Matthew 5:3-15
The Beatitudes
3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
7 God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God.
9 God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
Teaching about Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
God calls us all to be a light of the world. Some of us need to come out under our basket covering ( our comfort zone) and be the light. Where does the light come from? Jesus came as the light of the world and He has called us to do the same. We become the light by knowing the God we serve and being like Him, while giving Him all the the glory in everything we do. We live in a dark world that needs light, just as our lives needed the light. Take time today and right down how Jesus was the light of the world and then write down how you can be the light in your family, around your friends and at your school.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
HIS GLORY
If you’ll recall, Moses put a veil over his face, first to hide his glory, then to hide the fact that it was fading away. That, too, was a picture of a deeper reality. We all do that. We all have veiled our glory, or someone has veiled it for us. Usually some combination of both. But the time has come to set all veils aside:
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?.. . Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away . . . And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:7–8, 12–13, 18)
We are in the process of being unveiled. Created to reflect God’s glory, born to bear his image, he ransomed us back to reflect that glory again. Every heart was given a mythic glory, and that glory is being restored. Remember the mission of Christ: “I have come to give you back your heart and set you free.” For as Saint Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” Certainly, you don’t think the opposite is true. How do we bring God glory when we are sulking around in the cellar, weighed down by shame and guilt, hiding our light under a bushel? Our destiny is to come fully alive. To live with ever-increasing glory. This is the Third Eternal Truth every good myth has been trying to get across to us: your heart bears a glory, and your glory is needed . . . now. This is our desperate hour.
(Waking the Dead , 74–75)
SO What?
How will you seek this glory out and display it to the world. If we are to be a light we must start now....it really is a desperate hour....so what are you going to do about it?
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?.. . Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away . . . And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:7–8, 12–13, 18)
We are in the process of being unveiled. Created to reflect God’s glory, born to bear his image, he ransomed us back to reflect that glory again. Every heart was given a mythic glory, and that glory is being restored. Remember the mission of Christ: “I have come to give you back your heart and set you free.” For as Saint Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” Certainly, you don’t think the opposite is true. How do we bring God glory when we are sulking around in the cellar, weighed down by shame and guilt, hiding our light under a bushel? Our destiny is to come fully alive. To live with ever-increasing glory. This is the Third Eternal Truth every good myth has been trying to get across to us: your heart bears a glory, and your glory is needed . . . now. This is our desperate hour.
(Waking the Dead , 74–75)
SO What?
How will you seek this glory out and display it to the world. If we are to be a light we must start now....it really is a desperate hour....so what are you going to do about it?
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Zealous!
Zeal- eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something
Psalm 69:9
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
Psalm 119:139
139 My zeal wears me out,
for my enemies ignore your words.
Proverbs 19:2
2 It is not good to have zeal without knowledge,
nor to be hasty and miss the way.
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 26:11
11 O LORD, your hand is lifted high,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.
Isaiah 59:17
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
Isaiah 63:15
15 Look down from heaven and see
from your lofty throne, holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us
The Lord is zealous for us with all of Him. His greatest passion is to show us His love. Being zealous for God draws us closer to His heart. Zeal for the Lord gives us strength to conquer the things that come our way. Zeal for the Lord even makes us do crazy things that people don't always understand but it doesn't matter because it was for the God of zeal. The thing is that when we choose God the zeal comes from Him. Study what it means to be zealous for God and for the things of Him, it will rock your world! How will you display God's zeal in your life, at home, at school, around your friends, with your family, and around people you know they don't know the God you are zealous for?
Psalm 69:9
9 for zeal for your house consumes me,
and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
Psalm 119:139
139 My zeal wears me out,
for my enemies ignore your words.
Proverbs 19:2
2 It is not good to have zeal without knowledge,
nor to be hasty and miss the way.
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 26:11
11 O LORD, your hand is lifted high,
but they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame;
let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.
Isaiah 59:17
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance
and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
Isaiah 63:15
15 Look down from heaven and see
from your lofty throne, holy and glorious.
Where are your zeal and your might?
Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us
The Lord is zealous for us with all of Him. His greatest passion is to show us His love. Being zealous for God draws us closer to His heart. Zeal for the Lord gives us strength to conquer the things that come our way. Zeal for the Lord even makes us do crazy things that people don't always understand but it doesn't matter because it was for the God of zeal. The thing is that when we choose God the zeal comes from Him. Study what it means to be zealous for God and for the things of Him, it will rock your world! How will you display God's zeal in your life, at home, at school, around your friends, with your family, and around people you know they don't know the God you are zealous for?
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