Greetings Dear Reader
Rather, love your enemies, help them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward. You will be the children of the Most High God. After all, he is kind to unthankful and evil people. Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and you will receive. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your pocket. The standards you use for others will be applied to you." - Jesus of Nazareth as quoted by Luke the Physician
I have begun to evaluate very carefully the standards I use for assessing others. Given Christ’s words on the subject, I have little wiggle room not to see everyone as deserving of my love and respect. When you talk about this matter with people they bring up situations and personal incidents as a rationalization for judging and rejecting others. Christ gives us no such latitude.
The measure of my obligation is quite clear. The bubble of the level centers on how God the Father treats me. The plumb hangs directly over the measure of grace and mercy that I wish to have and it swings only as far as I am willing to extend myself in the direction of the Father’s love. In light of Christ’s words, my options are both limited and infinite.
· I am to love my enemies: First I must try to have a few as possible, but when someone insists on being my enemy then I must love them.
· I am to help my enemies: I am sure this does not mean in being an enemy but rather to see an enemy’s need and to help them with it.
· I am to give freely to my enemies: It is easy to assist someone when I expect it to gain something for me. This behavior is always suspect. I must love so deeply that the reward is in the giving. It is worthy of note here that when we give freely without expectation of reward that God is free to give back to us. It is also vital to note that the Father is the example in that “he is kind to unthankful and evil people.”
· I am to be as merciful as the Father: Just pondering the magnitude of this shakes me to the marrow. The bubble of God’s mercy is this; He let us kill his Son so he could redeem us. He sees me sin and still loves me as and where I am. This alone should be enough for me to show mercy in great magnitude to everyone.
· I am not to condemn others: I do not know the hearts of men. I cannot read minds. While I have much insight into people, it is not my place to do anything but use that insight to love them as the Father would. Measure for measure God will release me from condemnation as I do others.
· I am not to judge others: This is so simple. I need to just refuse to pass judgment on someone else. I know how much it hurts to be judged by others. Why would I visit that pain on someone else?
· I am to forgive: Every time I fail to do this I add weight to my own soul. I am too much in need of mercy to tip the balance by failing to forgive others.
· I am to give: Since nothing is mine anyway this should be easy. I can give of myself and of all that I have without fear loss. The Father promises to supply my needs so I will lack nothing. If there is a place where God is unbalanced it is in rewarding those who give as he wishes them to give.
The standards I use for others will be applied to me. It really is that simple. Since I am so in need of love, mercy, forgiveness, and help, how can I dare to withhold these things from anyone? If I do not commit my whole person to bringing these things as close as possible to the level that God wishes, then I am truly going to be out of balance and deeply in want.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."
Rather, love your enemies, help them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward. You will be the children of the Most High God. After all, he is kind to unthankful and evil people. Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give and you will receive. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your pocket. The standards you use for others will be applied to you." - Jesus of Nazareth as quoted by Luke the Physician
I have begun to evaluate very carefully the standards I use for assessing others. Given Christ’s words on the subject, I have little wiggle room not to see everyone as deserving of my love and respect. When you talk about this matter with people they bring up situations and personal incidents as a rationalization for judging and rejecting others. Christ gives us no such latitude.The measure of my obligation is quite clear. The bubble of the level centers on how God the Father treats me. The plumb hangs directly over the measure of grace and mercy that I wish to have and it swings only as far as I am willing to extend myself in the direction of the Father’s love. In light of Christ’s words, my options are both limited and infinite.
· I am to love my enemies: First I must try to have a few as possible, but when someone insists on being my enemy then I must love them.
· I am to help my enemies: I am sure this does not mean in being an enemy but rather to see an enemy’s need and to help them with it.
· I am to give freely to my enemies: It is easy to assist someone when I expect it to gain something for me. This behavior is always suspect. I must love so deeply that the reward is in the giving. It is worthy of note here that when we give freely without expectation of reward that God is free to give back to us. It is also vital to note that the Father is the example in that “he is kind to unthankful and evil people.”
· I am to be as merciful as the Father: Just pondering the magnitude of this shakes me to the marrow. The bubble of God’s mercy is this; He let us kill his Son so he could redeem us. He sees me sin and still loves me as and where I am. This alone should be enough for me to show mercy in great magnitude to everyone.
· I am not to condemn others: I do not know the hearts of men. I cannot read minds. While I have much insight into people, it is not my place to do anything but use that insight to love them as the Father would. Measure for measure God will release me from condemnation as I do others.
· I am not to judge others: This is so simple. I need to just refuse to pass judgment on someone else. I know how much it hurts to be judged by others. Why would I visit that pain on someone else?
· I am to forgive: Every time I fail to do this I add weight to my own soul. I am too much in need of mercy to tip the balance by failing to forgive others.
· I am to give: Since nothing is mine anyway this should be easy. I can give of myself and of all that I have without fear loss. The Father promises to supply my needs so I will lack nothing. If there is a place where God is unbalanced it is in rewarding those who give as he wishes them to give.
The standards I use for others will be applied to me. It really is that simple. Since I am so in need of love, mercy, forgiveness, and help, how can I dare to withhold these things from anyone? If I do not commit my whole person to bringing these things as close as possible to the level that God wishes, then I am truly going to be out of balance and deeply in want.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure store."
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