Imitation, A High Calling

   We went to a movie last evening, a movie in a film series that a group brought to the Island, one that we probably would not have even heard of unless the Brunswick News had not written about it.

   The film concerned a family of five on vacation in Thailand when a tsunami hits and their subsequent struggles with life and trying to find each other in the midst of all the suffering. It has no Christian theme, but it does have its redeeming moments

   A lot of people died in that true story, but the film does not dwell too much on that. The family is separated, the father with the two youngest boys and the mother with the oldest son, neither group knowing what has happened to the other and fearing the worst.

   I thought about that as I read these verses in The Message this morning, from Matthew 5:

“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that."

   The movie is about the living and how this tragedy brings out some of the best in each.

   The translator of The Message, Eugene Peterson, adds this to the above verses, as a part of Jesus' dialog:

“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

   In the story, the mother lies in the crude hospital, seriously injured, with her oldest son by her side. As she fights for her life, and the son tries to be there for her, she tells him to go help others, that he has a gift for seeing other's needs and he ought to use it right then.

   He does, and many others feel the touch that his young life can and does give them. He shows those desperate people, that someone cares, and this caring brings reunions that bless those that feel the results and see the outcomes.

   I like those words at the end of that passage:

 "Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

   Live generously and graciously toward others. God does and I should.

   Self, get out of the way!

   There is much to be done and much life to be lived, outside of mine.

Lemons and Lemonade

   We had a little mixup at our house this morning, having to do with time.

   It was necessary for us to be up early to get over to Brunswick to make an early appointment to have our car serviced. Unfortunately, someone thought they heard the alarm go off and got up without looking at the clock. Dressing, this party wondered out loud if we had not better hurry, but an examination of that same timepiece showed that it was only 4:45 and we did not have to leave till 7:00.

   Thinking about the best course of action to take, I thought:

   1. We could go back to bed for a couple of hours

   2. We could sit around and moan about making that mistake and paying for it with lack of rest

   3. Or we could realize that we had time before the sunrise at 6:30 to be in place for some photography, and make some lemonade out of those unintended lemons.

   Of course we did No. 3, and, while Mayre waited in the car, I went out into the darkened Village area and then out on the Pier to catch all the light before the sun came up.

   So, here is what was out there waiting for me this morning:

   A store waiting to open

   The lighthouse against a gradually lightened sky

   A shrimp boat coming after a night on the water

   Two blackbirds (one of which is having a spirited conversation), the other?

   Moments before the sunrise

   The pier area in the early light

   No regrets about that Lemonade, it was a fun time....

   And we still had time to get to the tire store, go eat breakfast, go to the drugstore, and the grocery and be back home before 10AM.

   What a Day

 

Four "Rights"

   My rights are the most important thing. Is that the attitude that Jesus is asking His disciples to have as they go through life?

   Consider these verses from Matthew 5 in the Living Bible:

“The law of Moses says, ‘If a man gouges out another’s eye, he must pay with his own eye. If a tooth gets knocked out, knock out the tooth of the one who did it. But I say: Don’t resist violence! If you are slapped on one cheek, turn the other too. If you are ordered to court, and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat too. If the military demand that you carry their gear for a mile, carry it two. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow."

   All over the state of Georgia, in every one of the 159 counties, there is a courthouse. These buildings stand as the symbol of governmental authority and the seat of justice for that particular area. They are not there to just look pretty and for me to take pictures of, although I do like to do that, they are working buildings, or have been, and exist to give justice to all.

   Jesus does not say do away with justice, but He does speak about our attitudes as we live our lives.

   Do we look for revenge for something done to us?

   Do we look for ways to strike back?

   Do we look for the easiest or least costly way to get out of an obligation?

   Do we hold onto our stuff so tightly that we can't help?

   Do we take our own personal "rights" so highly that we are aloof to everyone else?

   Are we like the kid in the classroom who refused to sit down when the teacher asked all to take their places at their desks? When she threatened to call in the principal, he reluctantly did so, but still stated that although "he was sitting down, he was still standing on the inside".

   Sure, I have "my rights", but the emphasis on the pronoun in this phrase speaks of the attitude of my heart toward those around me.

   Perhaps "my" rights should be:

   Right motives

   Right attitudes

   Right actions

   Right living, as Jesus would have me do.

The Weight of Words

   The other day when we were in the North Georgia mountains, we paid a visit to the White County Historical Society and their museum in the old courthouse in Cleveland, GA.

   I had read a passage in Matthew 5 that morning, and, as I sat in the old courtroom, I thought of these verses:

“And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong."

   How many times over the years had folks in that part of the state taken an oath "to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help me, God" as they gave testimony in some matter. How many truths, half-truths and downright lies were told in that place, while under that oath?

   Jesus talks about the words that we speak, how our talk should reflect the lifestyle that He wants us to live, how we are to be real, so real, in fact, that others can count on what we say.

   This old courthouse was built in 1859 and used up until 1964. A saying way back in those earlier times was that a "man's word was his bond". You could count on a "yes" being a yes and a "no" no, no frills needed.

   Would that my words would carry the right meaning with no need of an excess of piety.

   An aside: In the early 1960s, there was a trial held in that 2nd story courtroom, a big trial with a lot of spectators lining the walls around the benches. When the folks who worked on the first floor noticed that the floor above was beginning to sag, and after the judge got the people all down to the first floor and out of the building, it was decided that 100 years was long enough, and that the building had served the county well, so that a new one was needed and built.

   Sitting there in that old courtroom and on one of those wooden benches (they looked like pews), I had the feeling that the words spoken there were still hovering in the room. What if those seats could talk? What would they say? Of all the people who had given testimony in those trials, would some of them look back and be proud of what they had said while others would prefer to forget the words they had uttered?

   If furniture can absorb words, maybe the excess of spectators up there was not the only the only weight bending those floor joists.

   I think I will keep my mouth closed whenever possible.

 

 

Quick Update

   I have been out of pocket for these past few days without Internet, but have time to give a clue about what I have been doing out on the road.

The top photo is Pike County, GA

The bottom one is Stephens Co, GA

The quiz is (without looking): Who are these named after?

Hot Dog, I Can Be Legal!

   I (and those who may be reading along) have come to these verses in Matthew 5:

“Remember the Scripture that says, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights’? Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are ‘legal.’ Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you’re responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you’re automatically an adulterer yourself. You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure."

   There is so much talk about divorce, both in and out of the Christian setting, so many statistics, so many different situations, that I really do not want to go there.

   But I do see something in these verses that goes right along with what Jesus has been saying about issues of the heart. Look at these words:

"Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are ‘legal.’

   Selfishness, whim, pretending, going to the core of the issue. And summing up in the last line:

" You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure."

   Legal cover, the letter of the law, but what about the heart?

   How many times have I heard folks say "Show me where in the Bible I can't do that. Sure I know it says Thou shall not kill, but there are no commands about .........".

   It sure looks like the key word in the above statement is "I", and the other key from the verses above is "selfishness". If I really want to do something, and I can cloak my actions in an absence of Biblical authority, I am OK. I can do this.

   But is it "right". Sure I "can", but "should" I?

   How about those verses that talk about "not causing another to stumble" or even "Present your body as a living sacrifice"?

   I need to be careful in using what the Bible does not say in defense of what I want to do.

   "You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure."

Write Your Plans in Pencil

   Several items comprise my thoughts this morning, and they all seem to involve the word "Planning"

   Let's see: There was the movie on Saturday night
                   There was church yesterday
                   There are the things that I plan to do today
                   There is the short trip I am planning for this week, and
                   There is a longer trip at the last of this summer, so how do they all come together, or do they?

   The movie we went to see, Million Dollar Arm, I liked, but the thing that I thought about most, upon reflecting on the story, concerned the change in the lives of the two Indian boys.

   As they lived their lives, ordinary lives, in India, they had no idea of where they would be in a year or so and how that time would impact their lives for the future. They had no clue. They had plans I guess, plans to do what they were doing for a time, plans to work, maybe plans to marry and have families, plans to live a normal (if that is a correct term in this instance) Indian life.

   But then, over in the US, a man concocted a plan that concerned boys in India, baseball, and a way to get his company back in the black. No one knew how all that would work together. No one knew how it would work itself out, much less who would be affected, especially those 2 boys.

   Then in church yesterday, I heard about a couple who belonged to our body, a man and wife living through a hard time. At the end of her pregnancy, as she went to get the final check up before delivery, they learned that there was no heartbeat. The little boy had died in the womb, and she had to deliver a stillborn child into the world. How incredibly hard that must have been for both of them.

   They had plans, I know, and now, what? My heart grieves for them.

   Then there are the puny and insignificant things that I plan for today, and this week, and this year. I know I need to plan ahead, but I don't know the events in the world that will affect any of them.

   God knows, and I have no control.

   I write that, and know that the answer to all that uncertainty I have talked about in the previous paragraphs is right there.

   God knows the past, the present and the future, and He cares.

   I have to plan. I need to have things in place to get things accomplished, but the culmination to those plans are not in my hands. They need to be written on disposable paper, maybe even in invisible ink. Their fruition is not in my control, for today, not for this week, or for farther out there.

   How simple is it to live in the easy and good and be thankful for "Thy will be done"?

   How difficult to live in the hard and wonder about "Thy will be done"?

   The implications of this prayer are huge. I will pray it, but the question is, How will I live it?

   If my plans fly away, will my contentment also?

The President and Me

   After Jesus goes into all that about killing, saying to those gathered around him on that hillside that they (and us) could kill with words and in our hearts, and break that 6th commandment, he continues on to the 7th thusly: (in Matthew 5:27-30 MSG)

“The laws of Moses said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say: Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even if it is your best eye!—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. Better for part of you to be destroyed than for all of you to be cast into hell. And if your hand—even your right hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Better that than find yourself in hell."

   I remember when President Jimmy Carter got himself into a heap of trouble when he talked about lust in his life. People laughed at him, almost as if they were saying that, "that is not such a big deal, everyone does that, it is not so bad, don't worry yourself (and us) about that."

   How about the next commandments, stealing, lying, coveting (being envious)?

   Can I use my dark sunglasses on the beach and not let people know that I am looking at those pretty girls lustfully? Can I use my pious looking demeanor to keep folks from seeing my thoughts of or even actions of stealing, lying or envy?

  How much do I really take these words of Jesus seriously?

   I'm afraid that I break the laws of God each and every day, in many ways.

   People mocked Jesus, they also mocked the President, how much do I mock God himself when I say:

   "Everybody does that, it is not really so bad"

   Is that what Jesus says, or just my excuse?

   And I won't even go into the "gouge out your eye or cut off your hand" thing. Now that is serious.

Do It Now, Not Later

   The next verses in our Sermon on the Mount study are in Matthew 5: 23-24. Reading them in the Living Bible:

“So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and suddenly remember that a friend has something against you, ²⁴ leave your sacrifice there beside the altar and go and apologize and be reconciled to him, and then come and offer your sacrifice to God."

   I searched through a lot of translations to find the one that I thought expressed it the way I was feeling this morning. That is not to say that I wanted to find one that made it easier on me to think about or live out, but one that expressed its truth in my life.

   The gist of the verses seem to be that I need to make things right with anyone that I have wronged, not just anyone that thinks bad thoughts about me. That it is wrong for me to just go blithely on, looking good, making the right advances toward God, being in the right places, smiling and acting if I am the perfect husband, father, co-worker, church member, whatever my role is.

   And I need to make things right in order that my offerings to God of time, talent or money are acceptable to Him.

   All over our island right now, there is campaigning for an election. There are signs urging people to vote for this or that party or person. There are pictures in the paper every day of men and women smiling for the cameras and looking good, so the voters will be impressed enough to vote their way.

   I can act the same way, smiling my way through life without any regard for persons that I have wronged in my life. The verses above show that I am the one that needs to apologize and reconcile for something done to another. It is my responsibility, not to look good, but to be that way.

   The hard part is looking back over the years and remembering those things that need to be apologized for. For too many it is impossible because the wronged parties are no longer here. God can and does forgive, but it's difficult to bring closure to a memory without the forgiveness of the other party.

   So, is there a solution to this problem? Can I change the past? No.

   Can I do something in the present to prevent things from becoming regrets?

   I can keep short accounts with God and with others. I can apologize in the present, not letting years pass and hoping that the wrong action or word will just fade away. I can seek forgiveness from both.

   I can see to it that my offerings to God are acceptable, because I have not shirked my responsibility to my fellow man.

Thoughts and Words

   Matthew 5:21-22 (MSG)

 “You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill."

   And in NKJV

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,^[a] and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause^[b] shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."

   The letter of the law in Exodus is, of course, Do not commit murder, do not kill", but Jesus takes the commandment and makes it a heart issue also, not just an act of the body.

   Words: We are surrounded by words, spoken, written, tweeted, emailed, yelled and just thought. I hear so many, used in so many different ways, and even talk too much myself sometimes, without realizing the impact. Words crafted to inspire, to degrade, to lift up and to tear down. So many spoken or written without much thought as to their effect.

   But in relation to the thought in the verses above, there are words that kill just like a weapon. Innuendo, character assassination and outright lies. Words that are out there for all to see and hear and tough to take back, even if I wanted to. Words that spew out of our anger, like "idiot", "stupid" or "fool" can kill the spirit and scar a soul.

   Anger gives a hardness to words, and love a softness. How much better a calm response, given in love. How much better to listen to others words instead of talking over them or anxiously waiting to get my thoughts in. How much better to actually care about someone else rather than putting them down or belittling them. How much better to get to know people rather than stereotype them into groups.

   Preach the Gospel always and, if necessary, use words.

   Live out the Gospel every day and watch your words.

   When I do use words, let them be the right ones and delivered in the right way.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable to Thee"

Seeing From My Point Of View

   Sometimes  sit down to read in the mornings, and I just don't see the application, especially when I have an agenda, a certain passage to read, and a wonderment on what it might mean for me, in the time that I live in, and in the situation of my life.

   Today my assignment was Matthew 5: 19-20. In The Message it reads:

“Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom."

   An in the New King James:

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousnessof the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

   I read, and I wonder "how does that relate to my life?"

   "One of the least of these", even the smallest one is important.

   On my outdoor jaunt this morning I spotted a couple of things: One was a pond turtle on the cart path. I could see where he had come up from his water home, leaving a trail in the dewy grass, and I watched as he went back, slithering down through the cut grass and then the taller stuff beside the water before he glided back in.

   I got to thinking about what he saw from his ground view. His vision was limited for sure, but he made it back to where he came from.

   Then I looked up and caught this in my sight:

   An osprey on the wing, moving somewhere or looking for something. His view was much more expansive than the turtle.

   Wherever God has me at the moment affects my view. Ground level or up above, the surroundings are the same, but the viewpoint is different. I may not be able to change those surroundings, but I can take the time to look.

   And what do I see?

   All of God's Word is important. There is nothing trivial or small in there. I may not understand its relevance for my life on any particular day, but I trust that it is there for me when I need it.

   A big picture view like the osprey, or ground level like the turtle.

   The key is opening the eyes and looking.

Can I Live by the Sermon on the Mount?

   I admit I struggled with this passage this morning. Matthew 5:17-18 (MSG):

“Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working."

   And here in the NKJV:

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." 

   It seems I can get the overall gist of the passage, that God's Law is still in effect and will last forever, but how do I live it out on a daily basis?

   Just a few verses down in this same chapter, Jesus talks about two of the ten Commandments and gives new meaning to the literal explanation of each.

   There are lots of commandments and laws in the Old Testament, from the "Big Ten" down to dietary laws, health issues, serving in the tabernacle, etc.

   Then Jesus brings all of the commandments down to just two, Love God and Love Your Neighbor, everything stems from that Great Commandment. Sounds easy enough on the surface, but when I begin to ponder what all that entails, I am amazed at the ramifications of those 6 words.

   How I live my life today, not only affects my relationships in the present but will keep on for years to come. I can get my mind around that statement, but it will take more time to reflect on all the other things included in the Torah.

   I have heard people state that they will live by the Sermon on the Mount.

   An admirable thought, perhaps, but do they really understand all that is in these 3 chapter? I sure don't, and I'm not even through the first chapter.

   (Written on the journey to attempt understanding, with God's help.)

 

Right Light

   When I read the verses in Matthew 5 this morning, and its references to Light, there is not any question in my mind as to the image that be my focus. I look in my photo file and find over 90 images of lighthouses, and most of them are the same building, our own lighthouse on St. Simons. It seems that every time we go down to the Village area, that tall beacon just thrusts its image into our consciousness as it looms over the whole surrounding landscape. Be it morning, noon, or night, it is there. If I go to take pictures of a sunrise, it is there and calls out to me. It is the same for playground pictures, or beach pictures, or sunsets, or anything, I can't seem to ever go to that area without coming  back with some "light" images.

   One of my favorites, for sure, but there are many "favorites:

   The function of lighthouses is to assure safe passages to ships coming to harbor, and Christians should have the same effect. Matthew 5: 14-16 in The Message:

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."

   Some lighthouses do not have a working light, one that still shines in its original purpose. Once there was help there, but now it is just a tall structure, a relic of the past.

   God says that a Christian's purpose is to be light-bearers, and all people bear some kind of light.

   I want to bear the right kind of light, a helping and loving light, and He says that I am blessed when I do.

   And I want to be blessed and to hear that "well done".



 

A God Flavored Creation

   Before I went to walk this morning, I read the next verse in Matthew 5, the one I would focus on today. From The Message, verse 13:

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage."

   And from the New King James, same verse:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."

   And then I thought about those words as I walked along the path. And the question:

   What is the role of the Christian in the world today? To be salt, and what does salt do?

   According to the verse in The Message, it brings out the God-flavors of this earth.

   So as I walked, I stopped and talked to three people, an ex-neighbor, a friend and a lady with a hurt dog. In my mind I could see how I could be salt to each of those, just by stopping to talk, treating them as important enough to have a conversation, and not just keeping on with my walking.

   But was there more to the time spent out there? What else did I see or hear that spoke of the God-flavors of my world?

   Well, there was a turkey buzzard sitting by the cart path, one who flew away as I approached. There was that turtle, one of the type that inhabit the ponds on the course. He was on dry land, heading south, evidently moving his habitat from the pond on #4 back to the one on #3, slowly but surely, and then the rabbit eating the new grass beside the marsh.

   Now no one was in earshot so I talked to each of these, asking about their day, what they were about, and, in the case of the turtle, why he was moving, especially when it took such effort and such a long time.

   I thought back to the story of St. Francis, who, according to legend, preached to the animals as they gathered around him and gave him their attention.

   Then I wondered about those creatures. They didn't talk back to me, they gave no indication that they even heard my low voice, did they think about me at all?

   Francis would have said, and maybe did, that we should respect all the creation of God. People, animals and all the plant life as well. He was an ecological monk for sure.

   Respect the creation and worship the Creator

   And forget about the guy talking to the turtle.

   Probably a lot of chuckles among the turtles in pond #3, when they heard that story.

   Funny Farm material.....

Rights and Wrongs

   Matthew 5:11-12 (The Message):

“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

   Matthew 5: 11-12 (New KIng James)

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

   I note that these verses do not just say we are blessed when we are called out for wrongs, only for those that are actually lies. There is no "blessed" in being put down for actually doing wrong, only for right actions that are falsely classified as wrong.

   May I do the right things without fear of other's speaking against me. Let me do right and receive the applause of the "Only One Who Matters"

   A short thought for today, but one that I need

 

Problem or Solution?

 
   There are tags attached to furniture that look like this:

   "Except by Consumer".

   I am the one who is reading these verses today, so I am the consumer in this case. How does this verse below speak to me?

   Matthew 5:10 (The Message):

“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom."

   Matthew 5:10 (New King James):

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

   Definition of the word "persecution": What does it mean to persecute?

"to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religion, race, or beliefs;harass persistently."

   Is that me? Even though the idea of the Beatitudes is to show how the blessings of God fall to those who are true to His Word, I have to look at myself on both sides of that word. Am I persecuted, and/or do I persecute?

   I have to admit, that when I read these verses, I did not even think of myself as being one who might persecute others, but I realize that it can be true. In Christian circles, I read of believers who are killed for their faith, but Christians can be unChrist like in their attitudes and words toward others who are different. I can put them down and treat them as inferior and be guilty of this action against them.

   While I want to emphasize the joy of being blessed by God, as shown in these verses at the beginning of Matthew 5, I have to realize that the inverse of the word "blessed" can also apply. I sure do not want to be "cursed" for being in the camp of the persecutors.

   I got a note the other day from a reader of this blog, criticizing me for being so hard on myself, but I often feel that God speaks in my life to show me areas that are not pleasing to Him. Not that He is always looking to zap me, but because He knows that the blessings he offers for right living are so much better.

   So, although I can see other ways to think on this Beatitude, like why I am not persecuted, or how I can be a persecuted person while living here in America, I can also see why God might speak to me in this opposite mode. Kind of like getting the log out of my own eye, before thinking of the speck in others.

   Not self degradation, but self examination, and seeing truth.

   And wanting to be a part of the solution, not part of the problem.

How About It?

   Matthew 5:9 (The Message):

“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family."

   Same verse (New King James):

"Blessed are the peacemakers,
    For they shall be called sons of God."

   Peacemakers, not just be peaceful, but make peace. There is an active ingredient here, not just a passive one.

   On the surface, this seems a logical and easily understood task, but it is hard to get my mind around it. Being peaceful is easier, just don't cause conflict myself and encourage others to live peaceful lives also. But there must be more than that.

   I looked up peacemaker on Google and got all kinds of hits for this word:

   Jimmy Carter and his efforts for peace..

   A movie The Peacemaker, which looks kinda violent..

   An online school that teaches conflict resolution..

   A game called Peacemaker which puts players in roles to help the process..

   Even a pistol, referred to as the peacemaker..

   But where do I fit in? What does God call me to do?

   Carry a gun and step in with a "peace or else" mandate?

   How about being aware of where I have opportunities to serve, at home, at church, in the condo complex, in the community and being a voice of reason there?

   How about trying to see both sides (or more) of an issue before jumping in?

   How about being part of a solution instead of part of the problem?

   How about listening to God's voice and going from there?

   How about it?

The Correct Order of Things

   Matthew 5:8 (NKJV):

"Blessed are the pure in heart,
    For they shall see God."

   Matthew 5:8 (The Message)?

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world."

   Where do I go with this passage today?

   I ran across this on one of my rabbit trails this morning. Since I have been using St. Francis of Assisi, his actions and words to shepherd my thoughts through these Sermon on the Mount chapters in Matthew's Gospel, I looked up this verse on Google with his name attached to the search.

   After reading down through a long list of things out in the world that can take my heart away from being pure and holy, there were these lines, written as a prayer: (not by Francis but another)

"That others may be esteemed more than I,


Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.That in the opinion of the world, others
may increase, and I may decrease,...


Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.That others may be chosen and I set aside,


Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.That others may be praised and I unnoticed,


Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.That Others may be preferred to me in everything,


Jesus grant me the grace to desire it.That others may become holier than I, provided
that I may become as holy as I should."


Jesus grant me the grace to desire it."
   In my desire to be holy, do I just concentrate on myself or is there more?

   Others, the more important ones.

   The path to purity of heart leads through the land that others occupy and is evidenced by my attitudes toward them.

   Jesus first, Others second, then me......