Sugar Coated FALSE Christianity

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying...

 

Mat 5:29  And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Mat 5:30  And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

 

Truthfully our Savior is NOT telling us to mutilate our bodies. If He were advocating this drastic measure don't you think we'd hear of many cases of it occurring from then on? Wouldn't Paul have cut off parts of his body that caused Him to say -

 

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

 

The point being emphasized here is how important it is to CONTROL all the we CAN control, without making up excuses for ourselves. Jesus HIMSELF is teaching us, telling us that we must at great sacrifice to our flesh desires cast out all that would become the seeds of lust in ourselves, seeds that will germinate and grow into full blown sin. 

 

The gravity of the situation being -that it would be better to blind ourselves than give into the lust our sight is tempting us towards. It would be better to cut off our hands rather than let the sins produced by our actions remain.  Unchecked temptation leads to lust and lust once it has been allowed to conceive in our hearts is sin, and sin leads to death- everlasting death- permanent annihilation.

 

Rev_20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

 

It is better for us to SUFFER now than suffer the loss of eternity.

 

We don't want that though. We don't want to suffer. It's as if we don't truly believe in eternity, because if we truly believed in eternity wouldn't it be worth suffering ANY deprivation here and now in order to receive eternity? Seriously, wouldn't it?

 

Doesn't it all come down to whether or not we believe in the Gospel of Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven?

 

How often do people suffer for things they truly believe in?

 

Your paycheck is a reality to you so you suffer the work necessary to receive the paycheck.

 

While you are working you usually don't see the money you'll receive, but you have faith that you will get a paycheck after you work. Would you work for very long if you weren't receiving the paycheck? No. At some point you'd most likely stop working because why suffer to do the work when you get nothing from it, no money and therefore no compensation for your time, no earning to make your living and keep you in your necessities in which to live.

 

So it comes down to FAITH.

 

Do we BELIEVE in CHRIST'S MESSAGE?  Watch out, if you say yes then you are agreeing that you must suffer, truly suffer here and now in this world if you want the next world.  Are you prepared to SUFFER now?

 

You might not be suffering under the physical abuse from a group of non-believers threatening your very life because of what you believe, but you will be called to suffer to NOT give into lusting whatever lust you are tempted towards. And ask almost anyone trying to abstain from giving into sin- IT'S NOT EASY! IT IS SUFFERING! REAL, REAL SUFFERING that we are called to suffer!

 

Our SAVIOR tells us to CUT OFF a body part! To PLUCK OUT and eye!  No, He isn't telling us to do that literally, He is stressing just  how extremely important it is that we KEEP from allowing lust have it's way in us!

 

We just shrug it off so much, we just say- oh well, I'm human and He knows that. We love to make excuses for ourselves so that we CANNOT SUFFER what it would take to keep from indulging our lusts.

 

We don't want to suffer and that's the bottom line.

 

Would Jesus have spoken these words-

 

Joh_5:14  Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

 

Joh_8:11  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

 

Sin no more.

 

Would He have said those words if He didn't mean them?

 

Jesus was telling the man in the temple that his sins have consequences. Jesus was telling the adulteress that she shouldn't continue in her sinful behavior that resulted in the condemnation of her. She was forgiven but that was not a license to continue in her sin.

 

Jesus knows what it means to suffer.

Jesus know what it means to be tempted.

 

Heb_4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

 

Jokingly one of my sisters replied that Jesus didn't have to resist chocolate cake.  She's right. But He had things equivalent to chocolate cake that tempted Him just as much as that chocolate cake is tempting us. 

 

We have trained ourselves to be indulgent, especially those of us who live in countries filled with encouragement to excess, to indulgence under the guise of labeling it prosperity, or labeling it our due because we are not prosperous, either way we've got it covered- the rich and poor. We believe we are OWED self-indulgence and because of this we have trained ourselves to sin willfully and NOT to call it sin, NOT to call it everlasting death, NOT to call it loss of salvation,  NOT to call it the loss of eternity, NOT to call it the loss of LOVE, NOT to call it the loss of JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR! We label it under so many different names and believe it to be so many things other than what it really is!  We do that so we can indulge without repentance, so that we can pat ourselves on the back and tell ourselves it's okay.

 

Why, tell me WHY, Jesus would speak these very HARSH truths to us if we were not supposed to LEARN from  them?! If we were NOT supposed to think about the outcome, the results of our sinning then WHY, again I ask, tell me WHY Jesus is teaching this way?!

 

You want soft sugar coated Christianity, I tell you there is NO SUCH THING as soft sugar coated Christianity, but there IS such a thing as soft sugar coated FALSE Christianity and many, many love that sweet, soothing, indulgent religion.

 

Please LORD, please teach us Your TRUTHS! Help us LORD to LEARN Your TRUTHS! Please LORD be with us, let the HOLY SPIRIT keep us in YOU! Forgive us LORD, forgive us! Help us! SAVE US!

 

All in YOUR LOVE! YOUR AMAZING LOVE!

 

Amen.

Lust is the first inkling of sin, the seed of sin seeking fertile ground in which to grow.

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying...

 

Mat 5:27  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

 

This goes hand in hand with this--

 

Jas_1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

 

Lust.

 

We've been taught that LUST is normal.

 

Why have we been taught this? Because people want to make sin acceptable because once sin is labeled acceptable it is no longer sin, no longer wrong.  Tell me something though, has God EVER changed sin to make it acceptable?  Is sin always sin?

 

We'd much rather change our ideas of what sin is than stop sinning.  If we can't stop the sin,  we stop calling it sin, people do it ALL the time.

 

Jesus said that from old you've been told NOT to commit adultery.  Adultery is taking the wife of another sexually.  Jesus magnified that law to get to the MEANING behind the law, to the depths of the law. The depths, the meaning being there is MORE than the outcome of sin, that the sinning starts before the act brought about as a consequence of indulging the sin.  

 

Sin will occur without lust, without forethought. We even have sins of ignorance.

 

Sins brought about by lust, intentional sin is something we allow ourselves to indulge in.  This is much like the difference between murder and manslaughter.   Both murder and manslaughter are wrong but murder is more grievous and punished much more severely- understandably so.  Our LUSTS are sins.  Our LUSTS lead to greater sin.   We don't want to believe this because people say our natural desire is to lust and it's harmless. It's far from harmless.  Yes, we have natural desires, but we INDULGE what is natural to the point of making it unnatural, and that is wrong.  We were given the desire to procreate, it was made enjoyable, that does not mean because we were given this special gift of intimacy that we are to pervert it.

 

Having a desire for someone is different from indulged lust.

 

Lust is an INTENSE desire.

 

We can fuel our desires and turn them into lusts.

 

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jas 1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

 

Tempted by our lust, enticed towards our LUST  being conceived-   being conceived is what leads towards being born.  Our conceived lusts bear the fruit of sin.  We cannot let our LUST be conceived, set in our hearts, our minds, our thoughts, our lives so it brings for sin!

 

We all know the process, but we'd much rather not think about that process. If we think about the process then we are held accountable for our knowledge of that process and how it works in us.

 

Jesus told us it was SIN to lust, and it is a sin to let LUST conceive in our hearts because it leads to greater SIN.

 

We all know sin is sin, and all sin deserves death.

All sin must be repented up as we seek forgiveness from our Savior.

 

Jesus doesn't want us to sin.

Jesus doesn't want us to let lust conceive inside us, because that lust is the first  inkling of sin, the seed of sin seeking fertile ground in which to grow.

 

We are being taught!

We must learn!

 

Let us, by the grace of GOD recognize the first twinge of desire that goes awry so that we might not let it be conceived into sin.

 

Please LORD help us!

 

Help us to learn what You are teaching, truly learn so that we can LIVE as You want us to live- in YOU always!

 

In Your LOVE.

 

 

Agree with your adversary quickly

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

 

Mat 5:25  Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Mat 5:26  Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

 

Be reconciled with our enemies.

 

It's true that people who purposely set out to hurt others and do as much damage to them as possible will not generally be swayed from that course of action. But while a situation is developing if at all possible we must do everything we possibly can - as children of God - to defuse it.  We ARE NOT to be stubborn- this is NOT what God wants of us, this is not what Christ is teaching us.  We ARE NOT to hold fast to our pride at the expense of all else.  A person who can, will make someone pay to the uttermost for any slight incurred- whether deliberate or not. When we get a hold of our pride and let it run away with us the damage it is causing can be irreparable.

 

Have you ever had an argument with someone that went on far longer than it had to because you held fast to your pride?

 

We are to be selfless, not prideful.

 

Even if we are RIGHT a person arguing how much they are right, refusing to just let a situation go, will often suffer for their insistence at being right.

 

I'm not talking about denouncing Christ or our walk with God, I'm talking about arguing over mundane things. Does the fact we are right- perhaps someone took money from us, stole from us and we know it but they insist they didn't. Do we hold fast to our belief that they stole from us to the point they are able to convince a judge that we are bad mouthing them, slandering them because we have no proof of the theft? Does the fact we are in the right mean that much to us? Should it?

 

The ultimate Judge, our God, our Savior will judge in truth knowing all things, nothing hidden from them. Rather than our desire to be RIGHT being paramount, we should be desiring leniency, desiring a way to reveal forgiveness and love even to those who do not want to admit to wrong doing.

 

Our Savior stood before judges and they ordered Him crucified. Did He throw a fit trying to convince them of His innocence?  Did He submit to His sentence, though it was of the grossest injustice? How did He behave as One who was completely innocent?  He is our EXAMPLE in all things.

 

We are NOT to give in to arguing and fighting - even if it's just verbally- with anyone  over anything.  

 

We do though. We argue all the time. Maybe not huge fights but little spats.  Is it possible our little spats are just as bad as larger arguments?  Is it better to have 100 little spats or 10 large fights?  Who determines all this?  The truth is  - it's better not to argue at all- a little bit, or a lot and this is what our SAVIOR was trying to teach us.  Not to be prone to arguing for ANY REASON AT ALL!

 

We don't know when any argument we have might snowball out of control far beyond anything we ever imagined.

 

Arguing is wrong.

 

We will pay in some way for all our arguing because all our arguing has consequences.

 

By the grace of God may we STOP fighting with others, STOP arguing, STOP trying to prove our rightness even if we are as right as right can be.  May we ever remember our SAVIOR standing before His judges and how He behaved. May we ever recall how our SAVIOR treated those who taunted Him.  May we LIVE with CHRIST ever our EXAMPLE, ever before us, ever in our LIVES.

 

All in HIS LOVE!

Reconciled

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying

 

Mat 5:23  Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

Mat 5:24  Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

 

God does NOT want us to be HIS if we aren't right with OTHERS.

 

We are NOT GOD'S if we have others against us and do NOTHING to be reconciled to them.  If we have angst with others we are NOT being God's.  If we've made others turn against us by our actions WE are NOT being GOD'S.

 

Jesus is teaching us to LOVE above ALL else.

 

To CHOOSE the good of others even before we choose our own good.

 

So we do NOT dare insult our God by trying to show our love to HIM when we will not show love to others as HE WANTS US TO DO!

 

He is our example. We talked yesterday about imitating Christ and we can ONLY do this through the GRACE of Christ, through HIS power, through the HOLY SPIRIT.  When we submit to God, when we surrender to God, when we allow ourselves to hold God as our CREATOR, our REDEEMER, we are INVITING HIM to take over our lives.  As He takes over our lives, we are able to imitate HIM.  When we are living IN HIM and HE in US, we will LOVE OTHERS as HE intends us to love them.

 

We will have NOTHING against others and we can freely offer to God all that we are.

 

Reconciled to our brothers.

 

Webster's -  'To conciliate anew; to call back into union and friendship the affections which have been alienated; to restore to friendship or favor after estrangement; as, to reconcile men or parties that have been at variance.'

 

If we believe we can hold grudges against others for wrongs they may have done to us, we are wrong.  Forgiveness to ALL.  We have no right to hold back forgiveness, none.

 

If we hold back forgiveness then WE ARE NOT FORGIVEN.

 

Remember this--

 

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

 

We truly are forgiven as we forgive.

 

How we live our lives with others is what God sees, what God knows of us and our Savior is teaching us how we MUST love others. 

 

We must, by HIS GRACE, learn love.

Imitate Christ

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

 

Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:21  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

Mat 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

 

 

We are being taught by our Savior.

 

The lesson-

 

Our righteousness must NOT be for show.

Our love for our fellow man must NOT be for show.

 

We can try to  manufacture our own brand of righteousness, we can do our best and none of that will be good enough. We - in and of ourselves - have no real saving righteousness.  We must learn of our Savior HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, we must learn of our Savior HIS LOVE FOR US.

 

His LOVE goes far beyond our strict interpretation of the moral law.

 

The Scribes and Pharisees worked it so they could get around the moral laws by adding their own interpretations of them.

 

When the law says 'Thou shalt not kill' , the scribes and pharisees hold that to be true but have NO law against feeling hatred towards others, NO law against wanting to kill others, NO law against bad mouthing others, NO law against demeaning others.   They might not have killed anyone in reality but they tortured them unjustly in other ways.

 

How many people out there are brutal towards others all the while patting themselves on the back for not being like those sicko psycho murderers that come along?  They are honestly believing they much better than a murderer because they don't take that life. Their brutality with their words and actions that can kill another in other ways, means nothing to them.

 

Our Savior clarified, He magnified the law. He put the law under that microscope and called on us to look at it closer, to see the TRUTH in it that goes far beyond merely staying our hands from ending a life.

 

LOVE is the truth.

 

TRUE love as HE LOVES.

 

We can't imagine our SAVIOR treating us brutally, can we?  Take a moment and think about it. Can you imagine Jesus Christ our Lord being viciously nasty, cruel, snide, hateful, unkind, unloving in any way towards us?

 

We can't imagine it because HE lived the law in it's fullest, in all it's LOVE.

 

He LOVED, He is LOVE, we can ONLY imitate that love and cling to HIM allowing HIM to love in the reality what we can only strive towards.

 

Eph 5:1  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children

 

The word for followers is this--

 

- Transliteration: Mimetes

- Phonetic: mim-ay-tace'

- Definition:

1. an imitator

 

IMITATOR!

 

The Literal Translation of the Holy Bible - interprets Eph. 5:1 this way--

 

Eph 5:1  Then become imitators of God, as beloved children

 

Imitators of God.

 

What does it mean to be an imitator?

 

Webster-

Imitate

IMI'TATE, v.t. [L. imitor; allied perhaps to Gr. similar, equal.]

 

1. To follow in manners; to copy in form, color or quality. We imitate another in dress or manners; we imitate a statue, a painting, a sound, an action, when we make or do that which resembles it. We should seek the best models to imitate, and in morals and piety, it is our duty to imitate the example of our Savior. But as we cannot always make an exact similitude of the original,hence,

 

2. To attempt or endeavor to copy or resemble; as, to imitate the colors of the rainbow, or any of the beauties of nature. Cicero appears to have imitated the Greek orators.

 

3. To counterfeit.

 

This hand appear'd a shining sword to wield,

 

And that sustain'd an imitated shield.

 

4. To pursue the course of a composition, so as to use like images and examples.

 

*******

 

Eph 5:1  Then become imitators of God, as beloved children

 

As beloved children.

 

A beloved child  will imitate it's parents- you see it all the time. Right now I have a young 11month old niece a few weeks shy of being a year old and she imitates so much it amazes me!  We know that she is learning as she imitates, taking everything in, absorbing it all like a sponge as her intellect grows as she matures.   I have a step great niece three years old whom I've seen pictures of as she imitates her mother's hair stylist job.  Children imitate and as they do they truly are learning.

 

We are to imitate GOD, to imitate CHRIST! He is teaching us to do this! He wants us to do this! We can only truly strive to do this and in doing so we will learn to LOVE as HE would have us LOVE, as HE LOVES.

 

Our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the supposed religious leaders, those who claim to be closest to God, and the only way this can be is if we seek CHRIST and in seeking Him we seek to IMITATE HIM- we- His beloved children.

 

All by HIS LOVE!

All by HIS GRACE!

All by HIS MERCY!

Jesus said- Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying-

 

Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Mat 5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

 

The law.

The prophets.

 

Our Savior did not come to destroy all that had been built already. Our Savior's birth, life, death, and resurrection are all foretold by the prophets- to destroy them would be to destroy His own foretelling. Messages given by prophets long ago are relevant to us TODAY.

 

Jesus said this--

 

Mat_24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

 

Jesus is reaffirming the prophet Daniel who lived hundreds and hundreds of years before He took on flesh. A prophecy of Daniel's would be relevant to those in the future yet, not all of Daniel's prophecies had been fulfilled and Jesus is reaffirming this.  He did NOT come to destroy the prophets or their prophecies as some would have others believe. Some want to believe that the entire old testament is meaningless. Some want to believe Jesus came to give NEW teachings to replace all the OLD, doing away with the old. The truth is, Jesus EXPANDED on old truths, Jesus became the living sacrifice the old sacrificial system portrayed,  and Jesus lived all the truths, keeping all the moral laws of His own creation.  How could anyone claim Jesus DESTROYED the moral laws if HE LIVED THEM and HE is our EXAMPLE.

 

1Pe_2:21  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps

 

If we are to follow in Christ's steps we must keep the LAW as HE kept the law, He magnified the law taking it to the next level, not letting anyone get away with merely keeping the letter of the law, but charging them to keep the spirit of the law as well.

 

Mat 5:21  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

Mat 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

 

The spirit of the law.

 

Mat 5:27  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Mat 5:28  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

 

The spirit of the law.

 

Jesus did NOT come to destroy the law or the prophets.

 

Mat 5:17  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Mat 5:18  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Mat 5:19  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

 

 

He came to fulfil- to LIVE the law, to LIVE His life as foretold by the prophets.

 

In magnifying the law our SAVIOR brought it to life and taught us how we are to live the law.

 

If we break HIS commandments in any way- if we do not LOVE Him, if we do not LOVE others as we are commanded and do so in ALL our actions- every single ONE, teaching others these LAWS, these COMMANDMENTS of the purest love, then we will be held accountable.

 

Our SAVIOR is TEACHING US!

 

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them

 

ARE WE LEARNING?!

 

By HIS GRACE may we LEARN all that we need to LEARN, all the HE would have us LEARN.

 

Please Lord, bless us, help us! Keep us in YOU LORD!

 

IN YOUR LOVE!

Salt of the earth

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

 

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

 

Would you USE salt if it had no flavor to it?

What would be the point in using salt in our food if it added nothing to the food. In and of itself the salt isn't something we can eat very much of, but add it to our food and it gives it amazing new flavors. It can take a very bland meal and make it any thing but bland. Salt has amazing powers to transform the taste of the foods we eat. A lot of chefs will tell you that people make the mistake of using too little salt but that robs the food of it's potential flavor. Go to restaurants where they have no trouble adding a lot of salt to their food and people enjoy eating their immensely. They don't have to overly concern themselves with the amount of salt they are getting, it's a special treat. They're indulging themselves. Without the salt in most of our processed food, we would not eat much of it. Time and again I've tried low salt soups and inevitably there are complaints about it just not tasting good. Yes, it's probably healthier not to eat so much salt, but even recently there was an article in some magazine about how maybe, just maybe salt has been given a really bad rap-undeservedly and it's not quite as bad for you as it's been made to seem.  Of course that's neither here nor there, the fact remains that leave the salt out of your food and you will know right away that something is missing.

 

So back to the question- would you use salt if it had not flavor to it, if it added nothing to your food?

 

No.  There would be no point. It would be like adding tasteless grit for absolutely no reason.  You would not bother to add something to your food that brought no value to it. Every single ingredient put into the various recipes you make has it's purpose.  Even if that purpose is to add color to a colorless meal, it has a purpose.

Salt without it's ability to be salty would be useless just as the dirt of the ground, you wouldn't eat the dirt.

WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH.

 

As the salt of the earth we have something to give to others, something of great benefit.  If we do NOT have anything to give, if we've lost our ability to reveal Christ to others as we LIVE for HIM, SUFFER for HIM, MOURN for HIM, are POOR in SPIRIT for HIM, as we are REVILED and PERSECUTED for HIM, then we are as pointless as salt that adds NOTHING to the things being salted.

 

Our lives are to be revelations of CHRIST to the world.

Not just an hour a week part of us, not just a daily blog, not just a single day set aside, not just being good in many ways, not just about giving to the poor, helping the needy, or even reading God's word. Our ENTIRE lives are to be revelations of CHRIST.

 

If we are revealing Christ in our lives to others we are not Christ's. We can pretend to be Christ's, we can imagine ourselves as being His as we willfully sin over and over without any true repentance, but that's all it is- pretend.

 

Salt of the earth.

 

If you heard that saying in a movie, one person telling another they're the salt of the earth, what would you imagine it meant? That they were a good person, a worthy person, down to earth, reliable. 

 

Our Savior wants us to learn that being the salt of the earth with great savor, with something to offer to those around us is a great thing. To be someone who has nothing to offer others is not to be such a great thing at all.

 

The following verses go hand in hand with the lesson being taught-

 

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

 

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

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

 

The light of the world.

A city on a hill- unable to be hidden.

A candle on a candlestick- not hidden under a bush but lighting up all around it.

 

WE are these things!

 

How are we these things?!

 

We have to let those around us SEE OUR GOOD WORKS-and know they are of GOD and glorify GOD.

 

Our lives are to be spent as living witnesses of CHRIST, not as self-absorbed, self obsessed, egotistical people. 

 

If all our lives do is reflect ourselves- there is NO GLORIFYING God in that, none.  He is to be GLORIFIED in us!

 

Others are to KNOW that any good that comes from us in reality comes from our GOD, we are not to take any glory for ourselves. We won't want to as we realize without our GOD we have nothing, we are nothing!

 

God is all things!

 

Those suffering can glorify God because they KNOW their suffering is for a purpose most likely far beyond their ability to comprehend, yet they TRUST in GOD, knowing HE is in CONTROL of ALL THINGS! The ETERNITY offered with HIM is the prize, the working towards that prize is all the pain and suffering, all the abuse we suffer here and now. Only comprehending this do we find a reason for life being what it is. Only in this comprehension can we find real HOPE.

 

This existence is NOT all there is for us and this is the message our Savior came to bring to the world. There is HOPE of existing with HIM in heaven, in a new earth!

 

Our HOPE is CHRIST and this is the HOPE we must share with the world! 

 

Our good works are the works that come from HIS lessons! Our good works are works that point to HIM!

By HIS grace and love, by HIS mercy and forgiveness, by HIS amazing existence we can have HOPE!

 

There is SO MUCH MORE THAN LIFE AS WE KNOW IT TO BE!

 

We are living the life of a caterpillar, slinking about on our bellies on short little legs right now but we have the HOPE of becoming butterflies, God's butterflies! He will transform us. We live untransformed here and now and we enter the cocoon of death's sleep and by GOD'S GRACE we will be awakened by HIM when He returns and transformed into new beings we will fly to meet Him in the air and EVER BE WITH HIM! 

 

Right now our lives might be great big messes in the worldly sense, but by faith in our God they can still be revelations for others of GOD'S LOVE, our lives can glorify GOD.