In Each Case – The Eighth Beatitude

Posted on March 9, 2016 | Leave a comment

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

Ponderings:
Recognizing that people could be persecuted because they pursue righteousness is hard to bring to a daily level for me. I need some definition.
• pur·sue seems pretty positive – to follow (someone or something)…: follow, run after, chase…
• per·se·cute seems pretty negative – to subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of…religious beliefs; oppress, abuse, victimize…torment, torture; martyr…

Those are dictionary definitions but here’s a third word I checked too. The surprise for me was that the Greek word the Bible translates as persecuted [#1377 diṓkō] included both those definitions I looked up. Strong’s Greek Concordance says:
• used positively (“earnestly pursue”)
• used negatively(“zealously persecute, hunt down”).
• In each case, 1377 (diṓkō) means “pursue with all haste (“chasing” after), earnestly desiring to overtake (apprehend).”

It was that word diṓkō and that last point, that brought the fullness of Jesus words into perspective for me. Life is both positive and negative.

…When the negative side is circumstances, events and people that “pursue with all haste (“chasing” after), earnestly desiring to overtake (apprehend)” and persecute you…
OR
…When the positive side is that you continue to “pursue with all haste (“chasing” after), earnestly desiring to overtake (apprehend)” righteousness.

In Each Case there is a promised blessing – the kingdom of heaven.

Leave a comment

Posted in Lent, Matthew

Tagged , , ,

Beyond Just Fixing – The Seventh Beatitude

Posted on March 6, 2016 | Leave a comment

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

Ponderings:
Wanting everything to be fixed is not the same as being a peacemaker. I wish that were all it took.

Jesus is acknowledging there are some of his children who are gifted Beyond Just Fixing. They are peacemakers. They are able to create a unique connection between God and a world where separating one person’s truth from another’s has become the essence of conflict.

The peacemaker’s gift is not the ability to provide therapy, preaching or give good advice. They are able to create an opportunity for those in conflict to explore the reality of truth as God means it to be: a path to unity not separation.

Leave a comment

Posted in Lent, Matthew

Tagged , ,

One Pebble Closer – The Sixth Beatitude

Posted on March 2, 2016 | Leave a comment

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

Ponderings:
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about hearts and how God changes them. That’s what led me again to Ezekiel 36:26 & 27 – “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.Pebble jar

I think Ezekiel’s words are what Jesus is honoring with this Beatitude. Purity of heart is a slow but sure promise of the power God and the life of Jesus to chisel away at a stoney heart, pebble by pebble, and replace it with life and his Spirit.

Consider this idea. Find a lovely glass jar you’d be comfortable to have in a prominent place in your home. Either buy or gather a supply of small pebbles to have on hand. Every time you feel God tug at your heart, put another pebble in that jar. It may or may not be a big event but it’s an important one to remember; another pebble has fallen loose.

God is at work changing your heart from stone to flesh and you’re One Pebble Closer to purity and the blessing of seeing the reality of God.

Leave a comment

Posted in Lent, Matthew, Wednesday

Tagged , ,

The Perfected Golden Rule – The Fifth Beatitude

Posted on February 28, 2016 | Leave a comment

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

Ponderings:
Mer·cy – noun
• compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.
• synonyms: leniency, clemency, compassion, grace, pity, charity, forgiveness, forbearance, quarter, humanity.

This be-attitude made me think first of the Golden rule. Then it dawned on me the Golden rule is more about personally controlling behavior. Do unto others…as you would have them do unto you. Certainly a good thing to practice.

The order of this blessing for these people of mercy is about behavior controlled by The Perfected Golden Rule. It has become “Do unto others…what has been done unto you.”

Leave a comment

Posted in Jesus is there for You, Lent, Matthew, Sunday

Tagged ,

Another Kind of Life – The Fourth Beatitude

Posted on February 24, 2016 | Leave a comment

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Ponderings:
It’s a fact of be-ing that food and water are real physical needs of life the body craves. Our bodies make us very aware of those needs. It was that word “craves” that connected my mind to this blessing this morning. It means to long for, yearn, desire, want, wish or need.

This is Jesus at his best using something as basic and daily as hunger and thirst as images to remind us there’s Another Kind of Life to long for, yearn, desire, want, wish or need – a life of righteousness.

The blessing is two-fold: to crave and to be filled.

Leave a comment

Posted in Lent, Matthew, Object Lesson, Wednesday

Tagged , ,

Be-ing vs Choosing – The Third Beatitude

Posted on February 21, 2016 | Leave a comment

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Ponderings:
An interesting word play occurred to me this morning. Are these Be-Attitudes? All Jesus’ blessings are about “Be-ing vs Choosing.”  Word play is not an indication of lack of seriousness especially when it comes to the Word of God. Quite the contrary, it’s an involved mind challenge to consider a meaning that may be deeper than the mere letters that form this known word – meek.

• Meek – adjective: quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive.
• Synonyms: submissive, yielding, obedient, compliant, tame, biddable, tractable, acquiescent, humble, deferential, timid, unprotesting, unresisting…

The inheritance of land has always been a symbol of security…and power. Way back at the beginning God saw land as a promise and a blessing for his people as he moved them into position to fulfill his plans to make them his heirs on earth.

That’s proved to be tough to work out because “choosing” has become the focus rather than be-ing. That change in focus has resulted in the competition, wars, greed and deceit that plague our world. Jesus says be-ing meek is the answer to the mystery of inheriting this blessing. That’s a mind challenge!

Leave a comment

Posted in Daily Faith, Matthew, Sunday

Tagged , , ,

Unfamiliar Reality

Posted on February 17, 2016 | Leave a comment

The Second Beatitude
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Ponderings:
Mourning exposes a depth of emotions associated with loss that are an Unfamiliar Reality to us. Loss forces us to experience those emotions and at same time admit our coping skills will not comfort us.

This is the reality that Jesus simple words address: mourning releases us from our need to cope with those unbearable circumstances so we are ready for the blessing of comfort.

Leave a comment

Posted in Blessing, Lent, Matthew, Wednesday

Tagged , ,

Fallen Through the Cracks

Posted on February 14, 2016 | Leave a comment

Matthew 5:3 The First Beatitude
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Ponderings:
You’ve probably heard expressions like “high spirited or free spirited. Those expressions describe people whom God has chosen to give personalities that are more demonstrative, more confident of their place in life and are therefore more noticeable.

I doubt you’ve ever even noticed anyone you’d call “poor in spirit.” Maybe that’s why God has chosen this apparently very small group to be His number one focus. He noticed them precisely because their life is not about depending on their own spirit at all. Somehow they’ve Fallen Through the Cracks of praise and attention in our world but  they’ve caught a glimpse of a different kingdom and another Spirit that sustains them.

Leave a comment

Posted in Blessing, Matthew

Tagged , , ,

Out of the Ashes

Posted on February 10, 2016 | Leave a comment

John 12:4 & 5
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.

Ponderings:
Judas—The betrayer who is politically correct…and corrupt. Maybe that’s a new term, “politically corrupt.” Judas—the master of diverting attention away from himself while appearing to be concerned for others. Why would Jesus have chosen him? I started to ask how Judas could have done what he did but came to my senses. Why would Jesus have chosen me? How many times have I said something I thought was truth only to find my ethics were more situational than real?

Judas wasn’t the only disciple confronted with his bad choices and really he was no worse than the others who turned away when the circumstances were tough. But…there is one BIG difference that is the essence of this Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  When reality interrupted the corrupted, the others knew where to turn for restoration. Judas’ faith was in his actions and his choices. He is a sad reminder of the reality sin forces us to deal with: repentance. Even that has critical choices [1] WHAT you repent of…not merely being sorry you were stupid or caught and [2] WHO you repent to.  There is only one who has the power to pick you Out of the Ashes of sin and restore you…Jesus.

Leave a comment

Posted in John, Lent, Wednesday

Tagged , ,

Take the Package Deal

Posted on February 7, 2016 | Leave a comment

I Timothy 1:12-16 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Ponderings
The Apostle said “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.” There’s not one of us who doesn’t want mercy and grace. It reminded me of buying a car in a way.  Features you might want often come packaged together so you can’t just take one, you have to take them all.

You don’t just get mercy and grace as individual features either.  They come packaged “with the faith and love that are in Christ.” They are not meant to excuse our ignorance and unbelief. They give us the courage to admit the power of Christ to recover the destructive effects of our ignorance and unbelief “as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”

Take The Package Deal.

Leave a comment

Posted in 1 Timothy, Reality, Sunday

Tagged ,