The Sermon on the Mount:
These blessed I like better.
Blessed are the:
Poor of spirit (humble) for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
Are those who morn, for they shall be comforted!
Are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth!
Are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be completely satisfied!
Are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!
Are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
Are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!
Are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for there's is the kingdom of heaven!
I am SO sad that I am bloggin from my phone because the song "light of the world" from Godspell needs to inserted here. But I can't do it from here.
Here Jesus tell the followers that he hasn't come to do away with the Law and the Prophets, just come has he, to complete them
5:32 is what Henry the 8th based his argument for wanting to divorce his wife. She was married before to his brother, who died. So technically she was not a divorce woman but he claimed their marriage could not be legit because of that. Of course it wasn't until after he met Anne, that his conscience bothered him.
"Give to him who keeps on begging from you"
Love also 6:1-7 SO much I could say about this and people who go to church in order that they may be seen at church and for NO OTHER reason.
Then there's the Lords Prayer, which for some reason I didn't even think was in the Bible. I thought it was something the Catholics made up?
"Forgive people their trespasses"
"And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure to his stature or to the span of his life"
"So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble"
Love 7:2, 7:8
I must say again how much I am loving these readings. Its like a long how-to book.
How-To be a good person.
I just wish more people who claim to follow it, would.
2 comments:
I agree. Let me first get the Henry VIII out of the way. This is a great example of selective reading. Esp. since we will read in a bit that it is ok to marry a widow. So, like liberation theologists (and many others) he took one little verse and attempted to spin it to fit what he wanted. Anyway, enough of him. Off with his head!
5:17 is where it proves that just because Jesus came to Earth, doesn't make it ok to throw away the entire O.T. Some things have changed, but the N.T. will be very clear (if you read the whole thing) on what has and hasn't changed. Really, the only thing is how you obtain salvation. It is now through Jesus Christ (THE sacrfice) and not through sacrifice and purification rituals. Actually, we'll see that those were never the real point anway. Has always bean faith. So, I guess, in essence, it hasn't really changed.
5:19 is again, very important for many liberation theologists/liberal Christians to read and know. Many nowadays claim (by some unknown authority) that it is ok to do many of the things the Bible clearly says are wrong. i.e. homosexuality, abortion, cross-dressing, violating laws like immigration policies, etc.
6:24 sums up why it is difficult for people to want to be rich and be a Christian. There's nothing wrong with having material wealth, but you must be extremely careful to correctly prioritize. It's easy to lose your focus on serving God if you're constantly focused on making money to buy new things and impress people. It is easier for a camel to go thru the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven....coming soon to a reading near you. People begin trusting in what they have instead of in God. They think they're strength comes from their material wealth.
Forgive so that you can be forgiven. Plant what you wish to reap. If a farmer doesn't plant, then in harvest he will have nothing to reap. You will reap what you sow. If you sow seeds of malice, anger, resentment, slander, unkindness, etc. then that is the harvest that will come back to you ten fold.
And I too, know people who seem to go to church more out of social acceptance or whatever than out of a genuine desire to worship the Lord. I even have family that only attends churches of a certain size/stature because that's where all the "important" people attend. I agree that as Christians (both individually and collectively) we need to take the planks out of our own eye before we get too carried away with offering to remove the speck in others' eyes. That's not a call to sit still, but to motivate. Myself included.
Tomorrow (today) is Luke 7
One more thing about material wealth. When you begin to think you are what you have, then as soon as you don't have it anymore, then what are you?....nothing. If you believe you are what you do, then as soon as you can't do that anymore, then what are you?....nothing. You are what God says you are. Nothing more, and nothing less. You have an intrinsic value that can never change. It's up to you to deposit that value, and therefore your self/soul, into the Bank of Heaven to be redeemed before God and man. Jesus Christ is the gold standard that stands behind that valuation.
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