Matthew 5:31-34 - DON'T WORRY!

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Our world is typically full of worry. Everyone realizes this. A popular science fiction book, The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy hit this issue right on the head when it said that the guide, for which one of the main characters is a writer, sold so well not so much because of it's content but because it had the words "Don't Panic" prominently displayed in bright letters on its cover. What it lacked in content, it made up for by telling people exactly what they wanted to hear.

Right now, our world is even more full of worry than before. All around us are voices saying not only such personal things as, "What will we eat?" "What will we wear?" or even "Will I have a job tomorrow?" But mixed in there are such dire questions for society as a whole as, "Will our economy collapse?" "Is this another Depression starting?"

Well, truly none of us knows the answer to a single one of those questions. What we do know, though, is that God already knows what we need today. And he already knows what we will need tomorrow. And he has more than enough resources to give those things to us. We all need to take a step back, take our eyes off what our big worries are, and put our eyes on Jesus. We need to not be focused on wringing our hands and thinking worridly, "What are we going to do?" We need to take the long view, take up some confidence and ask, "What does God want me to do?" Let God fill in the everyday details. You focus on where He wants you to go...and let Him worry about getting you what you need to get there.

Challenge for Today: What is your biggest worry right now, the thing you're worried about when truthfully it's not in your control. (I'm sure we've all got at least one. Post it if you're comfortable doing so.) Pray about that, committing it to God's hands, then let go of it. Let Him take care of that, and let that free up your time for doing what He has for you to do today.

Psalms 15:4

I wrote a (very lengthy) entry yesterday about the effects the exaltation of evil people has on society. What, then is the appropriate thing to do?

Only a few chapters later, when the psalmist is listing the qualities of a person who may abide in God’s tabernacle or dwell in His holy hill, one of the things he lists is “In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord,” (Psalms 15:4). Not only does the psalmist reiterate here that we should not show respect to vile people...he actually a positive response. A "thou shalt" to follow the "thou shalt not": we should honor those who fear the lord.

It's much easier to gossip than to spread good news. And it's easier to pick out the bad or annoying aspects of our associates than to find the good ones. We pick apart and tear down. When we should be honoring...but not just honoring anyone. We should go out of our way to honor those who fear the Lord.

You know someone like that. Maybe they are your spiritual mentor, maybe a friend, maybe someone you barely know but you respect the work you know they are doing for the Lord. If no one else, maybe it is your pastor or youth director or Sunday School teacher or someone else in a position of autority in the church. They, more than most, need our encouragement. They have just as many cares and worries as we do personally...and they share in those of the rest of the church, class, or group.

Challenge for Today: Find a person who fears the Lord and find a way to “honor” them today…even a word of encouragement will do. Perhaps you can meet a need you know of theirs. Ask God to bring something to your attention, ask Him to bring to mind the person you need to honor today...and the means by which you should do so.

Psalms 12:8

The wicked prowl on every side, when vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

I’m sure that our culture is not the first to exalt vileness. We may be the first with the communications technology to exalt it in such a widespread and graphic way, but I hardly think that David’s words in Psalms on this subject were prophetic. I believe he was probably speaking to people in his own time, as well as to those in times past and the future…our time…as well. The principle holds true, as it always has.

This is a topic that actually is very hard for me to write about because it’s got a large dose of “look in the mirror” to it, as you’ll see later on. So bear with me if I am, on this point, a pot calling the kettle black. The kettle is still black, regardless the similar hue of the pot.

In a culture where we have everything from TV and movies to video games that glorifies violence, sex, drugs…and every conceivable combination of all three, are we really surprised that our society is becoming more and more degraded?

Think about this for a minute:
Even as recently as a couple of years ago, if you heard that an elderly woman was followed into her garage, brutally beaten, and left injured without assistance - all for the contents of her purse, you might have said, “Wow…I can’t believe that happened! What is this world coming to?” But if that even makes the news today (it did… barely), it’s because it was a slow news day.
Now in order for us to be shocked, we have to hear about a man shooting and killing random people on the freeway (happened in Dallas the day before Christmas Eve) or dressing up as Santa Claus to brutally murder Christmas partygoers (happened in California Christmas Eve). Now things like that we “can’t believe” happened.
The little old lady in her garage?... par for the course; barely even news.

There are two points I’d like to make about this:
First, while it’s important to keep up with current events and to speak out and do something about what you can change, and therefore the news is important…what we are typically fed by the media is not that important kind of news we need. We need to keep abreast of developments in the world, the political stage in terms of how we can take part in that political process, and things of that nature. These things are relevant, and if we stick our head in the sand about them, we are remiss in our duty to be good citizens, and we miss a lot of opportunities to really impact our world for Christ.
However, every grisly detail of a brutal murder that happened half a world away is not something that is relevant. But consider for a minute: If you surf the web for news, do you look for follow-up stories in the latest legislation about to hit your City Council chamber? Or do you search out the much more sensational teenager that went missing while attending a frat party in another state and turned up dead three days later from alcohol poisoning?
Well… the news gives us what we find interesting… The news sells what people will buy. There's no money in an industry that peddles what people need (but don't buy). What’s likely to bring us back to the television station or get another hit on the website is what will be printed and publicized.

Now, take that one step further:
If someone is distraught or feels unloved or is begging for attention…how are they likely to get their 15 minutes of fame? If they’re inclined to look for that? You guessed it… the media. And the more shocking, grisly, or unacceptable the act, the more attention it will get. People know this, and I think this knowledge is partly to blame for the more and more shocking and brutal crimes we see with greater frequency. People want to be remembered, and they feel unimportant; therefore, if they can’t be remembered for something good…well, the worse the better, then! As long as they're not forgotten entirely.

Now… just food for thought: Are we actually making such acts more common by “exalting” these deeds and getting them into the media by being greedy consumers of that sort of news? If we gobbled up stories of charity, hope, or someone helping out instead of destroying their community, would more people make the effort to do so in an effort to be remembered and recognized and feel significant?

Second, in fiction, our society truly has started to exalt some very vile things. And I’m not talking about a little bit of implied sex, a “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a d*mn” by Rhett butler, or even some brutal violence on the part of a villain. Television and movies have, largely just in the past couple of years, started to really use evil characters as sympathetic protagonists...people the audience is meant to identify with and feel, well, good about to some degree.

I’m not talking about your shady “antihero”, either. I’m not talking about someone like Batman that may use questionable means for honorable ends. I’m not talking about your Hannibal Lecter who's an evil character and, actually, the villain in the story, though he’s portrayed as having a very cultured, polite manner…almost the kind of badguy you’re “like to meet”…but he’s still clearly BAD.

I’m talking about the fact that the evil characters are portrayed in many recent works as protagonists, and that they are not just the “lesser of two evils so by default the good guy"…they are often the worst, most morally deficient, person in the whole cast of characters. And yet they are the “hero” of the story. Examples of what I am talking about are the television show Dexter, currently on Showtime (but now between seasons) that uses a serial killer who takes justice (his own extremely twisted brand) into his hands to do what the cops can’t because of their respect for the law…never mind that he is a cop at his day job.

Or movies like Sweeney Todd. Now, I must admit, I greatly enjoyed Sweeney Todd. The story was well-written and the musical performances were phenomenal, but it does not say very good things about our society that a blood-covered movie with a mass murderer as its protagonist can turn a profit. (Even previous versions of the same tale were much more tame and less graphic.)

Challenge for Today (Choose one):
1. Go for a day, tomorrow (no fair cheating and only doing this for the last 4 hours left in today or something...try it ALL DAY), without watching shows or movies or listening to music or reading books that glorify vile people or a vile lifestyle. I think you'll be surprised to notice how much you end up having to "leave out"...unless you are very discriminating already in what you watch!
2. Again, just for tomorrow, don’t forward any sensational “gross me out” and "shock me" types of news stories or chat about them or use them as dinner conversation.

Once you try this for a day, consider...should you be doing it on a long-term basis? Cutting out the "junk food" in your mental diet?

If you don't mind, share what you had to cut out of your watching/reading/listening habits. Or how many times you started to hit forward or opened your mouth to say, "Did you hear about that psychopath that..." Just the number of times...no need to use this list as an outlet to talk about "here's what I didn't talk about but was really itching to shock someone with!" Hah!

Psalms 84:10

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

For those of you who have been following this blog and know that I was reading through Psalms...no, I haven't gotten all the way to number 84 yet. This was just something that came to me last night. I was in choir practice (my first time back after...well, more than a year...maybe two), and the director was talking about worship and the presence of God and how we could lead the church and mentioned that we should all be doorkeepers. And I was really trying to figure out why we needed so many greeters at the church (because we have alot of voices in the choir) and why we would all need to do that practical service. It shows you how my head was not really in the game that I didn't realize he was talking about this verse...and not literal doorkeepers...until he quoted part of the rest of the verse. Then, I kicked myself for the misinterpretation.

But then I got to really thinking about it. I know the intent of the verse is that we would rather have even the most humble place in God's kingdom than a high and proud place outside it. But there can be something else we should take from this verse, as well. Maybe doorkeeper, though a lowly position in ancient times, is not such a bad place to be. After all, the doorkeepers of today, the greeters at our church, are the first face someone sees when they arrive. They have the privilege to usher people into the house of God. They have the responsibility to be a positive representation of Christianity. Shouldn't we all, who would prefer to be doorkeepers in the Kingdom, be doing the same thing? Every day, we should be ushering our friends, our relatives, our co-workers, and our accquaintances into the presence of God. That can be an encouragement to a Christian friend, bringing them back to a knowledge of His presence in their lives. Or it can be a shared testimony with someone who is not a believer. Or it can be the way we live our lives, in a manner that makes the unbeliever say "what's different about that person?"

In one way or another, we ought to be holding the door open and inviting people to come in.

Challenge for Today: Do something to bring someone else closer to God today.

THIS IS A TEST - ONLY A TEST

I'm testing to see if the blog "feed" is working now. If it is, this should send you an email that "there's a new post" available if you are "following" the blog. If it does, please come and reply on the comments that it did in fact send the email. If not, I'm going back to the drawing board.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

As the New Year starts, we often feel a spirit of lightheartedness or that a weight has been lifted. Things feel new, and possibilities feel fresh. Many of us make New Year's Resolutions. For myself personally, last year I had five and I went five-for-five (that is, on ones I didn't accomplish). Yet this year, as I sat down to write a couple, I'm hopeful and expectant that they will be accomplished.

I just marvelled at how different things were on the first day back to work in the "New Year" compared to the last days of work in the old. Nothing actually "changed". The same work is still there, with the same hours, tasks, people, computer systems, and pay. But because my attitude had changed, everything seemed different.

It's remarkable what effect something simply being "new" can have on us. A "new" year means we'll do better at fending off our old habits (even if we haven't in the past year). "New" clothes make us feel pretty, even though we are the same person as before.

The "New" year is a pretty good feeling. The high that it brings and the optimism is something that is unmatched during the rest of the year. We live more resolutely, more purposefully, and more conscious of our time and our habits.

God's word says His compassions are NEW every morning.

Yesterday you messed up? Well, don't dwell on it. Put that failure aside and start again at it new, with God's help. Let His compassion cover over whatever it is you've done yesterday or in the past, and open your eyes to look for what He has for you today.

God has new compassion for us every day. Because of Him, we can have that high that comes with the "new" year every day. This year, don't live the first couple of weeks like it's new and then the rest like it's the same old drudgery. Keep that optimism and hopefulness of the new year throughout the whole year. And refresh it every morning by remembering this "THIS is the day that the Lord has made"...and that His compassion for you this morning is the same in intensity as it was yesterday, no matter what you've done. But it's not the SAME compassion...it's brand new compassion, just for today!

Happy New Year!
(And a Happy New Day!)

Challenge for Today: Consider the compassion God has for you. Not the compassion God "has had on you" in the past...but the compassion He has for you today. For just a few minutes, consider thoughtfully and deliberately what we all learned in a song as children: "Jesus loves me." And then keep that thought with you for the rest of the day from time to time.

Psalms 8:3-4

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

It is always humbling when I come to this verse. The world is so big and so vast...and yet so detailed and intricate. And in all that, God knows me. God sent his Son to save me. The same as He knows you and sent his Son to save you. But were one of us the only human at all, He would still have done the same.

Then consider that He knows you and regards you not only in terms of the work of salvation, but He knows and cares...yes, actually, cares...about your everyday life. How awesome is that?

Challenge for Today: If you live somewhere where you can see stars, step outside tonight and take a look. Do this by yourself. And while you're there, consider how many there are, how you can't possibly count them, and God knows each one. But He also knows you, though you are so small looking up at them. If you live in a city or somewhere else with enough light pollution that you either can't see stars at all or can only see the brightest, then find something else that evokes wonder in God's nature and consider it. (If the issue is just clouds, though...wait until a clear night. There is nothing quite like the stars.) And consider that, unless you live in a cabin in the woods or a mountaintop in Hawaii, you probably can't even see all the stars that the Psalmist was considering when he wrote this Psalm. There are very few places left where you can!

Short Break

All,

Sorry that I haven't posted much the last few days. I was sick Monday. (Sick to my stomach, then ended up sleeping all day until about 5 in the afternoon. I don't usually get THAT sick. I think it was food poisoning.)

Then this week, I've been working late to try and make up some hours and not go without pay for some of the week. :)

And...this is the big one. We've just moved, which is great. But my husband's family will be over for Christmas Eve, then my family will be over on Christmas Day. (Everyone wants to see the new place, of course!) So I've got to unpack the 100+ boxes that are in the living room and garage by then. So... I'll probably not write again until after this Christmas frenzy unless something pressing presents itself.

Thanks! And have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!

Psalms 4:5-6

Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord. Many are asking, "Who can show us any good?"

I have started reading through the Psalms, as much or as little a day as necessary to be able to internalize what the verses say and make it applicable to my own life. A couple of days ago, I ran across this verse, and God just really laid on my heart that it is something we need to consider as Christians. The first part of the verse says "Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord". A clear command. Then the second, which I believe is just a continuation of the same basic train of thought, says that many are asking "Who can show us any good?"

I don't think the person making the sacrifices and trusting in the Lord is the one asking "Who can show us any good?" And I certainly don't think it is saying offer sacrifices and trust so God will show you some good. I think the verse is saying that there area many people out there who are searching for something. They're looking for "good" in two ways that our sacrifices and trust can fulfill.

First, people are looking for someone...anyone...who will do something good for them, help them out of their troubles or perhaps a desperate situation that they are in, be a friend to them, or just generally treat them with some respect and dignity and go out of the way to care about them. When we make a sacrifice for God's kingdom, whether it is a monetary offering to a church or charity, a donation to a family in need, the sacrifice of our time in some kind of service to church or community... we are touching those people. You truly have no idea whether something that seems small to you actually has a very large impact on someone else. That is where the trust comes in. When God lays it on your heart to make a sacrifice, large or small, then you trust that that sacrifice will end up bringing glory to His kingdom and bringing others to Him. You put the sacrifice out there...He's the one responsible for the results.

Second, I think that people are, in general, looking around to see "good" people. "Who can show us any good?" they say. When our leaders are corrupt, our justice systemoften fails to do its job due to technicalities, and there are all sorts of atrocities being committed here and abroad that seem completely senseless, then people tend to look and say there just plain IS no good. People are evil, and that's just how it is. In addition, they often look at Christians, who are supposed to be "good", and see us doing the same things as everyone else, and they think if they "religious people" behave that way, then what is the point of religion. But, really, people do look around looking for a "good" person, and that good person need to be you and me. That's what we are supposed to be doing!

Last, a comment from popular culture. I was thinking this over and deciding what exactly to say the other night, and The Night Before Christmas came on TV. You know...the old cartoon with the mice and the clockmaker. And they sang the cute song that I had never really even paid attention to before. (It is, after all, singing mice...) The chorus says, "Even a miracle needs a hand."

Well, I don't think God "needs a hand" to get His miracles done. I'm not saying that at all. God can do a miracle whenever He feels like it. But sometimes He calls you and I to help. I don't think for an instant that's because He needs our help. I think it is because, as a loving God, He gives us the opportunity to help. He allows us to partner with Him to bring about the result of a miracle. He uses our "hands" to deliver a miracle to someone else. I think if we are unwilling or too busy, He raises up someone else to that job, but what a blessing we miss out on if that is the case! I certainly don't want to miss out...though I'm sure I often have just by not looking and listening and being willing.

Challenge for Today: Look around for where God wants you to impact someone else...in a large or small way...and act on it.

Matthew 5:10-12

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
We are blessed to live in a country where we don't go through the horrors of physical persecution every day. We can worship without fear of being hauled to jail, tortured, or even beaten or killed outside the law by followers of other religions. Christians in places like China and India face those possibilities every day. In many African nations like Somalia, it's the same. The laws either condone persecution, outlaw Christianity, or the authorities are simply too weak to enforce laws that protect various faiths.

However, we are not without persecution in the United States. I would never say that our situation even comes close to comparing to that faced by other believers throughout the world. However, verse 11 of this passage speaks loudly to us. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me."

It is frustrating to see in the media, in movies, on talk shows, and in all manner of public culture that Christians are portrayed as being close-minded, backward, even evil (as in the case of the religious fanatic mother in movies like Carrie...and that's not the only movie where that type of character appears). Or on talk shows, if a Christian speaks out in the audience defending the Bible, Biblical principles, the rights of Christians to show their faith in public, they are often shouted down by the very people who espouse the idea of religious freedom...for everything except Christianity. (And sometimes Judaism is thrown into the "intolerant" mix, as well, by those who advocate loudly for religious freedom.)

I am continually amazed that people will talk about the right to "believe whatever you want", but then turn and visciously attack the Christian for believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. And then many will go further and say that the Christian is intolerant for saying so or that they are racist or unloving...or any other of a long list of things that Christians are called unfairly. I think that sort of thing is what verse 11 is talking about. Sadly, I think we can expect to see even more of this and to see such opinions coded into law or legislated into "legal" by judges in the very near future. It seems to be the way the world, and especially our country, is headed, but it is to be expected and not a cause for dismay. In fact, if you read on to verse 12, it is a reason for gladness and rejoicing.

Challenge for Today: The challenge is two-fold. First, find a missionary or other Christian in another country that needs your prayers and lift them up. They are being persecuted in ways that we hope never to be.
Second, when someone takes a stab at you for doing something righteous or holding a belief you know is true and not backing down from it, don't be discouraged...and certainly don't be angry with them...but instead be glad. A tall order, I know...but the appropriate response!

Hebrews 13:15

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is , the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

When you give thanks, you are offering a sacrifice of praise to God, according to Hebrews. And it says to do so "continually". As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, let us give thanks...but let us remember to keep that Spirit of Thanksgiving with us even after the turkey's eaten, the game is watched, and we've all returned home or watched our guests leave. Giving thanks shouldn't be a one-day deal, after which we return back to the regular grind of jobs, school, etc and forget that we are thankful.

I'll be away for a few days. Until then, everyone have a great Thanksgiving, safe travels, and remember...most of all...to be truly thankful. We have so much to be thankful for, so take some time to stop and think about it.

Challenge for Today: What are you thankful for?

Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It is probably the first verse I ever memorized, as my parents bought my sister and I a small coat-and-purse rack to hang in our room that had this verse printed on it in decorative letters, along with a picture of two little girls playing together. I think it was my parents' reminder to us to not kill each other in a preschool dispute.

Our world today desperately needs peacemakers. Everywhere we look, people are just looking for an excuse to be angry, it seems. How about being one of the people who diffuses a situation instead of expanding it? (Or, worse, starting it.)

Being a peacemaker doesn't mean just breaking up a fight, either. It doesn't mean temporarily getting people to settle down. It means helping to resolve the issues that caused the problem in the first place. This starts by ending any immediate fight or yelling match that's going on, but it continues by helping the two parties to come to terms and smooth the situation over.

We can first look at where we're not being peaceful people. But this verse extends far beyond that. It doesn't just say that people who have peace and who are peaceful are blessed. It says those who actively MAKE peace...those who foster an environment of peace around them. Let's be that kind of people.

Challenge for Today: Look around you for a situation where there is a lack of peace between two people. If it's that you need to go make peace with someone in your family or workplace or circle of friends, that's the first priority. But many of us already heed the words to "be reconciled to your brother". Today, turn your attention outward and look for situations around you where you can help people come to a peaceful solution or diffuse the problems in a relationship that's going sour. Maybe it's in the conference room at work where things are getting heated and you can be a voice of reason. Or maybe you have the privilege of counseling a friend who is hurting and having troubles with their own family. Urge them towards peace.

Are We Praying? - We Should Be

I decided to take a detour from the Beatitudes today. Don't worry, we'll get back to them. But this was just laid on my heart, and I wanted to speak about it while it is fresh and relevant.

Consider this verse, one that most of us know well (at least the second portion of the passage):

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14 NIV).

Now think about our nation's situation. We may not have plagues of locusts at our door or a drought across the entire land (though some portions of the country have certainly felt that pain), but our nation is about to go through a lean and dry time financially. It has, in fact, already started. We are hurting, and the downturn in the financial markets, the mortgage crisis, the possible failure of the large car manufacturers, and the failure of myriad other small businesses casts a shadow on us. Other problems are likely looming on the horizon, as well, in this regard.

Read that verse again now. It says "If my people, who are called by my name," will pray, seek God's face, and turn from our wicked ways...then the land will be healed. It doesn't say if everyone in the nation converts (though we should certainly be evangelizing as part of that seeking God's face). It doesn't say if they leaders get things right. And it doesn't say if everyone will pray. It says if my people will pray.

Are we praying? Do we care if our land is fixed? (Surely we all do.) Then why aren't we praying, seeking, and turning?

Challenge for today: Pray. Pray for our nation. Pray that you know how to seek God's face, and take one step to seek Him today. Pray that He shows you anything that you need to turn from...and make a 180-degree. Don't think about turning tomorrow or consider if you really need to turn from it. If there is something that you need to make a break with, a known sin, something that God lays on your heart while you are praying and seeking Him, run from it. And then KEEP PRAYING.

Matthew 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

What does it mean to be "pure in heart"?

I pondered this for a long time. It doesn't mean being "pure"...because why add the "in heart". But does that "in heart" mean you keep your heart pure? Or that you're trying to be pure? (Much like old people can be "young at heart", but they are not physically young?) Or does it mean having a higher standard of purity...not just outward doing what is right, but actually meaning it and having that come from your heart? What exactly does it mean?

We've all heard this verse many times, and we all apparently just take it for granted that we know what the words "pure in heart" mean and how to apply them. But as I tried to think of something to write, I found that I really don't know what the phrase means. I can intuitively take a guess at what it means, and that's probably pretty close to the mark. I looked it up in other translations, and all the major translations (not paraphrases) use the exact same phrase, so apparently it's supposed to be self-explanatory.

Well...it is. I can tell you that "pure in heart" means just what it says...and we ought to just know what it means. But I certainly can't explain it to anyone else...so while it may be self-explanatory...it is not easily explained.

Anyone care to take a stab at defining the meaning...or even making a reasonable commentary on the subject? I find myself at a loss and invite other readers of the blog to have a try at today's verse. Especially if you have some extra knowledge or schooling that might help. (For example, you can go read it in the Greek and translate it to find out what the phrase means in the original.)

I dislike saying "I don't know..." because I am (but should try not to be) a know-it-all by nature. That's why I've been dragging my feet and not posting...I was trying to think of what to say. But on this one, I have to just say I don't know.

Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

This verse, with its topic of mercy, brings up images of a judge presiding over a trial, passing down a sentence. Every accussed hopes for a merciful judge. And we all, of course, hope for (and are assured of, if we have a personal relationship with Christ) a merciful judgement from God. To show mercy means to not give to someone what is due for their sin or offense.

We may be tempted, because the majority of us are not in a position to judge anyone in any legal sense, to think, "When can I ever show mercy?" But we can show mercy every time we do not pay to someone what is due to them for an offense they have made against us.

When someone cuts in front of you on the highway, do you blare your horn at them and perhaps yell at them (maybe even using colorful language that you wouldn't use if anyone else was in the car)? When your spouse forgets it was their night to do the dishes, do you rip into them for it or, worse, give them the cold shoulder?When your best friend gossips about you, do you turn around and gossip about them to settle the score?

All of those are very natural, human reactions...but not merciful ones. Mercy would let the offense go, move on, and not seek to make the other person "pay". At the risk of letting you know how country I am, I'll tell you that one of my favorite phrases is "like water off a duck's back". It means when someone does something mean to you...or something bad happens to you...you just let it go. The water just rolls right off, like it would off the water-tight wings of an aquatic bird. I know it's not scripture, and there's probably something more theologically profound that should come to mind, but I think of this phrase often when tempted to respond in a viscious manner to something I perceive as a wrong against me.

Today's Challenge: Find one time when someone offends you. Instead of getting even, making them pay, or crticizing them unkindly, show mercy to them and let the offense go.

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Many of us, when we first became Christians (and again every time we go to a retreat, revival, or some other kind of event that gets us "fired up") instinctively thirst for righteousness. It is a natural response to drawing near to God. We know, somewhere in our souls, that not only is righteousness the RIGHT thing to do, but it is the thing that will, more than anything else, fill up the hollow parts of our life.

I think that in this verse "they will be filled" doesn't just talk about being filled with righteousness, which is what we are to hunger and thirst for, but it means being filled as in having the empty spots within us filled up...to be fulfilled and to be content. To have the spiritual equivalent of the full belly that we all anticipate physically on Thanksgiving Day.

Hungering and thirsting for righteousness leads us to follow God's commands, obey his principles for our life, and in so doing, we will find contentment that the things of this world just can't bring. So often, we hunger for riches, thirst for pleasure, and maybe even hunger and thirst for contentment as an end unto itself. We need to change our perspective to hunger and thirst for righteousness...and let the contentment work itself out as a result.

Challenge for Today: Find one place in your life where you are not seeking a righteous path. It may be your entertainment, the way you conduct your business, a relationship you have, or any number of things; then think of one way you can "seek righteousness" in relation to that.

Election Results - How Do We Respond?

This is a side-item to our regular Bible challenge. I sent this email today to some friends, and I got so much response from it that I thought I should post it here, in case anyone else finds it enlightening or encouraging:

All,

I really felt led to write this and send it out to a few people I knew would appreciate it. I'm sorry that it's wordy.

You all know that my choice for President would not have been Obama. (That's putting it mildly.) But, that is the decision we now have. Now we get to see what "change" means...if it means anything at all.

In all this, I know that many Christians, myself included, were praying for the elections, for our country, for the people voting to be given wisdom...and for the outcome of the election to be something used for God's glory. And we all know that it will be. Regardless of the outcome, there is a purpose to it.

And I just thought that, in the Bible, is says to be obedient to the powers in place in your government, and to respect them, and not to speak evil of them. (And it never says "as long as they are good rulers".) Obviously, there are times when we will need to speak out and speak up on some issues, and that is our right because...technically...each of us voters is "the ruler" of the country in some small measure. And it is our duty because we are Christians and are to do what is right and speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.

But there are other times when we will want to say something bad, something that is not constructive, something that is mocking or rude or even profane, because of how strongly we feel about the candidate chosen. This doesn't come from a legitimate desire to change policy, but just from a desire to vent our frustration and tear someone else down. And I can't really feel that that is right. I think as Christians, we ought not. But that is just my opinion.

I think that, whether we like his policies or not, we now have a President-elect, and there are several ways we can respond to that, such as getting more engaged in the political system and changing it. But there is one major way that we need to respond to that, and that is prayer.

Prayer for our nation. The kind of prayer many times a day, pleading with God to change our country...that we have been doing in the weeks leading up to this election. What will God do if we have that kind of repentence and focus on praying for a change of heart in our nation constantly...not just when an election looms. Many of us will be tempted to say, "Well, now that's done," and quit praying like we were. Don't! Just because the election is over doesn't mean we don't need prayer...we probably need it even more now with the new road our country may find itself on.

Prayer for Obama. (Yes, even if you don't like him personally.) We need to pray that he is prepared, that he makes wise decisions, that he has wise counselors around him to smooth out his inexperience, that God moves his heart to make moral and right decisions, and that he has the strength of character to stand up in the face of crises, international pressures, and domestic deficits.

And if you REALLY don't like him...all the more reason to pray for him, since the Bible says love your enemies and pray for those who spitefully use you. We as Americans need a President (no matter who he is) that is lifted up in prayer, as...like him or not..he's the one going to have to get the job done, and he will not and cannot do it right without some prayer. No one can. We've all stood behind our current, unashamedly Christian, President with prayer, and we need to stand behind the next one with the same prayer.

We don't need to pray that he'll get what he wants done. We don't need to pray that he puts his policies in place. We do need to pray that he has strength, courage, and most of all wisdom!

It's not unrealistic to think that even deep-rooted policies and beliefs will change on his part with enough prayer. He has claimed repeatedly to be a Christian. I don't know the state of his soul, which is between him and God, but I for one want to believe him on that and haven't seen any reason to think otherwise. Some of the things he thinks are misguided, and I think he is decieved on some points, but I don't see any reason to try to judge that he is not a Christian if he says he is. And if he is, then he is open to the moving of the Holy Spirit more than most, if we just pray for that conviction for him.

It's completely not far-fetched to think that, no matter his beliefs and convictions, they can change. I just want to leave you with this one verse to that effect:

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Proverbs 21:1

The surrounding verses nowhere imply that the king, whose heart is in the Lord's hand, is a good king to start with. But that God turns the king's heart as it pleases him. Pray for that kind of turning.

All,

I will resume posting to the blog tomorrow. I apologize for the delay. My internet was cut off by my cable company (by mistake), and it was just restored yesterday, but I was out of town yesterday and haven't gotten to posting today. Thank you for your patience.

Day 3: Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Websters defines the quality of being "meek" as:
1. enduring injury with patience and without resentment :
2 : deficient in spirit and courage :
3 : not violent or strong

Now, the second definition of Webster's "meekness", I think we can reasonably rule out as being interpretted in God's standard as a good thing, since the Bible lumps "cowardly" people into the same category as the "unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars" (Revelation 21:8)...so deficient in courage is NOT the definition of meekness we're after here. I think it has more to do with the other two definitions.

Our society has become obsessively centered on "rights". Many of us insist that our rights not be trod on by anyone else. Of course, there is a problem with this when one person's rights and another person's rights overlap in an antagonistic fashion. Does someone have the "right" not to be offended by someone else's "right" to say what they want and utter a stream of curse-words? We are all obsessed with defending our rights...even from people who are not even necessarily trying to overstep them.

Yet, if we look at the definitions of meekness, it would appear that our approptiate response to such injury is to endure it...and to not resent the person who caused the injury in the first place. And definitely not to take a violent action against such injury.

This can be a particularly tricky area in regards not to strangers are non-believers (from whom we are often willing to take an emotional beating with little or no objection) but when dealing with our own families, loved ones, and fellow Christians. Especially in these relationships, we could use a healthy dose of looking at our responsibilities and focussing on those instead of spending our energy asserting our "rights".

No one's asking us to be a doormat, and the Scripture is full of examples of people who stood up for themselves and, more importantly, for their God when the situation warranted it. But in our me-obsessed society, we seem to believe that these situations where we should stand up for ourselves against someone else's attack are much more common than they actually are. We need to all step back and think before the next time we lash out with a verbally violent attack that leaves the object of our outburst ripped to emotional tatters.

Action for Today: Find one situation today where you perceive that someone else has done you wrong, violated your rights, or mistreated you. Instead of getting upset and stewing about it...or giving them a tongue lashing...or instigating an argument or fight, simply step back and ignore the insult if it is not important. Or carefully speak to that person about the wrong...in terms of love, not attacks...if it is.

Day 2: Matthew 5:4

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."

No one wants to think about mourning. In fact, when I came across this verse, I thought that I really didn't even want to write about mourning. We don't want to be faced with a situation in which mourning is the natural response, because all such situations are, by virtue of what they entail, some of the most unpleasant situations anyone can ever face.

However, someone around you is facing that situation. They may be mourning the loss of a loved one or a friend. Or they may not be mourning the loss of a person...but maybe something else. They may be mourning the loss of a pet. Or maybe the loss of a thing, a position, a relationship, a job. Someone around you is mourning, or maybe you yourself are in the midst of that kind of trial. Whatever the case, this verse offers comfort about one of life's most...comfortless...times.

ACTION: Find someone who is mourning, and pray for that person, for God to give tehm comfort. It may be a family member, accquaintance, or co-worker, and if so, it's even more personal. Maybe it is someone in your church or Bible study group. If you are fortunate enough that no one around you is in a position to be mourning anything, then find someone on your local news and pray for that person. You don't know their whole situation...but God does. And maybe it may not seem personal to you if it's just a face in the news, but it is personal for them, and it is personal for God, and God does not always call us only to pray for or minister to our immediate circle of friends.
If you are yourself in a time of mourning right now, and if you are comfortable sharing that situation, post it here so that others on the blog can pray for you.