True Bread ( Part V)

Hopefully you have benefitted from reading this series as much as I have in writing it. We are coming to the conclusion of chapter 5, the “ Beattitude” chapter. There is so much to be learned from Christ words and the following is no exception.

Matthew 5:33-37 Oaths

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:
Nor by the earth; for it is hisfootstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Matthew 5:38-42 Retaliation

 

Matthew 5:43-48 Enemies

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for I he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

There are many obvious things we can do that does not honor a profession of faith, one that

might not be as obvious or carry as much weight as other more conspicuous actions would be not keeping our word. As a contractor I meet all kinds of people, some are believers, most are not. In dealing with both it saddens me when a non believer is more honorable than someone who professes to being a Christian. I do not even need a contract with them other than to clarify expectations. In dealing with people that don’t keep their word there is always an uncertainty and thus an intuitive need to have a back up plan. It’s easiest to not deal with them but that is always not an option. Therefore do your best to keep your word, let your yes be yes and your no be no, and if something changes let the other party know and definitely not find out second hand from someone else.

Lastly keeping your word is voluntary. In other words when I commit to do something it is because I want to; I believe in what I’m committing too. There are circumstances that someone wants you to agree to something that is not you, it’s not part of your belief system. Often spouses do this to each other as their insecurities seek to confine and or control the other spouse who does not share the same insecurities. This can become a problem in that the spouse is viewed as not keeping his or her word. Yet it’s not a question of keeping your word or not but of the other person trying to conform you into their image by controlling your actions. I will utterly fail as a husband if my goal or desire is to conform my spouse into my image. I did this for several years till the Lord showed me what I was doing. It was very disappointing to learn that about myself, but it taught me much about the subtleties of the flesh. What I thought I was doing for my wife’s good, was really for my good – I was image making. Learning to love with no strings attached has been the most freeing lesson. It has tremendously benefitted my marriage and me for that matter, and it most resembles Christ love for us. It allows me to leave the changing into God’s hands, where it belongs and it frees me to be there as a support, an encouragement and a conduit of God’s love ( Amen).

If a police officer is called out to a robbery and pulls up to a group of people and two or three of them start running, they are most likely guilty via their own actions. When someone slaps us and we stand there calmly without any defensive action on our part and offer the other cheek, we are saying the same thing as the people that didn’t run – we are not guilty, or if we are we are owning up to our error. Two different responses to the same action communicate profoundly to the issue at hand. We are taught by Christ to always do the opposite of what the norm would be, and as such people will know that we are “the children of our Father in Heaven.”

One attribute that marks and makes a statement of an individual is their allowances with their possessions. Do they share them as giving out measured portions, or do they share freely with joy? In 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 there is an important lesson in generosity.

Talking Christian and acting Christian we all can do, but giving sacrificially puts our confession and our faith to the test. Some people by nature are just very giving and caring people, and we are the better because of them, though they may not even profess a faith. However for most of us giving tests our faith – especially sacrificial giving. To the degree that we truly believe that God is our provider, is to the degree that our giving will be transformed. If we lack in this area, or any area for that matter, the best way to grow our faith is to study verses that encourage/grow our faith in that area. For giving there are several good verses, Old and New Testament, however the one I want to share is found in Matthew 6:24-30

Put God’s Kingdom First (Luke 12:22-34; 16:13)

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.Are ye not much better than they?
– Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”