This is a subject that i'm very interested in exploring. Does Jesus really mean for us to love like he told us to? The reason i ask is because i've heard Christians, including preachers, explain away things that are in the bible all my life. What i mean is that people have said that Jesus didn't really mean this or that literally. There are hard subjects to except for sure, but does that really mean that Jesus or Paul or Peter didn't literally mean what they said. i'm confused by this as i'm sure a lot of people are. The fact, i believe, is that everything Jesus & all other authors in the scriptures have said are meant to be taken literally as hard to except as they may be. That's my take on it.
So on the subject of love, how far should we take it? i will guarantee that the majority of people in the church today will have a problem with taking Matthew 5:38-42 literally. I admit that it is hard to swallow, but how far did Jesus go with it? Well if you read about his life in the bible you will definitely find that he practiced what he preached. So what does that mean for us? Read it for yourself.
Matthew 5:38-42
38-42 “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
Now we're to the really hard part. What do you think? Does he mean for us to go that far? Really? Well, being the very radical person that i am, i really believe that Jesus meant every word of it. i think that Jesus wants us to love everybody, even our enemies to the point that they might even think we're crazy. Jesus loves like that. Why as His children, should we not love the same way? i'm telling you right now that our culture has it all wrong. We have to be right about everything & nobody should ever offend us. After all we have our image to protect. We're on top of our game, we're successful, we have things that mean a lot to us, we're important. i could talk excuses all day long. Think about it. What's more important than the kingdom of God. We may not understand it, but the King & the creator of the world lived by what he said. Are we more important than him?
Please consider what i've said, many of us are so luke warm, including me. It's time that we get real.
By the way, i'm using the message bible, because it is very easy to understand. It's in our language and speaks the way we speak.
God bless.
So on the subject of love, how far should we take it? i will guarantee that the majority of people in the church today will have a problem with taking Matthew 5:38-42 literally. I admit that it is hard to swallow, but how far did Jesus go with it? Well if you read about his life in the bible you will definitely find that he practiced what he preached. So what does that mean for us? Read it for yourself.
Matthew 5:38-42
38-42 “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
Now we're to the really hard part. What do you think? Does he mean for us to go that far? Really? Well, being the very radical person that i am, i really believe that Jesus meant every word of it. i think that Jesus wants us to love everybody, even our enemies to the point that they might even think we're crazy. Jesus loves like that. Why as His children, should we not love the same way? i'm telling you right now that our culture has it all wrong. We have to be right about everything & nobody should ever offend us. After all we have our image to protect. We're on top of our game, we're successful, we have things that mean a lot to us, we're important. i could talk excuses all day long. Think about it. What's more important than the kingdom of God. We may not understand it, but the King & the creator of the world lived by what he said. Are we more important than him?
Please consider what i've said, many of us are so luke warm, including me. It's time that we get real.
By the way, i'm using the message bible, because it is very easy to understand. It's in our language and speaks the way we speak.
God bless.
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