Having Jesus in Your Heart 12

The next in a series of articles based on the Gospel of Matthew intended to equip us to be better followers of Jesus Christ.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

“Furthermore it has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.” Matthew 5: 27-32

The behaviors required of a Christian are often extremely challenging. Yet throughout all His speeches there is a steady current of love carrying us along–Jesus loves us and never condemns; He lifts, does not put down; leaves us free and never compels. We know He is on our side, because He tells us clearly about the other side, which is spiritual death.

Each behavior Jesus describes has a promise attached to it. Every behavior Jesus asks us to do includes a blessing and so a good feeling. Many times it doesn’t look this way, but I suggest you consider where your resistance is coming from. I believe you will see that all resistance, fear, cynicism or fatalism is inspired in our minds by the hells.

Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 are all about how to live as a Christian. Some of the things Jesus Christ asks us are tough to do. Some are easy. Below is one way to view the sermon on the mount: as a collection of promises Jesus makes to us, and the requirements necessary for that promise to be fulfilled. Go through list below and grade each requirement on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being easy to do, 3 being hard to do, and 5 being impossible at this time (even though it might change when you are older). Maybe this will produce a "bucket list" for your spiritual life!

Promise

    Requirement

Being humble gets you everything

     Be humble

Being sad about your own and other’s evil will attract sympathy         

    Be sad when evil happens

Being powerless ends in winning  

    Let another person win an argument

Being curious about goodness       

   Always look for goodness in people gets you justice    

Forgiving others leads directly to being forgiven      

     Forgive unconditionally                

Being good leads to understanding everything

     Consistently do good actions

Making peace and harmony among people makes you powerful           

     Be a peacemaker

Being rejected means you are on your way to a wonderful life 

     Take the correct, but unpopular stand

Add spice to people’s lives                       

     Do random acts of kindness

Show people exactly who and what you are

     Be outgoing, honest, transparent

Obeying minor rules is just as important as obeying major one           

     Be consistently obedient

Your motive always colors your action                   

     Have integrity–acts match feelings   

You can go to hell                      

     Don’t get angry

You too will be judged                

     Don’t be judgmental in a mean way

What goes around, comes around   

     Don’t call people cruel names

Peace in relationships                  

     Be the first to apologize

Good relationships with the opposite sex

     Don’t label people, especially sexually

You can be enlightened and powerful                     

     Leave when pressured to do something wrong

A happy marriage                       

     Don’t make jokes about marriage or adultery

A marriage that lasts forever                     

     Show your disgust at jokes about sexuality

You will be respected by others     

     Tell the truth in love

You will be trusted by others                    

     Keep all your agreements and promises

Life will be fair; there will be justice          

     Resist attacks against your body, but not against your honor

Civil relationships                                  

     Don’t try to get revenge

Relationships based on spirituality

     Make friendship is more important that possessions

Relationships with mutual giving  

     When someone is mean (1st mile), be kind (2nd mile)

Maintaining your personal standards          

     Show and tell people that you care more about what God thinks of you than what they think of you

Healed torn relationships              

     Befriend your enemy; be respectful, kind, compassionate

Everyone feels “in”                                 

     Act friendly and kindly to people not in your group

People don’t hurt each other’s feelings                    

     Forgive people when they do you wrong

No one gossips                          

     Never say mean things about people not in your group

No one is judgmental                              

     Act like you know the Lord will judge the person

Feeling rewarded for doing good deeds

     Have pride IN your work, but not ABOUT your work

Feeling close to the Lord             

     Talk to Him

Feeling like He listens                             

     Talk to Him a lot, about anything and everything

Knowing you are saying the right  

     Say the Lord’s prayer as part of many prayer times things

Feeling secure in life                               

     Acknowledge Him for the little, as well as big, things

Feeling satisfied with life             

     Thank Him for what you have and who you are

Feeling safe                                           

     Thank Him for protecting you, naturally and spiritually

Feel forgiven                                         

     Forgive others

Your religion will make a difference           

     Make your piety joyful, especially during tough trials

People will see and acknowledge your goodness       

     Do good because it is good

Having treasure                                      

     Value your spirit as a precious gift

Never losing your treasure                        

     Eternal gifts last forever

The peace that comes from integrity                       

     Make goodness your most treasure possession

Enjoy everything you see                         

     Choose carefully what you look at

Desire spiritual light                                           

     Open your spiritual eyes

Want an idealism that makes a difference    

     Do what Jesus would do!

No worries                                                        

     Value your spiritual life more than natural

Feel free                                                

     Act like the Lord has given you freedom

Want to  mature                                     

     Remember that the Lord does it

No drudgery in your life                          

     Bring your love and passion to your work

Be beautiful/handsome                            

     Care for body; redefine “beauty” & “good looks”

Have everything you want                        

     Learn to want only what you need

Enjoy life                                                          

     Live in the present; let Lord care about results

The Lord never misjudges                        

     Take measurements and remember you will be measured

Clear sightedness                                    

     Don’t pretend you don’t do the same bad things others do

Being helpful to erring friends                  

     Stop sinning, and you can be of great help to your friends

Be the pearl God made you                                  

     Don’t hang with people who will throw you in the mud

Opportunity, success, fulfillment               

     Perseverance pays off when based on charity

Being blessed with a good feeling                        

     Develop a clear picture of how wonderful the Lord is by looking at how wonderful people can be

What goes around, comes around               

     Act like this is true: what you put out always comes back

Don’t follow a crowd                                          

     Start your own

Watch what people do and say                  

     You will learn who they really are

Able to walk the walk                                                     

     Talk the talk and then walk the walk

The urge to be hypocritical or sarcastic is gone

     Do non random acts of kindness every day

You can be wise or foolish                                   

     Depending on where you stand, not how you look

Be astonished                                                    

     It’s a Christian thing

(Okay, I made that last one up - but it is the feeling I have as I consider how awesome and loving my Lord is!)