Saturday, August 14, 2010
The Similitudes 2
Following the Beatitudes, Jesus uses two metaphors to illustrate how those He has just described affect the world around them. These two metaphors are sometimes referred to as the Similitudes. The second metaphor is that of light.
Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Christians are not only a light in the world, but we are the light of the world. True light always dispels darkness.
When many people are living in close proximity to each other, you have a city. Likewise, when many Christians are living in close relationship with each other, you have a city on a hill whose light cannot be hidden. Our school is such a city, as are all of our churches. They shine as beacons of light, offering help to all travellers.
Have you ever been travelling on a dark, lonely road hoping to reach the next town before you fall asleep, feint from hunger and thirst, or run out of fuel? And to top it off, you’re desperate for the restroom! Your mind races, your heart fills with dread, your body tenses. Will I have an accident? (either kind!) What if I have a flat tyre? Is it safe to stop?… Then as your vehicle tops a hill your eyes are drawn to the lights of a town on the horizon. A sense of relief fills your mind, your heart is no longer fearful and even the tension drains from your neck and shoulders as you drive towards those welcoming lights!
Many people, probably several that you know, are travelling down just such a road. They are weary, lonely and afraid. They are starved of affection, desperate for acceptance and emotionally running on empty. Their minds are filled with questions, their hearts bruised by abuse, their bodies afflicted by pain and illness. Who can they trust? Where can they find rest and peace?… Now imagine their joy and relief at finding and being welcomed into a community of believers where love and healing is freely available!
Today, let’s pray that your church will be a beacon of light, offering help to all travellers.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The Similitudes 1
Following the Beatitudes, Jesus uses two metaphors to illustrate how those He has just described affect the world around them. These two metaphors are sometimes referred to as the Similitudes. The first metaphor is that of salt.
Matthew 5:13
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
Jesus is saying that just as salt adds flavour to food, Christians should add flavour to the earth and its inhabitants. This is a common theme throughout the Bible: The people of God add a distinct flavour and aroma wherever they go.
“But,” Jesus asks, “if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” Jesus takes the analogy further by saying that just as salt that has lost its flavour is useless in seasoning food, so Christians that have lost their unique flavour have no effect on the earth or the people around them.
How can salt lose its flavour? Normal table salt, sodium chloride, is chemically very stable. Salt is salt no matter how old it is or what condition it’s in. So the only way that it can lose its ability to flavour food is if it is diluted and overwhelmed by other flavours.
How can Christians lose their flavour? True Christians are always Christians. You can’t be a little bit Christian or a Christian only some of the time. So the only way that we can lose our ability to flavour the world is if our hearts become so diluted that we are overwhelmed by other flavours.
What other flavours can overwhelm the flavour of salt? Well, human taste buds, the sensory cells that give us the ability to taste, can only distinguish four different flavours. Everything we taste is made up of a combination of these four flavours. (No wonder so many things ‘taste like chicken!’) One of the four flavours is, you guessed it, saltiness. The others are sweet, sour and bitter. In sufficient quantity any one of these, or a combination of two or more, can overwhelm the salty flavour.
What flavours can overwhelm the saltiness of a Christian? Believe it or not, it’s the same three flavours: sweet, sour and bitter!
Sweet represents the quest for pleasure. I’m not saying that all chocolate is evil, but it’s a fact that most sins are pleasurable. If they weren’t, why would we be tempted by them? Eve saw that the forbidden fruit “was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” Not all pleasure is sinful, but when our pursuit of pleasure eclipses our pursuit of God, we begin to lose our saltiness. At the other extreme are those whose sour disposition overwhelms their saltiness. A strict legalism robs them of their joy and leaves a sour taste in the mouths of others. And finally, bitterness that springs from unforgiveness and offence has the strength to overpower our saltiness.
Today let’s pray that our saltiness will be evident to all and that it won’t be overwhelmed by our taste for sweet, sour or bitter.
Matthew 5:13
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
Jesus is saying that just as salt adds flavour to food, Christians should add flavour to the earth and its inhabitants. This is a common theme throughout the Bible: The people of God add a distinct flavour and aroma wherever they go.
“But,” Jesus asks, “if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” Jesus takes the analogy further by saying that just as salt that has lost its flavour is useless in seasoning food, so Christians that have lost their unique flavour have no effect on the earth or the people around them.
How can salt lose its flavour? Normal table salt, sodium chloride, is chemically very stable. Salt is salt no matter how old it is or what condition it’s in. So the only way that it can lose its ability to flavour food is if it is diluted and overwhelmed by other flavours.
How can Christians lose their flavour? True Christians are always Christians. You can’t be a little bit Christian or a Christian only some of the time. So the only way that we can lose our ability to flavour the world is if our hearts become so diluted that we are overwhelmed by other flavours.
What other flavours can overwhelm the flavour of salt? Well, human taste buds, the sensory cells that give us the ability to taste, can only distinguish four different flavours. Everything we taste is made up of a combination of these four flavours. (No wonder so many things ‘taste like chicken!’) One of the four flavours is, you guessed it, saltiness. The others are sweet, sour and bitter. In sufficient quantity any one of these, or a combination of two or more, can overwhelm the salty flavour.
What flavours can overwhelm the saltiness of a Christian? Believe it or not, it’s the same three flavours: sweet, sour and bitter!
Sweet represents the quest for pleasure. I’m not saying that all chocolate is evil, but it’s a fact that most sins are pleasurable. If they weren’t, why would we be tempted by them? Eve saw that the forbidden fruit “was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” Not all pleasure is sinful, but when our pursuit of pleasure eclipses our pursuit of God, we begin to lose our saltiness. At the other extreme are those whose sour disposition overwhelms their saltiness. A strict legalism robs them of their joy and leaves a sour taste in the mouths of others. And finally, bitterness that springs from unforgiveness and offence has the strength to overpower our saltiness.
Today let’s pray that our saltiness will be evident to all and that it won’t be overwhelmed by our taste for sweet, sour or bitter.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The Beatitudes 8 continued
Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
It is interesting to note that Jesus didn’t promise reward to only those who stand firm in the face of persecution, but to all of those who would experience it. Jesus obviously desires His followers to be steadfast when enduring persecution, but the promised reward carries no condition relative to how His followers would respond to persecution. It is therefore reasonable to say that this promise was meant more to inspire hope in the midst of persecution than it was to reward the successful enduring of persecution.
Jesus knew His followers would experience persecution both because of their faith in Him and because of their determination to live according to what He taught. He, therefore, wanted to inspire them with something that would give them enough strength to stand unwaveringly against opposition and enough hope to endure persecution.
Last week we spoke about how difficult it is at times to choose righteousness over unrighteousness—especially when the righteous way often involves persecution. The Greek root of the word translated as ‘persecution’ means to pursue. Therefore, persecution because of righteousness is to be identified, chased down and abused physically and/or verbally as a result of one’s stand against sin and evil.
The roots of persecution are hatred and fear. The goal of persecution is to eliminate any perceived threat to one’s belief system or way of life. No wonder that throughout history the world has persecuted God’s people!
Jesus said that the reward for suffering persecution because of righteousness is to receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus went on to say that a great reward is waiting in heaven for those who suffer persecution for their belief in Him and determination to live as He taught. In his commentary on this passage of Scripture, Barnes stated, “Though God does not require us to seek persecution, yet all this shows that there is something in [Christianity] to sustain the soul which the world does not possess.”
So how are we to view persecution? First, we are not to seek it. Rest assured, if you continually stand for righteousness, persecution will find you! And second, when persecution does arise, persevere in the knowledge that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Today, let’s pray that…
· We will have the courage to stand against sin and evil.
· We will stand firm in the face of the resulting persecution.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
It is interesting to note that Jesus didn’t promise reward to only those who stand firm in the face of persecution, but to all of those who would experience it. Jesus obviously desires His followers to be steadfast when enduring persecution, but the promised reward carries no condition relative to how His followers would respond to persecution. It is therefore reasonable to say that this promise was meant more to inspire hope in the midst of persecution than it was to reward the successful enduring of persecution.
Jesus knew His followers would experience persecution both because of their faith in Him and because of their determination to live according to what He taught. He, therefore, wanted to inspire them with something that would give them enough strength to stand unwaveringly against opposition and enough hope to endure persecution.
Last week we spoke about how difficult it is at times to choose righteousness over unrighteousness—especially when the righteous way often involves persecution. The Greek root of the word translated as ‘persecution’ means to pursue. Therefore, persecution because of righteousness is to be identified, chased down and abused physically and/or verbally as a result of one’s stand against sin and evil.
The roots of persecution are hatred and fear. The goal of persecution is to eliminate any perceived threat to one’s belief system or way of life. No wonder that throughout history the world has persecuted God’s people!
Jesus said that the reward for suffering persecution because of righteousness is to receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus went on to say that a great reward is waiting in heaven for those who suffer persecution for their belief in Him and determination to live as He taught. In his commentary on this passage of Scripture, Barnes stated, “Though God does not require us to seek persecution, yet all this shows that there is something in [Christianity] to sustain the soul which the world does not possess.”
So how are we to view persecution? First, we are not to seek it. Rest assured, if you continually stand for righteousness, persecution will find you! And second, when persecution does arise, persevere in the knowledge that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Today, let’s pray that…
· We will have the courage to stand against sin and evil.
· We will stand firm in the face of the resulting persecution.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Beatitudes 8
Matthew 5:10-12
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This Beatitude is unique. First, it is the only one of the Beatitudes upon which Jesus elaborated. And second, every other Beatitude that Jesus taught has to do with positive and desirable character attributes, but persecution because of righteousness has to do with what can happen when Christians begin to display these positive character attributes.
When Christians realise how poor in spirit they actually are, they begin to walk humbly before God and others. People in the world interpret this humility as vulnerability and seek to exploit this perceived advantage in both business and personal relationships.
When Christians mourn and grieve over sin, they no longer enjoy or participate in the sinful practices of those around them. Usually, they can’t even condone their friends’ involvement in these practices, some of which they used to engage in often. This has the potential to unleash a barrage of accusations from those trying to justify their continued sinful practices.
When Christian begin to practice meekness, the world sees them as weak and looks down on them.
When Christians hunger and thirst for righteousness, nothing else will ever truly satisfy them. And when they find the true righteousness that only Christ can give, suddenly they enjoy a peace and contentment that endures through good times and bad. People in the world will see this enduring peace and will desire to have it. However, many will reject the fact that it can only be found in Christ and will reject anyone who tells them so.
When Christians show mercy, it goes against the competitive ‘killer instinct’ so valued by the world. Forgiving 490 times means suffering 490 abuses without seeking revenge!
When Christians refuse to dilute the purity of their hearts with anything that will compete with their devotion to Christ, the temptations will come thick, fast and continuously. This relentless onslaught comes from our enemy through world and the people who embrace it. And the moment we give in, rather than congratulations, we receive a heap of condemnation from the very ones who were urging us on.
When Christians act as peacemakers, they put themselves in a position where they may suffer misunderstanding and harm from one or both parties in a conflict.
Today let’s pray that, in spite of the possible negative consequences, we will choose righteousness over ungodliness.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This Beatitude is unique. First, it is the only one of the Beatitudes upon which Jesus elaborated. And second, every other Beatitude that Jesus taught has to do with positive and desirable character attributes, but persecution because of righteousness has to do with what can happen when Christians begin to display these positive character attributes.
When Christians realise how poor in spirit they actually are, they begin to walk humbly before God and others. People in the world interpret this humility as vulnerability and seek to exploit this perceived advantage in both business and personal relationships.
When Christians mourn and grieve over sin, they no longer enjoy or participate in the sinful practices of those around them. Usually, they can’t even condone their friends’ involvement in these practices, some of which they used to engage in often. This has the potential to unleash a barrage of accusations from those trying to justify their continued sinful practices.
When Christian begin to practice meekness, the world sees them as weak and looks down on them.
When Christians hunger and thirst for righteousness, nothing else will ever truly satisfy them. And when they find the true righteousness that only Christ can give, suddenly they enjoy a peace and contentment that endures through good times and bad. People in the world will see this enduring peace and will desire to have it. However, many will reject the fact that it can only be found in Christ and will reject anyone who tells them so.
When Christians show mercy, it goes against the competitive ‘killer instinct’ so valued by the world. Forgiving 490 times means suffering 490 abuses without seeking revenge!
When Christians refuse to dilute the purity of their hearts with anything that will compete with their devotion to Christ, the temptations will come thick, fast and continuously. This relentless onslaught comes from our enemy through world and the people who embrace it. And the moment we give in, rather than congratulations, we receive a heap of condemnation from the very ones who were urging us on.
When Christians act as peacemakers, they put themselves in a position where they may suffer misunderstanding and harm from one or both parties in a conflict.
Today let’s pray that, in spite of the possible negative consequences, we will choose righteousness over ungodliness.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Beatitudes 7
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Most of us would agree that there is a difference between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper. But what exactly are those differences, and why would Jesus identify peacemakers as being worthy of the title, ”sons of God?”
Peacekeepers don’t concern themselves with the underlying issues of a conflict, but peacemakers expose and try to resolve those issues.
Peacekeepers use force to suppress conflict or use silence to avoid it, while peacemakers allow conflict to occur as a natural part of any relationship.
Peacekeepers are concerned more about their own safety and comfort, while peacemakers put others’ safety and comfort before their own.
Peacekeepers fear conflict, but peacemakers manage conflict.
Jesus is a peacemaker. He addresses conflict between God and people, and He addresses conflict between people and other people. In the conflict between God and people, Jesus tackled the dividing issues of sin and death, and He resolved them once and for all. He could have suppressed this conflict by forcing all people into compulsory obedience. He could have avoided this conflict by not going to the cross, but instead, He put our wellbeing before His own and died a cruel and lonely death in our place. And “It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:34).
In conflicts between people, Jesus removes the basis for their differences. For example, the deepest-rooted conflict of Jesus’ time was between Jew and Gentile. Of this conflict Ephesians 2:14-16 says, “14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”
Jesus is a peacemaker. And when we operate as peacemakers; when we introduce others to the only Way to be reconciled to God; when we put others’ wellbeing before our own; when we refuse to suppress or avoid conflict, but instead work hard to resolve it, then we are fulfilling our highest calling—to be like Jesus, to be sons of God.
Today let’s pray that:
· We would be effective in making peace between unbelievers and God.
· We would be useful in resolving conflict between people.
Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Most of us would agree that there is a difference between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper. But what exactly are those differences, and why would Jesus identify peacemakers as being worthy of the title, ”sons of God?”
Peacekeepers don’t concern themselves with the underlying issues of a conflict, but peacemakers expose and try to resolve those issues.
Peacekeepers use force to suppress conflict or use silence to avoid it, while peacemakers allow conflict to occur as a natural part of any relationship.
Peacekeepers are concerned more about their own safety and comfort, while peacemakers put others’ safety and comfort before their own.
Peacekeepers fear conflict, but peacemakers manage conflict.
Jesus is a peacemaker. He addresses conflict between God and people, and He addresses conflict between people and other people. In the conflict between God and people, Jesus tackled the dividing issues of sin and death, and He resolved them once and for all. He could have suppressed this conflict by forcing all people into compulsory obedience. He could have avoided this conflict by not going to the cross, but instead, He put our wellbeing before His own and died a cruel and lonely death in our place. And “It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:34).
In conflicts between people, Jesus removes the basis for their differences. For example, the deepest-rooted conflict of Jesus’ time was between Jew and Gentile. Of this conflict Ephesians 2:14-16 says, “14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.”
Jesus is a peacemaker. And when we operate as peacemakers; when we introduce others to the only Way to be reconciled to God; when we put others’ wellbeing before our own; when we refuse to suppress or avoid conflict, but instead work hard to resolve it, then we are fulfilling our highest calling—to be like Jesus, to be sons of God.
Today let’s pray that:
· We would be effective in making peace between unbelievers and God.
· We would be useful in resolving conflict between people.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Beatitudes 6
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
There are two steps in making and keeping something pure.
First, you must remove all of the impurities. This is often quite a long process, usually involving heat—lots of heat! At the end of the process you have a pure element free from any contamination.
Then, in order to preserve this purity, you have to refrain from mixing anything with the pure substance. The temptation is often to introduce a less valuable substance to dilute the one you have just purified. This is often done with gold. 24-carat gold is fine (99.9% pure), 18-carat gold is 75% gold, 12-carat gold is 50% gold, and so forth. Introducing copper and silver (nickle or palladium in the case of so-called “white gold”) to pure gold changes its properties as well as its value.
Likewise, there are two steps in establishing and maintaining purity of heart.
First comes the process of removing the impurities of pride, selfishness, fear and the myriad derivatives and variations of these noxious roots. Once people repent of these sins and receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, they are immediately made pure in God’s sight as Christ’s purity is credited to their accounts. But, in addition, they begin a life-long process of being transformed into Christ’s likeness. This process also involves heat—the firey trails used by God to refine our character. The result is a heart that ever more closely resembles the pure heart of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We must then take steps to preserve the purity of our hearts. Temptations will come to dilute the solitary devotion of our hearts to God with other far less valuable pursuits. Introducing anything that is in competition with the supremacy of Jesus Christ in our hearts is to sink into a form of idolatry and to cheapen our hearts through what amounts to spiritual prostitution.
But for those purify their hearts and refrain from diluting their pure devotion there is a promise of great reward: to see God. All people will one day stand before God and see Him in His glorious splendour. This will be an ominously terrifying experience for those whose hearts remain stained with sin, but the pure in heart will stand blameless before Him and be given the wonderful privilege of spending all eternity gazing in awe and wonder at the Object of their devotion.
Today, let’s pray that…
· Unsaved friends and family members will realise the impure state of their hearts and they would repent of their sins and allow God to purify their hearts.
· We would resist the temptation to dilute the purity of our own hearts by introducing anything that might compete with Jesus Christ’s number one place.
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
There are two steps in making and keeping something pure.
First, you must remove all of the impurities. This is often quite a long process, usually involving heat—lots of heat! At the end of the process you have a pure element free from any contamination.
Then, in order to preserve this purity, you have to refrain from mixing anything with the pure substance. The temptation is often to introduce a less valuable substance to dilute the one you have just purified. This is often done with gold. 24-carat gold is fine (99.9% pure), 18-carat gold is 75% gold, 12-carat gold is 50% gold, and so forth. Introducing copper and silver (nickle or palladium in the case of so-called “white gold”) to pure gold changes its properties as well as its value.
Likewise, there are two steps in establishing and maintaining purity of heart.
First comes the process of removing the impurities of pride, selfishness, fear and the myriad derivatives and variations of these noxious roots. Once people repent of these sins and receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, they are immediately made pure in God’s sight as Christ’s purity is credited to their accounts. But, in addition, they begin a life-long process of being transformed into Christ’s likeness. This process also involves heat—the firey trails used by God to refine our character. The result is a heart that ever more closely resembles the pure heart of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We must then take steps to preserve the purity of our hearts. Temptations will come to dilute the solitary devotion of our hearts to God with other far less valuable pursuits. Introducing anything that is in competition with the supremacy of Jesus Christ in our hearts is to sink into a form of idolatry and to cheapen our hearts through what amounts to spiritual prostitution.
But for those purify their hearts and refrain from diluting their pure devotion there is a promise of great reward: to see God. All people will one day stand before God and see Him in His glorious splendour. This will be an ominously terrifying experience for those whose hearts remain stained with sin, but the pure in heart will stand blameless before Him and be given the wonderful privilege of spending all eternity gazing in awe and wonder at the Object of their devotion.
Today, let’s pray that…
· Unsaved friends and family members will realise the impure state of their hearts and they would repent of their sins and allow God to purify their hearts.
· We would resist the temptation to dilute the purity of our own hearts by introducing anything that might compete with Jesus Christ’s number one place.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
The Beatitudes 5
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
There are two groups of people to whom we need to show mercy: those that are in need and those who have sinned against us. We may be inclined to think that those in need are more deserving of our mercy while those who have sinned against us are less deserving of any kindness from us. But that is to misunderstand the very nature of mercy.
True mercy cannot be earned. To be merciful is to have compassion for someone who is helpless and to act on that compassion by extending help.
The helplessness of those in need is often more obvious: the lack of material possessions of those who are poor; the deep sadness of those who have lost a loved one; the loneliness of the outsider; the pain of the injured. Few of us would be able to ignore these needs without experiencing a tug on our conscience. Most of us would respond to these needs with acts of mercy.
In contrast, the helplessness of those who have sinned against us is usually less obvious: the disguised insecurity of the bully; the hidden fears of those who think only of themselves; the deep emotional wounds of those who lash out in anger; the spiritual emptiness of the wicked. On the surface the angry, the selfish, the bully and the wicked seem less in need of mercy, but they are as helpless as the needy and every much as deserving. Forgiving those who have sinned against us is an act of mercy.
Jesus said, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28 NIV). Loving your enemies, doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who wish you harm, and praying for those who mistreat you are all acts of mercy.
The Beatitude we are concerned with today states that those who offer mercy will themselves receive mercy. It is a sobering thought that the degree to which we offer mercy to others will be the degree to which we receive mercy.
Today, let’s pray that:
· We will be sensitive to the plight of the needy as well as the circumstances of those who have sinned against us.
· We will have the grace to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who wish us harm and to pray for those who mistreat us.
Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
There are two groups of people to whom we need to show mercy: those that are in need and those who have sinned against us. We may be inclined to think that those in need are more deserving of our mercy while those who have sinned against us are less deserving of any kindness from us. But that is to misunderstand the very nature of mercy.
True mercy cannot be earned. To be merciful is to have compassion for someone who is helpless and to act on that compassion by extending help.
The helplessness of those in need is often more obvious: the lack of material possessions of those who are poor; the deep sadness of those who have lost a loved one; the loneliness of the outsider; the pain of the injured. Few of us would be able to ignore these needs without experiencing a tug on our conscience. Most of us would respond to these needs with acts of mercy.
In contrast, the helplessness of those who have sinned against us is usually less obvious: the disguised insecurity of the bully; the hidden fears of those who think only of themselves; the deep emotional wounds of those who lash out in anger; the spiritual emptiness of the wicked. On the surface the angry, the selfish, the bully and the wicked seem less in need of mercy, but they are as helpless as the needy and every much as deserving. Forgiving those who have sinned against us is an act of mercy.
Jesus said, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28 NIV). Loving your enemies, doing good to those who hate you, blessing those who wish you harm, and praying for those who mistreat you are all acts of mercy.
The Beatitude we are concerned with today states that those who offer mercy will themselves receive mercy. It is a sobering thought that the degree to which we offer mercy to others will be the degree to which we receive mercy.
Today, let’s pray that:
· We will be sensitive to the plight of the needy as well as the circumstances of those who have sinned against us.
· We will have the grace to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who wish us harm and to pray for those who mistreat us.
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