Jesus' Command #11 - Be Perfect

At the end of Matthew 5:46-48 Jesus says that we should be perfect, as our Father in Heaven is perfect.  Those who are humble and think rightly of themselves with sober judgement would say this is a tall order.  Who can be perfect!?  However, through God's grace it ought to be our aim to be perfect as He is perfect.  This verse comes as the last statement at the end of a section telling us how to treat others and how this is different than how we naturally want to treat others; do good to our enemies, forgive injuries, entertain strangers, etc.  Therefore we must seek to be perfect as He is perfect.

This process of moving towards perfection is called "sanctification" in church lingo; the continual process of becoming more like Christ.

Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."

1 Peter 1:14-16 says, "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as He who called you is holy; so be holy in all you do; for it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy.""

As a follow of Christ, I must be different than what the world says is normal and okay.  I must strive to reflect the image (actions) of Christ and seek to become like He asks me to be.  Thus the reason to study these commands of Christ that I'm going through.

May God, in His mercy and grace, draw me ever closer to Him and mold me into His likeness.  Amen.

Come back again for Jesus' Command #12 - Practice Secret Disciplines

Why I Chose To Eliminate Media For 40 Days

I heard a great sermon on the radio a week ago that was talking about idols.  He said that anything that we put in our lives that takes time away from God is an idol.  He talked about the "content" of the things we allow ourselves to see and hear, and he talked about whether we are in "control" or whether there is a thing that controls us.  It made me think of the media I consume.  Is the content something I should allow through my eyes and ears?  Can I give it up for a time to prove it doesn't control me, but I it?

This great sermon, which I'm doing a terrible job paraphrasing, helped me realize that media can be an idol, and take huge amounts of time away from me that I could be (and should be) spending with God.  To help me prove to myself that media is not an idol to me, but more importantly to give me more time to spend with God, get closer to Him, and for my own spiritual growth I've decided to take a 40-day media fast.  This fast will include social media (facebook and twitter), tv shows and movies, video games, news and any other media that wastes my time on television, iPad, or laptop.

I hope that by eliminating this wasted time consuming media each day will help me draw near to God and grown in my relationship with Him.

If you need to reach me between now and Easter please text or call as I won't be checking twitter or facebook.

PS: The only place you should see me on social media is posting future blogs on the Commands of Jesus.

Jesus' Command #10 - Love Your Enemies

Love my enemies?!  What a great and difficult command!  In Matthew 5:44-46 Jesus tells us not to hate our enemies, but to LOVE them!  He says, "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."

Does that sound crazy or what!?  Does that sound completely counter-culture?!  If someone insults you to your face, behind your back, or on the interweb (sorry, I just love that word), isn't it expected that you'll blast them right back!?  If you and another person don't get along isn't it likely that you'll either avoid each other or be less than civil to one another?  What good does any of that do!!!?  All it does it pile the coals higher to ignite a bigger fire and give you something to fume about while increasing your stress level.

What IF you were kind to the one that insults you or blasts you in social media!?  What if you took the insult and stopped to ask yourself, "What is the most loving thing I could do or say to this person right now?"  That doesn't only makes great sense, but it's something Jesus EXPECTS of us.  Wow!  What if we lived that way!

Come back again soon for Jesus' Command #11 - Be Perfect

Jesus' Command #9 - Go the Second Mile

Christmas and the start of indoor track and field season at work has kept me away from this for far too long.  I'm excited to post this next blog and hope I can get back on track with some consistent time working through this.

In Matthew 5:38-42, Jesus gives us five examples of His instructions regarding what to do with the vengeful assertion that we should 'take an eye for an eye'.  The origin of this idea is that is the way God instructed the Jews to administer justice among the Israelites (Exodus 21:24, coming in the laws God gave Moses directly after the Ten Commandments, and in Levitecus 24:20).

Jesus' instructions in this text could be misunderstood as telling us to be push-overs, letting people take advantage of us, and never stand up for anything.  It's a mistake to think that is what He is saying.  Jesus, in the hours leading up to His death certainly demonstrated 'turning the other cheek'.  However, if you read the section as a whole and notice the theme, the point is to tell us not to seek revenge.  In each of the occasions He references, one could either seek revenge, or comply and 'go the second mile'.  We should show love to the one who seek to harm us, not vengeance.  "It is Mine to avenge, I will repay", Paul reminds us in Romans 12:19, quoting Deuteronomy 32:35.

The book of Acts gives us plenty of examples of the early Apostles and disciples standing up for Jesus and not being push-overs.

Reading this in context of the rest of the bible shows that the point is love, not vengeance.

Up next: Jesus' Command #10 - Love your enemies (a GREAT follow up to this command)