The Golden Rule!

The Golden Rule!

Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Or more commonly phrased

Do Unto Others as You Would Have Others Do Unto You!

I have a grand daughter that is at the age that that her favorite things are rainbow and unicorns.  At her age, she is very idealistic.  And so is Jesus!

Matthew 18:1-3  At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?  (2) And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,  (3) And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Our passage today is a bit idealistic….but then again so is Christianity.  God, through inspired writers, tells us to aim for righteousness, holiness, and perfection even though none of those characteristics are unobtainable on our own.  But just because we cannot be perfect on our own, does not mean that we should not strive for it!  Jesus tells us, his followers, that we should strive to ALWAYS Do unto others has we would have them do unto us!  To more completely apply the Golden Rule to our lives, let’s break it down.

1.  “DO”

This is a simple 2-Letter Word.  “Do” has an Importance that should not be overlooked!  “DO” is not a passive word. “Do” is an action verb.  It not only implies a restraint of evil for evil, But also a Conscious effort of Good.  The Golden Rule is NOT just a philosophy.  It is not just a school of thought.  It Must Be applied!  It must be done to have ANY value!  As Americans we tend to be slipping away from an idea of “Doing”.  For instance, In politics, we like to complain about what happens, but we vote at a staggeringly LOW rate.  Passiveness is a dangerous mindset if we want to Please God.  Remember Jesus’ rebuke of the one talent man.  (Matthew 25:24-30).

We too often are misguided in thinking that only as small handful of EVIL people will go to Hell.  But Jesus himself called this man wicked.  You might say:  “Why is this man wicked”?  He didn’t DO anything.  EXACTLY....That is precisely Jesus’ point.  That is because we are REQUIRED to do Something!  Not only should we “DO” something.  We also Must be profitable too.  (John 15:1-5).  In order to adequately, perform the Golden Rule, we must be proactive in service for others not just refusing to retaliate against them if they are unkind towards us!

2.  “Unto Others”

This may be the most difficult part.  Our society programs us to look out for #1.  Is there any surprise that there are so many abortions? Is it any surprise that 50% of marriages end in divorce?  Is it any surprise the Crime rate is out of control?  What do all of things things have in common?  We do in this country what pleases ME.  And in many ways we do not care who it hurts.  It is just plain selfishness.  Selfishness is ruining our country, our homes and even the church!

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Jesus says here, to be a follower of his, We MUST DENY ourselves.  We must quit being selfish!We must quit putting me first!  The focus of our lives should NO longer be on ourselves.  When I was a mere child, I learned that the definition of  JOY was:

1.  Jesus First

2.  Others Second

3.  Yourselves Last

Our society needs to put that philosophy into action.  But we cannot expect all of society to do this if Jesus’ followers are not willing!

2.  “As You Would Have Them Do Unto You”

Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? (37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love and Compassion is the crux of this teaching.  We need to develop a genuine compassion for all men.  “Others” that look like us and those that don’t.  “Others” that think like us and those that don’t.  “Others” that behave like us and those that don’t.  “Others” that have lifestyles like us, and those that don’t.  Love and compassion is NOT synonymous with approving of their lifestyles and life choices.  But Love is wanting the BEST for them.  Jesus Did NOT automatically reject those that were sinners.  He worked harder for them!  He spent more time with them!  In the same vain...We must do the same.

Philippians 2:1-5  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, (2) Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (3) Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (4) Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. (5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Paul talks about the attitude that we should have BECAUSE of the the love that Christ displayed to us. Paul says that we should esteem others BETTER than ourselves.  That is precisely the attitude that Jesus referred to in the Golden Rule.  We must ALWAYS look at others before we look to our own needs and desires.  We must ALWAYS ask in ANY situation....How Would I want to be treated?  We Want to Be respected!  We want to be treated like we mattered!  We would want to be treated like we are made in the image of God!  We would want what was Best for us even if we did not Realize it

The problem is that too often we have a built in defense mechanism that causes us act differently.  When it comes down to it...We are being asked to Treat People Better than we may perceive they deserve.  As Christians, we should understand the principle of acting Better towards others even when they don’t deserve it… Because that is exactly how God treats us!

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

AskSeekandKnock

Ask, Seek, and Knock!

Matthew 7:7-11  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  (9) Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  (10) Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?  (11) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

We live in a society that demands prompt, speedy results.  Instead of waiting for a complete meal to be prepared for us, we need to eat faster so we go through the drive through where we can order and pick it up in just a few minutes.  If we are not careful, we can begin expecting the same results from God.  When we have that mindset, we attempt to eliminate our own participation in matters and just push a button and wait 30 seconds.

In our text today we have 2 very different but related lessons to learn:

1.  We have a responsibility in our receiving blessings from God (Vrs 7)

2.  Our God is a Benevolent Father (Vrs 8-11)

Let’s begin with the second one first.

Our God is a Benevolent Father (Vrs 8-11)

It is mind boggling to think about the extent of God’s Grace, Mercy, Compassion, and Benevolence that he extends to us.  When you examine ancient ‘religions’ and the gods that early man imagined ‘worshippers’ spent a great amount of time attempting to appease these angry gods.  So much so that many small children were sacrificed at an alter to calm the anger of a god.  Children were sacrificed to bring about a good harvest or to have a successful hunt.  Ancient man lived in fear of a god (that did not exist) that they perceived would constantly punish or terrorize them.

On the other hand, Our God is just the opposite.  Our God doesn’t ask that we burn our child alive to appease him.  Instead, he offered his Only Son to die that we might live.  What a Contrast!  That one event of offering his only son would be far beyond what we deserve, but that is not the extent of God’s gifts.  The point of our passage today is that God seeks to benefit his children.  While this set of verses do not explicitly state this realization, these promises are not open to the world as a whole, but rather reserved for his children or followers.

1 John 3:1  Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 

1 Peter 3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 

Once we obtain the identity of being a child of God by being washed in his blood, the additional blessings, protections, and promises are beyond comprehension.  Jesus explains this in verses 9-11.  We as humans know how to give, sacrifice for, and protect our own children.  Then Jesus using that as a foundation, states that we being evil, How much more does God know how to give us what we need.

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 

Our minds simply cannot comprehend God’s ability to help us.

We have a responsibility in our receiving blessings from God (Vrs 7)

Make no mistake about it, the first part of this post was spent discussing the generosity of God.  Therefore, we are not suggesting that blessings from God are earned or achieved.  With that said, we cannot overlook the fact that Jesus tells us about three verbs between us and our blessings:  Ask, Seek, and Knock.  All three are verbs of action.

Ask:  There have been times in my life that, I might realize that someone was at the refrigerator and would yell:  “Hey, bring me a snack”.  For one reason or another, they were unable to and told me:  “If you want it, get up and get it yourself”.  I have been known to reconsider my request and choose not to get up and get that snack because it was too much trouble.  How bad did I really want it if I was unwilling to do the minimal amount of work for it?  God is not going to read everyone’s mind and grant every passing wish that pop’s into our heads.  To do that, human nature teaches, we would become both lazy and ungrateful.  Jesus is teaching us that if it is important enough, we can ask for it.  Upon asking, God will give us what we need…according to his will.  Will God grant a request if it were harmful in any number of ways?  Never.  We must ALWAYS ask according to God’s will!

Seek:  There have been new skills that I have learned over the years that simple instruction was not the best means for obtaining and utilizing them over the long term.  The best method for retention was simply a hands-on approach.  Sometimes, we need to do more than ask.  Sometimes it will be more meaningful if we seek our the answer for ourselves.  When we do, God promises that we will find…again according to his will.

Knock:  With these three verbs, there seems to be both an increased level of desire and an intensity of effort.  Having to knock implies that asking and seeking have led to the specific door on which we are knocking.  Once again, Jesus gives the assurance that if we have utilized the energy to go this far and knock on this door, God will open the door to and for you.

By the time that we have become New Testament Christians, God has invested his greatest asset in us:  The Blood of his SON.  In doing so, God wants us to be successful by being faithful to the end.  In doing so, God has promised that he will give us the tools, resources, help, assistance, and protection that we need to win in the end.  In giving us this help, he also wants us to part participate in the process . We just need to Ask, Seek, and Knock.

I am so thankful I serve such a Gracious, Merciful, Compassionate God that wants me to succeed in finding my way to Heaven some day!

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

So That You Can See Clearly!

So That You Can See Clearly!

Matthew 7:1  Judge not, that ye be not judged.

There are a few passages in the Bible that are a favorite of non Believers.  Today’s passage is one of them.  In fact, it may be their favorite.  You see, Matthew 7:1 is a passage that they remember, know, and misuse to their advantage.  They attempt to use it as a weapon to cause us to shrink away in shame and confusion.  Non-Believers often will define any talk of the Bible or scripture as “casting judgement” against their sinful lifestyle (whether their life is the topic or not), then whip out this passage expecting us to cower away like a vampire in the sunlight.  No more!  Why?  Because, We know what Jesus said and it fits into a larger context than the single verse.

Matthew 7:1-5  Judge not, that ye be not judged.  

(2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  (3) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  (4) Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  (5) Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

In its proper context, not only does Jesus NOT forbid his followers from making judgements …He ENCOURAGES it!  So why do so many people get this passage so wrong?  Two reasons:  1). Because they want to.  2) Because they take the verse one out of its proper context.

Jesus is dealing with an issue that cannot be over looked.: the tendency for people to make unrighteous judgments of others.  It becomes clear in verse 5 that the primary characteristic of an UNrighteous judgement is that of motive.  We have seen it play out all of our lives.  There is a belief that if we judge people harshly that it somehow makes us look superior. At the very least, by making an unrighteous judgment about others and bringing attention to another’s shortcomings, it takes the spotlight off of our own flawed lives.  It was true in Jesus’ time and it’s true today.  Jesus warns in verse 1 & 2 that if we judge others harshly, then we can expect the same treatment from God.

So there is a righteous judgment?  You bet!  Jesus deals with it in verse 5:

Matthew 7:5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Jesus starts off verse 5 by saying: “Thou Hypocrite”.  We have to remember that this teaching is based upon the assumption that people will judge wrongly… Like the example that he gave in verses 3 and 4.  Then Jesus offers a two step process to Judge others:  1.  Put your own house in order.  As he says get the log our of your own eye.  Of course the “things” in these verses that are in the eyes represent sin.  So we are to first deal with the sin in our own lives.  Contrary to what some critics may suggest, this does not imply we must first be perfect.  No one is perfect!  We all sin and fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23).  So what are we to understand we are to do?  Exercise Self control and live a life to the best of our ability to be pleasing to God.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 

Step two is both the proper motive and the proper action:

Matthew 7:5  …then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Notice what Jesus is telling us!  So We can see Clearly!  We are to look at the sin of our brother to assist him in removing it.  How can I help my brother get rid of sin in his life?  I have to make the judgement that he has sin in his life!  Remember, we mentioned motive earlier…What is the motive here?  To HELP the brother!  Not to humiliate!  Not to shame!  Not to make yourself look better!  Not to make him look bad.  But to HELP!  Love should be… MUST be the motive and manner in which we conduct ourselves!  When we do, God is glorified and we have demonstrated love towards a brother.

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

First…Not Second!

First…Not Second!

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

If I was to ask who won the 1973 Kentucky Derby, unless you are a big horse racing fan, you most likely do not know.  If I told you that 1973 was the year that the Great Secretariat won, most people would say something like…Oh yeah that’s right!  If I asked who came in 2nd place to Secretariat, most people’s eyes would glaze over in a look of contemptible apathy.  

The truth is, the runner-up horse (named Sham), in all three races, might have been known as one of the greatest horses of all time, if he were born in another year.  While Secretariat holds the speed records for the Fastest times in all three of the triple crown races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, & Belmont), had Secretariat not been there, Sham would have broken all of those same records.  He was a great horse.  But no one knows him…because he was 2nd in the 3 most important races of his lifetime.

Second place…Just isn’t First!  I love these quotes about 2nd place:

“No one remembers who came in second.”

- Walter Hagen

“Coming in second place just means you were the first person to lose.”

- Jeff Hawkins

“There is no such thing as second place. Either you're first or you're nothing.”

- Gabe Paul

In our continuation of the examination of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals a truth that we must hear, understand, and heed!  Jesus is not interested in Second place.  Notice his statement very closely:  Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God!  Jesus demands that we make him our #1 Priority.  He doesn’t want Second place to our family.  He doesn’t want Second place to our Job.  He doesn’t want Second place to our friends.  He Doesn’t want second place to our hobbies.  He will NOT ACCEPT SECOND PLACE!  

Do we need to stress that if Second place is intolerable, then being lower than second place is actually a rejection of Jesus?  There are too many people that claim to be Christians that believe they can put God on a shelf , and bring him out when nothing else is working for thim.  They see him as a ‘lucky rabbit’s foot’ or a ‘Genie in a bottle’.  They desert him until they need him…then they rub their “God bottle” feverishly to ask for another wish. That is not a relationship!  And that is far from making him the #1 priority in our lives!  He doesn’t want to be a second thought.  He doesn’t want to be an afterthought.  He doesn’t want to accept our leftovers.  He will except nothing less than being #1 in our hearts and lives.

To further understand what Jesus wants from us, notice what else we are to seek.  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his Righteousness”.  This moves it from being only a heart and mind issue to being an ACTION issue.  We have had past RTS posts about righteousness, so there is no need to rehash those.  However, by it’s nature, seeking, and subsequently finding the righteousness of God, demands that it effect our lifestyles, behaviors, actions, reactions, judgments and every other aspect of our lives!

After emphasizing the importance of making him first in our lives, he promises blessings to those that fulfill this request:  “And all these things shall be added unto you!”  In previous verses starting in verse 25, Jesus discuss how God takes care of his creation.  He takes care of birds, and grass and the flowers.  Then in verse 30, he asks the rhetorical question:  If God takes care of all of those other things, how much more will he take care of you?  It is in this context that he promises that if we put him first, he will take care of us in a similar, loving manner.

Seek Ye FIRST…Not Second, Not third, not only when you need Him.  Jesus does not want to be forgotten in your life like Sham was.  Make him THE priority in your Life and you will be blessed beyond measure!

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

It’s One or the Other

 

It’s One or the Other…Not Both!

Matthew 6:24 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.

When I was growing up, my favorite game show was “Let’s Make a Deal” with Monty Hall.  I am not sure why I liked it.  It could have been the excitement that each contested displayed when they were chosen to participate.  It could have been the silly and outrageous costumes that the contestants wore.  Or it could be the way that Monty Hall offered money to women to find weird things in their purses at the end of each show.  There were many things about the show that made it unique and intriguing.

One staple in the show was the multiple choices that each contestant had to decide whether they were a winner or a loser.  Winning was always in their control.  They just had to choose the right prize container:  Door Number 1, Door Number 2 or Door Number 3.  Behind one door was a glorious prize:  A new Car, a Vacation or some other coveted and valuable merchandise.  Behind the other two doors were “Zonkers”.  A “Zonker” prize was not only worthless but also silly:  A live goat, a broken down car or some other undesirable gimmick.  Then the excitement began.  Pick the right door and you win the grand prize!

Never in the history of the show was the contestant allowed to have all three…NEVER!  That was the entire hook!  To highlight the drama as it unfolded as the contestant tried the decide which door, which curtain, or which box to choose to find the valuable prize.

In our text today, Jesus informs us of a similar choice….but with much greater consequences.  In Jesus’ scenario, there are not three choices only two:  We can Serve Jesus or we can serve “Mammon”.   To better understand the choice that is given, we must understand the Terms.  So what does “Mammon” mean?  Mammon is generally defined as earthly wealth.  But we must not make the mistake that a lot of quasi-theologians make.  The Evil is not in the money itself, BUT our relationship with it.

1Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 

Many people when quoting or paraphrasing this passage miss a very key word.  According to this scripture, Money is NOT the root of all evil.   Money is an inanimate object incapable of powers of either good nor evil.  So the focus of this passage is on the User of money and their “relationship” with it.  Instead the passage says that the root of all evils is the LOVE of money!  Money is not, never has been, never will be the problem.  The problem is OUR attitude towards it.  The problem is our focus on it.  The problem is our dedication to it.  The problem is what we will do to gain it and hold it!

So getting back to our passage of the day, Jesus says that you cannot have both!  You cannot dedicate yourself to the pursuit of Worldly Treasure while at the same time dedicating yourself to Jesus and his cause!  It is Impossible!  You have to choose one and Only one.  Jesus, compares each to a Master.  You can only serve one!  It is impossible to serve both!

The truth is, at this moment of time, you have already made the decision which Master to serve!  You may not have ever consciously thought about it but your decision is made.  If you have not purposely and conscientiously chosen Jesus, you have chosen the pursuits of this world!

Like “Let’s Make the Deal, there was ALWAYS an option to change your mind to see if you wanted to change which door you selected.  Do you lIke your current Choice?  Do you want to stick with it?  You don’t have to!

ALWAYS Choose Jesus!

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Choose the Right Treasure!

Choose the Right Treasure!

Matthew 6:19-21  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  (20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  (21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

There was a time in my life, when I was considerably younger, that if I came into a little money I would want to rush out to a store and buy something.  It didn’t really matter WHAT it was. I had money and I had to spend it.  Thankfully, good parents monitor and alter this reckless and even harmful attitude. 

For too many, Saving money is a foreign concept…literally!  In fact, it is a national problem.  The U.S. ranks very low in percentage of savings compared to other countries.  In 2013, U.S saved on average of 3% of their income in comparison to several other comparable nations which saved as high as 11%.

As Americans, we have a problem with being short-sighted and living in the moment.  We too often don’t consider the ramifications of what an action or behavior today will have on tomorrow and beyond.

Our passage today, Jesus is warning us agains this careless mindset.  Jesus’ Warning is straight forward and very simple:  Lay NOT up for yourselves treasures upon Earth!  He even tells us why.  Because in the long run they are temporary in nature.  Not only that, in the end they will disappoint you because of their temporary status.  

Think about your favorite car you’ve ever owned.  It was shiny!  It was clean!  It smelled new!  It made you feel good!  What will it be like in 20 short years?  It will be disposable at best if not already in a junk yard!  It will be virtually worthless.

It’s not just cars either.  It is EVERY single thing we own.  Our favorite clothes..someday they will have holes.  Money?  It will be gone, possibly on something non-fun like an emergency….Like your favorite car breaking down!  Even people fall in this category.  How many of us has had friends that we ‘couldn’t live without’ that now we seldom speak to  them because they moved away.  

Earthly things are temporary and WILL disappoint us.

As an alternative, Jesus says to:  Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven!  Again he tells us why. This is a better investment!  Because Spiritual Investments are Permanent…even ETERNAL!  And they will never disappoint!

Then in verse 21 Jesus really gets to the heart of the matter.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  In some manner, this verse could be the key verse about the Christian mindset.   So what is the “Treasure” that Jesus Speaks of?  What we value most in life.  Our PRIORITIES!  What we focus on!  What we put our energy into!  How we spend our money.  How we spend out Time!  If Jesus took a snapshot of our lives at this moment in our lives, what would the evidence say about us?  Where is our Hearts?  Are we chasing after careers?  Is that our Focus?  Do we dedicate most of our time trying to get followers on Instagram to see what we are wearing and eating?  Or does our Hearts should that we are focused on Jesus?

Time may be the biggest indicator of our “Treasure” in this modern age.  How much time do we give God in a week?  A week is composed of 168 hours.  That is not changeable.  We spend on average 56 hours sleeping (8 x 7).  That leaves 112 waking hours.  How many of them do we dedicate to God?  Is Four all we spend a week because we go to all four services?  How much time do we spend in studying God’s Word on our own?  How much so we spend in prayer?  Conversely, how much time do we spend on our earthly treasures?

Where is Your Heart?

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com 

Listen to the Expert

 

Listen to the Expert!

Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: (15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

If you were looking to improve some aspect of your life; whether it be part of your career or a hobby, who would you look to for advise and and mentorship?  Would you ask the novice or the experienced?  Would you ask the expert or amateur?  If you wanted to improve your basketball skills would you ask for pointers from a guy that couldn’t make the junior high team or would you study the habits and techniques of an All American?

The answer to those questions are almost silly.  They are silly because they are painfully obvious!  But somehow when it comes to important religious and spiritual matters, more times than not, we find people seeking advise from…well, those that couldn’t make the junior high team!  Worldly "experts" will NEVER understand the mind of God!

Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  (2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 

Too often, we give as much credence in spiritual matters to those in the world as we do the true experts.  Who is the real expert in this field of forgiveness?  The one and only Jesus.  What makes Jesus the one and only expert when it comes to Forgiveness?

1.  Because He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.  (Heb. 12:2)

2.  Because He set THE Example.  (Luke 23:34)

3.  Because He Paid the Ultimate Price to Forgive Us.  (Eph. 1:7)

So what does the Expert say?  Forgive others!  This is part of Christianity that is not always easy.  It is not fun.  Sometimes it even feels like there is no benefit to us.  But we MUST learn to forgive others!  As the Expert, Jesus has 'been there and done that'.  He does not ask us to do something that he was not willing to do himself.  He bore the sins of the entire world… with NO benefit to himself.  He did it for us!

In telling us that we must be willing to forgive others, he puts on a caveat.

Matthew 6:15   But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness, on our part, is not Optional!  In fact, Jesus states that our forgiveness, that we receive from God, is conditional upon our willingness to forgive others.  In the context of the statement, Jesus is not threatening us.  He is not trying to leverage us.  He is appealing to what kind of people he wants us to be.  He wants us to be God like!

Does it really make any sense for God to bring into the fold a mass of people, by forgiving them of their sins, only for them to ultimately be hate filled and full of grudges? How influential is a person going to be representing Jesus that is angry and vengeful.   Or does it make more sense that if God is SO willing to send his only Son to die on the cross for the SOLE purpose of forgiving OUR sins, that he wants his followers to have the same kind, compassionate, and loving spirit that God has.

Becoming an expert isn’t easy.  And it won’t come by doing easy stuff.  But if we want to walk and talk and look like the Savior, Forgiveness is one area that we will have to learn to Master.

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Silence the Trumpets!

 

Silence the Trumpets!

Matthew 6:1-4 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. (2) Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (3) But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: (4) That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

In our last Reflecting the Son blog post, Jesus warned that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees.  We learned that the Pharisees wore their ‘righteousness’ as a costume because they were only concerned with what others thought.  They didn’t do anything righteous or dedicate themselves to living righteously… They just wanted to be thought to be highly religious. 

Today’s Reflecting the Son carries a very similar theme.  Jesus starts off by saying:  Take Heed!  Essentially, Jesus is saying “Pay Attention” to what he is about to say.  So what is Jesus warning us about?  Jesus says:  Do NOT Do Your Acts of Righteousness Before Men to Be Seen of Them!   Again, Jesus is emphasizing the need for his followers to living Righteously.  Teaching about this topic twice in such a short span, should tell us the level of importance that living righteous is to Jesus!

In this passage, Jesus is dealing more with the MOTIVE of one’s righteousness.  Its’ not good enough that we act in a particular manner,  we must also do what we do for the right reasons.  This is a dramatic change from the Old and New Testaments.  Jesus is not only concerned about actions, he also is equally concerned about the state of one’s heart and mind.

The particular state of mind that Jesus is focused on is the acting in a righteous manner, but with the motive of getting the attention from the world around so that we might get praised for our good behavior.  Jesus is telling us that we should choose to live righteously because it is the right thing to do and because it pleases God.  Drawing the attention of others should not factor in the equation.

In verse two Jesus states:  “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee.”  This statement is significant but not as relatable to us today.  The use of a trumpet is probably foreign to many of us.  Two ways that trumpets are used in this manner.  The first is in battle.  In old western movies, when the calvary came to the rescue there would a very specific blast of the trumpet that would signal the soldiers to CHARGE!  When that was heard, you knew what was about to happen.  The other trumpet example is used at the Kentucky Derby and other significant horse races.  There is a specific ‘call to post’ ‘song” that is played by the bugler to signify that a horse race as about to begin.  Both of these examples were used to notify the surrounding crowd that something significant was about to happen.  

Jesus says that we should NEVER draw attention to ourselves in this or any fashion.  It should not be our purpose to be seen of men; before or after the acts of rigorousness.  We may not blow a trumpet today, but we do have social media.  A lot of social media is about drawing attention to oneself.  This must be guarded against.   Social media can be a powerful tool for good, but it should not be used by a christian for ‘tooting one’s own horn’.

This discussion needs a caveat!  It is not wrong for our actions and behaviors to be seen and even praised at times.  In fact, Jesus said in the previous chapter:

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Our good works can and sometimes should be seen of men!  Good works will be noticed.  We should just make sure that God is getting the glory and not us.  Getting  noticed should NOT be our motive.  We need to make sure that we are not emphasizing our role by blowing the trumpet to draw attention ourselves.  We need to silence the Trumpets!

Reflecting the SON, 

Dennis Hogan

dennis.hogan@icloud.com

Questions, comments or  further explanation?  Contact me at:  dennis.hogan@icloud.com