Category Archives: Am I on the path?

Am I on the path?, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, How do I get started?, Love

The Golden Rule

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Jesus has a way of simplifying key concepts to help us remember and apply them to our lives. Many of us have heard of the “Golden Rule”, though it may surprise quite a few that it originates from Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:12.

12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

This scripture matches closely with Matthew 22:37-40.

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

In the context of Matthew 7:12, Jesus is addressing how His disciples should treat one another. He is not referring to our relationship with God. In Matthew 22:37-40, He addresses both our relationships with God and with one another.

It is genuinely rare for someone to be able to truly think about something from someone else’s perspective. It is much easier to visualize from our own perspective. Thus Jesus has given us an easier way of thinking about how to treat others. Show love to others as we want to be loved and treat one another as we want to be treated.

The concept is easy to remember… the challenge for each of us is to apply it daily in our lives.

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Am I on the path?, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, How do I get started?, Love, Sin

Love Your Enemies

In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus continues challenging us as His followers to be different from the world, to live according to His instruction.

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’[q] and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies![r] Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends,[s] how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Loving your enemies does not mean you want them to destroy you. It does not mean you agree with or accept what they are doing or how they are living.  Paul describes love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Sometimes loving someone means you have to reject their sin, tell them how they are wrong and encourage them to repent… even if they do not want to hear it. To ignore or accept their sin is not showing show love, but rather it shows ambivalence… it shows you do not care about them.  To accept and endorse someone’s sin is equivalent to walking by children who are playing with a sharp knife and choosing not to say anything.

Praying for those who persecute you does not mean you pray for them to be successful in their efforts towards persecution. It means you pray for them to be open to the true word of God, for their lives to be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. You pray for them to know, love, and serve Jesus.  How glorious to have more people to follow in the path of Saul, who after encountering Jesus Christ turned his life around and became Paul… one of the most effective missionaries for Jesus Christ ever.

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Am I on the path?, Righteousness / Serving God, Share the Good News

Respond with Revenge or Patience and Love?

Jesus teaches about revenge in Matthew 5:38-42. His message is not the message of the world. He does not say anything like “You are right to be angry. You should get back at him.”  He also does not tell us “Just ignore them or resist and fight them. Give them nothing.”

Instead He shows us an alternate response which can really differentiate the response of Christians from that of the world. His way can show God’s love and perhaps even get the offending person to consider the value of accepting God’s word in their lives when they see how it has changed us as followers of Christ.

38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’[o] 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. 40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile,[p] carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.”

It is very important to recognize in the context of the verse that Jesus is deliberately using examples of relatively minor offenses. A slap is not an assault. It is a sign of disrespect, but not a life threatening attack. Losing our shirt (and coat) is not the same as someone trying to steal everything God has provided for us.  Carrying the soldier’s gear an extra mile is labor and may be hard, but does not have lasting detrimental impact on us.

In none of these examples are we asked to compromise our Christian belief or take actions against God’s instruction.

Jesus is simply challenging us to respond with love and patience to those who commit relatively minor offenses against us. Consider it an opportunity to show that a life dedicated to Christ is different and better than a life dedicated to the way of the world.

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