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Posts Tagged ‘Matthew 05’

Jumping for Joy

Posted in Christ, Joy, tagged on January 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Our Joyful Monday scripture comes from the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:12.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Matthew 5:11-12 (KJV)

Jesus tells the crowd that when they are persecuted for his sake they are to “rejoice” and be exceedingly glad because they have a great reward waiting for them in heaven.

That word, “Rejoice” literally means “Jump for Joy”, like the winning team on the football field when the game has been won.

We jump for joy when something good happens, but Jesus said to jump for joy BEFORE something good happens.  That’s a big difference.

When our fourth child was born, we got bad news.  Something was wrong, they could’t figure it out.  Days in the hospital went by until finally they sent him home with no diagnosis but with a big bill which the insurance refused to pay.

It was oppressive. We were poor and constantly harassed for the moneyI We didn’t know what was wrong with our child or if he would survive.  Tension headaches were constant.

I heard a message on rejoicing in the midst of problems, so I decided to act.  When the pressure was unbearable I would find a private place to actually jump and praise God for the doctors, the bill collectors, the uncertainty and As I did this the pressure eased and I would go back to work.  This would happen several times a day as months went by.  Each time it was a matter of choice instead of feeling; intentional not reactive.

Through a miraculous series of events, the hospital bill was paid and we were free.  A friend said, “I bet you jumped for joy when that happened!”  “Friend”, I replied, the jumping for joy took place before the miracle.  

Are you in an oppressive situation?  Make the decision to intentionally rejoice (Jump for Joy), we have a great God who does miracles.

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Following a Follower

Posted in Character, Committment, Explanations, Paul, Recognizing Christ, tagged , on December 29, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” — Apostle Paul (1st Corinthians 11:1)

Christ is the one we are to follow but some don’t, yet, have that connection. Some can’t “see” him and telling them to do so is ineffective.

But they do see us and some follow if not by their actions then certainly by watching our lives unfold — whether we realize it or not.

When Jesus said in his famous “Sermon on the Mount” that we are the light of the world and then added the analogy of a city on a hill (Mtt. 5:14) he meant that more people see a light than those in the light know.

I visited an uncle on his deathbed. We weren’t ever close and had never talked so I thought he knew little about me but when I walked in he said he knew I knew God and he asked me to tell him how to face eternity. He gave his life to Christ that night and sang for joy.

Embrace the calling as Paul did and follow Christ closely — little ones, and not so little, are watching.

— fritz.

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Understanding Rocked!

Posted in Commandments, tagged , , on April 2, 2011| 1 Comment »

Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. – Jesus (Matthew 19:8)

Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees when goaded about God’s law for divorce rocks our understanding of the Bible, if we will only think about it a minute.

If God made the divorce laws in the Old Testament as a concession like Jesus said, limiting it as much as our fallen hardened hearts could allow, what other laws are, likewise, concessions?

Could it be the Old Testament law of “Eye-For-An-Eye” was also a concession, limiting the amount of damage a person could do to no more than what was done to them, though God’s desire has always been to turn the other cheek?1

Could it be that Old Testament laws of slavery were concessions, limiting the length and severity of servitude, though God’s desire has always been for all to be equal in Christ?2

How about male dominance and gender submission?3 What a world of difference this concept makes when we see Jesus establishing a kingdom of those with tender hearts, committed to God’s desires instead of his concessions.

Think about this a moment and tell me what you think.

Related Post: Concession vs. Intent – March 31, 2011
Related Post: Same God, Different People – March 19, 2011

– fritz
1 – Matthew 5:38-39
2 – Ephesians 6:9
3 – Galatians 3:28

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