we are true Christians. The Pharisees and teachers of the law kept the letter of the law, but Jesus is teaching that keeping the spirit of the law is much more important.

True happiness comes from a life of total dedication to God and obedience to His Word and His will. “Blessed” means “happy”, or “fortunate”. Happiness depends upon what we are, not on what we have or what we do or where we go. We will be truly happy if we allow the Holy Spirit to build these eight qualities in the beatitudes into our lives.

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3) The “poor in spirit” are those who are humble, who realize how weak and sinful they are apart from Christ. They are not proud, self-sufficient, or self-righteous.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) The mourning in this verse is a sincere sorrow for sin, the kind of sorrow that leads to repentance. God forgives and comforts us when we sincerely ask.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5) Meekness is power under control. It is not asserting our own rights but living to glorify God. It is the opposite of self will.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6) A true Christian has an appetite for spiritual things, not worldly things.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7) God has shown us mercy in forgiving us, and He expects us to show mercy and forgive others.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8) The pure heart is not divided between God and the world. It is focused on devotion to God, which allows the pure in heart to see God more clearly.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9) Peacemakers are more than just peaceful themselves. They try to bring peace between others.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10) True righteousness stands firm in the face of opposition and speaks out for Christ.

It is only as we allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives moment by moment that these attitudes will be found in us.

Father, I cannot live the Christian life. I cannot be all I should be or do all I should do. But I thank You, that, although I cannot live the Christian life, I can experience it because You are willing to live it through me by the Holy Spirit. May I give Him full control. Amen.

Do you promise?

John 4:48-54

“The man took Jesus at his word…” from John 4:50

I have read that the Bible has more than 365 promises, one for each day of the year, promises that we can believe and claim for ourselves. Do you believe that these promises are for you? If you do, you will claim them, try them out, depend on them.

Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee where he had turned the water into wine. A royal official who live in Capernaum had a son who was sick. In fact, he was close to death. When his father heard that Jesus had returned to Galilee, he found Jesus and begged Him to come heal his son. The anguished father said to Jesus, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” John 4:40. In other words, “Hurry, Jesus, before it’s too late.”

Jesus told the anxious father, “You may go; your son will live.” The father had a choice. He could cling to Jesus and insist that Jesus come in person to heal his son, or he could do what Jesus said--go back home believing that Jesus had healed his son. What would you have done?

The man took Jesus at His word. He left for home. While he was on the way, some of his servants met him with the wonderful news that his son was better. They said the fever had left the boy at the seventh hour. The father realized that was the exact time when Jesus told him his son would live. Then the father and all his household believed that Jesus had performed this miracle.

God’s word can come to us in various ways. Certainly we understand many things that God would have us do as we read the Bible. But, from time to time, we may also receive nudges from the Holy Spirit. If I intend to make a donation to a Christian cause, I usually pray about the amount God would have me donate. I wait until a specific amount is settled in my mind, and that is what I give. Sometimes when a certain person pops into my mind, I realize that God wants me to pray for that person or minister to him or her in some way. So, both as we read the Scriptures and as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we have many opportunities to take God at His word and follow His lead, to show our faith in Him and His word, to please our Heavenly Father.

Father, You say what You mean, and You mean what You say in the Bible. May we take You at Your word. And when You nudge us by Your Spirit, may we follow Your leading. Amen.

Because You Say So

Luke 5:1-11

“Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’” Luke 5:5

The setting was the Lake of Gennesaret, known better to us as the Sea of Galilee. Screenwriter Lewis Foster said, “The sea shore, the hillside, the whole out-of-doors became Jesus’ auditorium.”

The people present were crowding around Jesus to hear the word of God. This is what people want and need to hear: God’s word. We make big mistakes when we substitute men’s words instead. That leaves people empty, hungry and thirsty for the real thing and often misguided as well.

Because of the press of the crowd, in order to be seen better and probably because acoustics are better over water, Jesus got into Simon Peter’s boat which was nearby and asked Simon Peter to go out a little piece from the shore. Then Jesus sat down, which was the position for teaching, and taught the people from the boat.

Afterward, Jesus told Simon Peter to “put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch”. (Luke 5:4) Simon Peter told Jesus they had worked hard all night and hadn’t caught a thing. Around the Sea of Galilee the best time to catch fish was at night, and the best place to fish with a net was in shallow water. Jesus wanted Simon Peter to fish in the deep water in the day time. Common sense told Simon Peter this was foolish. And Simon Peter was the expert fisherman. Jesus was a carpenter. Nevertheless, Simon Peter told Jesus, “Because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

We have a “because you say so” religion. Often the call of God is contrary to common sense or the way the world works. Like Simon Peter, we may not always agree with God or understand why He is doing what He’s doing, but we can always obey.

Obedience brought big results in this case. There were so many fish in the nets that they began to break, and the weight of the fish almost sank Simon Peter’s boat and the boat of his partners, James and John. It must have been an amazing sight. Not only were the nets and boats overwhelmed by the large catch, but the fishermen themselves were overwhelmed as well. Luke 5:9-10 tells us, “For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon Peter’s partners.”

Simon Peter fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” When Simon Peter saw the divine power of Jesus, he also saw by comparison his own sin and unworthiness. The closer we draw to Jesus the more we see our sinfulness.

Jesus told Simon Peter that from then on he would fish for people. God wants us also to be fishers of men, but if we are to be successful, we must be obedient to Jesus and go where people who need God are to be found. I have heard Jill Briscoe say that, all too often, we are trying to fish in a swimming pool!

Father, at your say so, may we launch into deeper waters to find those who are looking for you. Amen.