May 1, 2014 Rejoice!

Rejoice

Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

JESUS reaffirms that we must keep our focus on him. As we call Jesus “Lord” we must be sincere in faith to know he is the one who saves, the one who judges and the one who reigns over all creation. Deciding whether we obey God’s truths based on others’ approval or disapproval, and even based on whether we will live or die, is removing Jesus from our heart’s throne.

     Jesus spoke this rejoicing command to his own people oppressed again and again by other foreign invaders. They even lived in distress under the Pharisees’ over-legalized laws. The entire structure of the society around Jesus was centered on persecution from Rome, Herod and the religious leaders. The Jews’ only response to persecution was to begrudge their destiny as they lived in hopeless despair. How could they rejoice?

     Jesus leads them to find rejoicing in God’s true ways. Further, this rejoicing isn’t mere happiness. “Rejoice” is what you do when your favorite team wins at the last second. You “leap for joy”. The blessing of staying true to God’s true Word goes deep into the heart, mind and soul to leap for joy as you are “exceedingly glad” because you truly are the Lord’s own!

     Joy is a deep inner sense of emotional well-being. Rejoicing amid persecution and even your daily troubles is an extension of that inner joy into an outer expression to the world. Your rejoicing tells the world, “I win!” because the Lord of Life has called you to be h is own.

LIFE Link: Rejoice with a voice of praise to Jesus today.

April 30, 2014 Blessed Persecution

Blessed Persecution

Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

WE really don’t like this beatitude, this blessing, do we? Oh, we can tell one another, “Stand for Jesus no matter what! Rejoice in the ways people ridicule you, hate you, despise you or even try to kill you because God has your back!”

     Those are easy words to say, but we surely have no desire to live them. Think, for example, of how fearful and anxious we become when we want to do something new in Jesus’ church. Persecution surely come if you want to change the music, drop a “program” (a bad word for ministry), paint the walls, discipline an unrepentant member or even teach the truth of the Bible against what people think is the truth.

     No, we really don’t like to be persecuted for Jesus. We reject opportunities to talk to people of Jesus. We stop short of total commitment to a church project when we know some people will not like us for it. We keep our mouths shut, refusing to stand for Jesus because classmates, workmates, and church mates will turn away from us.

     The blessing in persecution comes when we suffer in the name and truth of Jesus. Living for Jesus to the point we’re persecuted for our faith means we get to be with Jesus! We get to have Jesus as our friend. We get to be in love with him. We get to live in the Kingdom of God because we are willing to effectually go to a cross for Jesus’ sake. Jesus did it. As his followers we must be willing to do the same.

LIFE Link: Persecution is temporary. Eternity is eternal.

April 29, 2014 Blessed Peace

Blessed Peace

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

AS I write this, I’m listening to the hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour”. One line is “Temptation loses its power when thou are nigh (you are near)”. And another is, “I come to thee”.

     Temptation caused the first conflict between God’s Word and the mind of mankind when Satan asked Eve, “Did God really say?” (Gen 3:2). Temptation has constantly waged war within our souls since then. We strive for things we should not have, and we even work hard to avoid the things of God we truly need.

     We are tempted to take a nap when we should get up and go. We are tempted to work too much when we should rest. We are tempted to lash back when we should forgive. We are tempted to say, “Not me!” when the Lord calls us to action. We are tempted to avoid a friend who really, really needs a soft heart and a helping hand. We are tempted to tempt others into our own weariness and sin, feeling better when others are in the pit with us.

     Temptation, indeed, has conflict power over our lives. It stirs us against God and against one another. We forget we “need Thee every hour” and “temptation loses its power when thou art nigh” because we want to live life in our own shape and form.

     Are you living with too much conflict? I’m sure you said, “Yes.” because we all are. Turn the confect into peace as you pray for the Spirit to open your mind to trust the Savior’s words. Then go speak this peace to others. Be at peace in your soul. Help others find that peace, too.

LIFE Link: Go to prayer and tell Jesus, “I come to Thee.”

April 28, 2014 Seeing God

Seeing God

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

JESUS’ teaching here is no surprise. Scriptures consistently points to the desire and benefit of a pure heart. For example, God’s Word prays for a pure heart: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10). God’s Word points to the pure heart as the access point to the king: He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.  (Proverbs 22:11). And God’s Word encourages us all to strive for a pure heart: Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)            

     A pure heart is synonymous with holiness—perfection. Pureness is without blemish. Our holy, pure Father in heaven is teaching us through the Son and by the Spirit that we must strive to have holy eyes to see his perfection. We are born with sin’s grime on our eyes, blocking our view of God’s purity. However, our eyes begin to be cleansed as the Spirit awakens us to Jesus’ saving truth. The Gospel of God then becomes our pure cleansing agent to scrub clean our spiritual eyes. And our eyes will open increasingly wide as we wondrously see the love, joy, peace and truth of salvation.  

     This is the blessing for the pure in heart—the promise of eternal life. The blessing grows deeper and wider during our life here on earth as the Gospel cleanses us daily. Live, my friends, with a desire for a pure heart. Pray the psalmist’s prayer and live scrubbed clean in the truths of scripture.

LIFE Link: God’s Word is a great cleaning agent for your eyes.

April 27, 2014 Mercy Blesses

Mercy Blesses

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

WHEN you think of someone who is merciful, who comes to mind? Perhaps Mother Teresa is the 20^th Century’s picture of mercy—one who gave her life entirely to the broken and the poor. Perhaps we think of a clergy person or we think of someone in our family—mothers are often portrayed as merciful.

     Mercy brings to mind gracious and good people. But is there any problem in being merciful? Society, perhaps, would see a problem. For in order to be merciful in the true sense of the word, we must really give up a good deal of ourselves. We must have a heart willing to forgive. We must be inclined to stop what we are doing and adjust our “agenda” to the needs God places in our path. We must actually look for places where we can intervene to demonstrate God’s peace and grace.

Yes, it is interesting how people look upon the merciful. When I have taken time to show mercy to someone who doesn’t really know me, I’m sometimes viewed with suspicion. Sometimes, the person is incredulous that I would want to help. Sometimes they are very appreciative. Those are some reactions mercy invokes—from critical assessment to bounteous gratitude.

But Jesus promises the merciful will be granted mercy from God. As in the other blessings on the Sermon on the Mount, there is a promise from God himself (in the form of Jesus, the Son) that he will reward those who seek after his ways and follow his example.

Demonstrating mercy brings us closer to God. Demonstrating mercy glorifies the merciful God.

LIFE Link: Mercy becomes real when you realize Christ’s mercy poured out for the salvation of all who believe.