If We Believe What We Say We Believe
If We Believe What We Say We Believe
Things did not go as we had planned. Our celebration was postponed and we all went our separate ways until things get better – hopefully much better. So far, 9 of our family of 14 have been bitten by the stomach bug. It is not pretty. So, our family Christmas has been rescheduled. Since I was one of the fallen – the final Beatitude blog post did not make it to print. It stayed on hold until now. Hmmm… one thing I have learned is that God is not surprised by any of this and is in fact in total control. For some reason – one I may never understand – this post needed to be done today – right now – and for some reason, you were meant to be reading it at this very moment. I wonder what is in this post that is specifically for you. Let’s get started.
If you have been following along, you know that we have talked about Jesus sitting on the side of that mountain and teaching the disciples about their new way of life. You see, if we believe what we say we believe then we need to exchange our old ways for these new ways of life. The Beatitudes tell us who it is we are to be in the process of becoming. No more - this is just who I am, how I was raised, what I was taught. We are to be done with living for ourselves – seeking our way, our will and our selfish ambition. Instead, we are to be living for Him – the One who came and lived and died and rose again – Jesus. You see, by now we are to know that this life is not about us at all, instead it is all about Him!
We have just spent an enormous amount of money because we said we were celebrating the birth of our Savior. We bought gifts, cooked food, decorated our homes and declared we were remembering. But, did we? Did we stop and remember? Did we talk about it? Did we teach our children and our grandchildren…
“For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
“that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” I Corinthians 15:3-4
Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”John 14:1-3
And if we believe what we say we believe, then we know that Jesus is speaking directly to each of us when He finished the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 with verses 13-16…
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing, but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
To understand what Jesus meant when He said, we are the salt of the earth, we must first understand that pure salt maintains its flavor. But in Israel, the salt would be mixed with other ingredients. When it was exposed to the elements the salt would be leached out and it would be thrown out and used to coat pathways. If we believe what we say we believe – we should not lose our zeal for Jesus. If our belief is distorted or mixed with other beliefs, what good is it? Jesus is our Way, our Truth and our Life. When we lose sight of that – get too busy, distracted and self-focused – what we say we believe is of no value. We are not to be lukewarm believers.
Jesus says, “YOU are the light of the world.” Me? Is He talking to me? Is He talking to you? WE are to be the light of the world? Yes, that is what we are to be. However, we are not THE light. Jesus is THE light! He is THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD! We are to be reflective light. Our light is Jesus burning brightly within each of us. You see, when that is happening we are able to be poor in spirit, mournful over our sin, meek, hungry for His righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers. We are able to endure persecution and judgment by the world, counting it all joy because we know He is with us and using it to strengthen us. We are blessed, exceedingly happy, because He is ours, because everything He is is ours, because everything He has is ours.
Don’t you see, it is not the weak who are meek and humble, turning the other cheek, offering forgiveness and being quiet. All of those things reveal spiritual maturity and great strength. None of us are that brave or that strong on our own. We are little David’s, strapping on the armor of God and going into battle, understanding that it is His strength and His power that is driving us to be pure in heart, to be quiet, and to let our Light, our Jesus, shine through us.
When we behold the glory of the Lord, we will reflect it. Not so that others see us, but so that they see Him who is alive in us. We are to be His light bearers.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Philippians 2:14-16
Let your Light, Jesus, shine brightly!
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