A Fine Line
Thank You for our talk this morning, Father. I needed that time of quiet interaction. May I be sensitive to Your presence throughout all the many tasks of this day. Amen.
Matthew 5:7-12 (<<click the green)
Lord, as I read through these verses it is no surprise whatsoever that though You spoke them two thousand years ago, they are so applicable today in the here and now. The world in which I live today is so divisive! It’s so defensive! Anymore it doesn’t take much tip people over into a fit of rage over almost anything.
What bothers me most is the fact that even those who follow You follow the same track. Where is mercy? If we are truly people “whose hearts are pure” wouldn’t we also be those “who work for peace”?
Is it any wonder we struggle to find Your blessing? We surely don’t deserve it…
I totally understand that we are called to firmly stand for what is right, that we should hold up the cause of the downtrodden. And here is where we must walk a fine line. We are to stand strong but why must we pair it with hatred? Why do we despise those who are in opposition to what we hold to be true?
When I read verse 11 the beginning of verse 12 slaps me in the face.
11“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12Be happy about it! Be very glad!”
Our world is in opposition to Your Church and Your kingdom seemingly more than it ever has been. Your Church is mocked. Your Church is persecuted. Your Church is lied about. People say all sorts of evil things against Your bride. …and are we happy about it? Are we glad? …I don’t think so…
We are livid! We are angry! We are retaliatory!
Where is the love? Where is the mercy? Where is compassion? Where is grace? Where are the tears for those who are lost? Where is the “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing”? (Luke 23:34)
Lord, I pray for Your hand to fall heavily upon Your Church. May we take to heart the life You lived before us. May we take upon ourselves Your humility. Make us merciful…and pure…and those who work for peace. May we do what is right in Your eyes, not our own. Amen.
Oct 11th, Wed, 8:37 am
Stop the Nibbling!
Father, there are not enough words to express how grateful I am for Your love. And as I have said many, many times, Your love is longsuffering. The word longsuffering says so much more than patient in my heart and mind. You have suffered long but You are ever faithful, every loving. Thank You for never giving up on me, for always believing in me.
Matthew 5:4-6 (<<click the green)
I tell you, it is just as easy for me as an adult as it was as a kid…to spoil my appetite with things I probably shouldn’t have before I eat a good solid meal. I get the munchies and snack on a little of this and a little of that and then it’s time to meet Karen for lunch. It’s not good for me, but I still do it.
Lord, You proclaim in verse 6,
“God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, [righteousness] for they will be satisfied.”
That’s from the New Living Translation. Now from the Amplified Bible,
“Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.” (emphasis mine)
My nibbling doesn’t satisfy my hunger – neither does filling my life with tidbits from the world satisfy my “hunger and thirst for righteousness”. Honestly, it only brings me trouble.
Lord, I think we all have that hunger and thirst. Before we know You, we try satisfying those desires with all kinds of things. But everything lacks the ability to completely satisfy our appetites. Even after we enter into a relationship with You, we still have cravings for the things of which we used to partake. Even though we know they aren’t good for us, even though we know they will leave us empty and spiritually malnourished.
It brings to mind a portion of Hebrews 12:1,
“…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
In writing, my mind keyed on the word weight in this passage. What happens when we eat too much of the things we shouldn’t? We put on weight, right? Sin does the same thing, it weighs us down.
So, Lord, as You have been speaking to me over the last several days, help me to continue to cut out the nibbling…and I’m not talking food. Enable me to keep my focus on You.
Paul gives a good conclusion,
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
Amen to that!
Oct 10th, Tues, 7:58 pm
Pride vs. Humility
Thank You, Father, for a wonderful day yesterday. As You touched us in our time of worship, touch us today. Continue to move us to be all we can possibly be in You. Amen.
Matthew 5:1-3 (<<click the green)
Pairing verse 3 with this passage from Isaiah helps flesh this out a bit more in my mind.
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, [poor in spirit] for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” v.3
The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this:
“I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.” Isaiah 57:15
The religious leadership of Your day, Lord, for the most part, clamored to be emulated. Their desire was to be honored and revered. They were spiritually arrogant and purposely placed themselves on a pedestal to receive everyone’s praise.
As I begin reading from Your Sermon on the Mount, many things that have earthly value are overturned, showing that in Your Kingdom things stand on different, purer standards.
In verse 3 arrogance and pride are thrown out and contriteness and humility are set in their place. Throughout Your ministry, You are not replacing the old with the new – instead, You are reinstating the old – the original – what God himself put into place – back into its rightful position.
There is no room in Your Kingdom, Lord for pride and arrogance. As one with a repentant heart may my spirit be contrite and humble. Amen.
Oct 9th, Mon, 6:33 am
Full Service
My dear Father, thank You for loving me the way You do – such patience, such compassion. I cherish our relationship. Enable me to protect it, to avoid pitfalls that would allow things to come between us. Everything else falls into place when I put You front and center in my life. Amen.
Matthew 4:23-25 (<<click the green)
When I was very young there was still a thing called full-service gas stations. Individuals would come out and fill up your gas tank for you. Many also checked your oil, cleaned your windows, and checked the air in your tires. As oil prices continued to rise in the 70’s these services quietly faded away. (Though there is a station not too far from home that will still fill your tank for you!)
Lord, when Your ministry began You hit the ground running as we say. You didn’t ease into it. These verses in Matthew state that right off the bat You “went throughout all Galilee, teaching…and preaching…and healing”. Everyone and everything was taken care of. Your service was from the heart and no one was excluded – Your own people, the Jews, and Gentiles alike. You touched the body, mind, and soul. You took every opportunity to serve.
Lord…do I do that? …not as much as I should. You gave of Yourself freely. I do sometimes…but I tend to hold back. I let personal feelings and prejudices factor in way too often. I am fearful to lay it all out – fearful of what people’s reactions might be if I clearly share my faith – fearful that my seemingly small reserves will be gone in seconds with nothing left for me.
Lord, I know that I am farther along than I used to be but, please help me to see more through Your eyes – to not miss those who need You and Your touch in their lives. May I love like You love, teach like You, preach like You and even heal like You.
Lord, full-service gas stations may be a thing of the past but a full-service God and Savior are most assuredly not –touch the world through me. Amen.
Oct 8th, Sun, 6:33 am
Follow
Father, as I sit here pondering how much You love me, it makes me think how much more that I want to be like You. Over my many years I have given You innumerable reasons to not love me – or at the least to love me less. But Your love does not ebb and flow – it is constant, it is consistent. Father, help me to love others like You love me. Amen.
Matthew 4:18-22 (<<click the green)
One thing that my dad and I have in common is that we tend to get fidgety after we sit for a while. After a while, it’s best if we get up and stretch our legs. Last Saturday we did just that. We had been sitting most of the afternoon and were both getting restless, so I asked him if he’d wanted to go for a walk. We proceeded to walk around the block and had a nice chat in the process.
Lord, in today’s passage You called Simon (Peter) and Andrew, then James and John by saying, “follow me”. Two simple words but they carry a huge amount of weight. This is how the Amplified Bible words verse 19,
And He said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.”
Lord, You just weren’t calling these men to take a walk with You. Yes, they would be by Your side but it surely wasn’t a trip around the block. All four of them left their livelihood to invest themselves in You and Your calling on their lives.
And interestingly enough, there was absolutely no hesitation. Peter and Andrew “left their nets at once” and James and John “immediately followed [You], leaving the boat and their father behind.”
Lord, I have made myself available to “leave my nets and boat behind” if that’s what You desire. But at this point, I truly believe that I am being obedient and being used right where I am. Each day, no matter my location or whom I am with, may I “walk the same path of life that [You] walk.” Amen.
Oct 5th, Thurs, 9:03 am