Heavenhigh

Salt and Light!

# 1 2017 Dev. Mt. 5:13-16. We want to continue with Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” this year alternating between Jesus’ Sermon and an Old Testament Passages. We trust God to bless us. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Matthew 5:13-16

¹³“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

¹⁴“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

We have finished the introduction to Jesus’ sermon, The Beatitudes, they are the expectations Jesus lays out and blesses us when we practice them in His name. The sermon is about our attitudes, our actions and our ethics as people belonging to the “Kingdom of Heaven”. We move to the main body of Jesus’ message.

Jesus’ message covers three chapters, Mt. 5,6,7. His teaching is revolutionary! He turned a very legal understanding of God’s Word, probably the Septuagint, upside down! This is a guide to all the teachings of the New Testament, and the New Covenant of Jesus’ blood, His sacrifice for us, this is the way of Jesus.

Mt. 5: 3-12 is the baseline for the message, these nine attitudes that we discussed and accompanying blessings allow us, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to hear the Way of Jesus and follow the Way of Jesus. From Jesus’ time on earth true Christians are people of the Way.

Therefore, Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount compels His followers to be salt and light in the world. Not only because Jesus commands it but also because His Words hold the key to the Light of God. The verses for this week: 13-16 called “Salt and Light” and teaches us that following Jesus is a complete experience, we see the light, we feel the power, and we taste the goodness. But Jesus warns us that salt affects taste, life can be sweet, spicy and good, we are the salt in society but if we lose our saltiness (our Jesus-ness) we lose our good affect on those around us.

We also “are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” A light is lit for the purpose of giving light and must not be hidden, Jesus tells us. God’s light shines through Jesus’ followers, let’s keep it high and bright. Jesus wants everyone to see our good works, (God’s Light) not for our praise but to the praise of God our Father! Shine on!

Start Over!

# 52 2016 Dev. Php. 3:13-14. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Philippians 3:13-14

^13”Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

At this time of the year we need to reboot, the year ends and the New Year is upon us. Many are the New Year resolutions that people find helpful to refocus their lives. As good as that may be they fall short of what Paul is teaching followers of Jesus to think about at the New Year and whenever we need to refocus.

Paul is under house arrest in Rome and writes a thank you letter to the church in Philippi for their “partnership in the Gospel” and his letter is meant to encourage them. Paul prays that they may abound in love, in knowledge, in purity and discernment ^“filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (Php. 1:9-11).

In Ch. 3 Paul is speaking about circumcision and other Mosaic laws that some people wanted to impose on Gentile Christians. The attitudes (works) that Paul is praying about in Ch. 1 as good as these are is no benefit except for faith in Jesus. Paul is also talking about eternal life, residing with Jesus in heaven, that is guaranteed but he had not yet achieved it. Therefore, whatever accomplishments good or bad that is part of his life he now puts all behind him, they do not count instead he looks ahead, straining in faith to attain to what God had called him. Paul qualifies it by telling us that his and our calling is heavenward in Christ Jesus.

This year go deep, start over with Jesus! Make lots of resolutions but most of all leave last year behind, all the good and the bad and strain forward in faith to reach for what God has called us: To commit to Him in all we attain and hope to attain, to trust Jesus for a better and more productive year, by His standards, “to the glory and praise of God.” Look forward to the great things God has called us to experience in His Grace, Amen!

“Glory to God in the Highest”

# 51 2016 Dev. Lk. 2:13-14. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Luke 2:13-14

^13 “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

These verses are part of the angel’s announcement of Jesus’ birth and is often read at Christmas time. It is an amazing announcement: one angel appeared to a group of shepherds. I imagine them sitting around a fire wrapped in cloaks to keep warm and discussing the day of herding or perhaps discussing the censes that Caesar Augustus ordered to be taken. The heart of the announcement is Verses 10-11: “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord”.

The first thing we notice is that this event is placed in history and at a certain time of history that had great implications for the spread of the Good News (The Gospel), it was the time we now understand as “The Roman Peace” in the known world at the time.

The second observation is more difficult to understand; why was this announced to shepherds sleeping in the open with their sheep? Why is Jesus born in a stable, (probably a cave) not a very clean or attractive place? All this sets the tone of Jesus’ ministry on earth: there is no person or place that is too low in this world for Jesus to pay attention to!

This child “will cause great joy” because He is the Messiah, the savior for “all the people”That announcement tells it all but God is not finished, the Good News is the major event in all of history. “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host (100,000 at least in my opinion) appeared” singing glory to God and announcing peace and God’s favor for all people. All this to humble shepherds? Why not in Jerusalem or Rome for that matter? God works in mysterious ways but one thing is clear, God begins at the bottom or the ground level of society and Jesus’ work on earth gives us some insight into God’s ways. From our place in history we see that God’s ways, who pays attention to the humble, the hurting and the fallen, are not the ways of mankind.

We read this historical event every year. The shepherds left it all and went to see and after that they spread the Good News God had given them, all who heard it were amazed.

As we celebrate this event again this year what does it mean for us? What do followers of Jesus think about: telling others the good news, living in great joy, promoting peace on earth and proclaiming God’s favor on mankind? Yes, that is God’s gift to all the people of the world! Amen and Amen.

God Sees Inside Out!

# 50 2016 Dev. I Sa.16:7. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Samuel 16:7

^7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

After Saul the first king of Israel disobeyed God multiple times, God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint a man to take his place. That is the context of this verse: Samuel, when he saw the oldest son of Jesse was impressed but God reminded him otherwise. This happened seven times but God did not choose the older brothers of David.

How often don’t we do the same thing as we look at the outward appearance or at a person’s accomplishments or non-accomplishments and ignore the signs of the heart. Samuel came to Jesse to worship but the youngest son was left out, apparently not considered worthy to worship with the family. He was out with the sheep, not exactly an upstanding occupation in David’s day. David’s humble position and attitude was preparation for what God choose him to become, a King forever. By God’s grace “he was a man after God’s own heart” not in spite of his short comings but because of his repentance and God’s choosing. By grace he became the earthly father of the Savior of the world.

Isn’t that how things are? The humble, the meek, those thinking about others and those concerned with creation are not those the world sees as the beautiful people. One can hardly walk past the checkout counter at the grocery store and not see all the beautiful people magazines telling us how mundane we are. We thank God: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Praise be to Him!

“Rejoice and Glad”

# 49 2016 Dev. Mt.5:11-12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Matthew 5:11-12

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”.

In these last verses of the Beatitudes Jesus doubles down on the persecution we should expect as followers of the the truth. If you think followers of Jesus should be passive and lay down like a doormat to be stepped on, you have the wrong idea. As long as we have the rule of secular law, the law applies to all people equally. We have an example of that in Scripture.

Acts 16:16-38: When Paul and Silas visited the Greek City of Philippi, in Paul’s time a Roman colony, they cast a familiar spirit from a slave girl that angered her owners because of lost income. The owners falsely accused Paul and Silas of disrupting the city with illegal practices. They were “severely flogged” with rods and put into the inner prison. After the events of the conversion of the jailer and family the authorities wanted to release Paul and Silas, this was their answer: “But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

What does Jesus say in verse 11: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me”. We are blessed, God’s blessings cover all of our living and continues into eternity. Jesus qualifies it because it does not apply to me or to you, not for our actions but because of what Jesus does and what He stands for.

Verse 12 is more difficult to comprehend because we are to rejoice under persecution. Really, “rejoice and be glad”! Here also we have an example from Scripture Acts 5:40-41 “The Sanhedrin called the Apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. V41. “The Apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name”.

Persecution in Scripture is nothing new both in the Old and New Testaments and it continues today on an ever increasing scale. Take heart, “because great is your reward in heaven”. Jesus calls us, empowers us and takes care of us in all situations. Praise Him!

Giving Thanks

# 48 2016 Dev. Col 1:12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Colossians 1:12

“and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light”.

The general meaning of Thanksgiving is: “the expression of gratitude, especially to God. In North America an annual national holiday marked by religious observances and a traditional meal including turkey. The holiday commemorates a harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621, and is held in the US on the fourth Thursday in November. A similar holiday is held in Canada, usually on the second Monday in October”. Basically that is the definition for most people. However, the religious aspect of Thanksgiving is not as prominent as it once was with “the decline of church attendance by 7% over the last ten years”, affecting Thanksgiving services as well. (A recent Barna Survey)

For followers of Jesus the above definition is part of what we know as Thanksgiving but Col. 1 brings thanksgiving to another and higher level. The verse we look at is part of Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. It is a thanksgiving prayer we should be praying for each other and for those who do not yet understand the extent of God’s love. Paul begins his prayer with:“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you … We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work.”

While we are thankful for all the good things we have in this land; food, jobs, families, and freedom, what we thank God for most is what Paul says to us in Col. We rejoice in God’s grace for His calling on our lives, giving us the power of His Spirit freeing us from the power of sin and redeeming us in Christ moving us into the “Kingdom of light” Thanks be to God!

“Love in Action”

# 47 2016 Dev. Lev.19:18. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Leviticus 19:18

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord”.

Leviticus 19 is a chapter of diverse precepts and commands in the context of the introduction of the chapter: v.2b ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy”. God’s voice to Moses

Lev. 19:2b was quoted by Jesus in Mt. 22 when asked what is the greatest commandment? ³⁷Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 as the greatest commandment, this command is in the context of: “so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life”.

While some of the precepts we see in these two chapter don’t apply today in the “New Covenant of Jesus Blood”, Jesus validated these two commandments as the summary of all His commands. Prohibition on revenge is also validated in the New Testament: Ro.12:19 “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” This verse is in a section of the book of Romans called: “Love in Action”

That also is the meaning here in Lev. 19:18 and becomes more important as we discuss persecution. We are not to take revenge on our enemies. We must trust God, He is in control and He will deal with those who appose Christ by apposing those who speak His truth. Our role is to love our enemies, “love your neighbor as yourself”. While it may be easier to love God, it is just as important to love our neighbor. The two commands go together and they complete each other. You cannot obey one without the other! Obeying these two commands is “love in action” today!

Righteousness!

# 46 2016 Dev. Mt.5:10. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Matthew 5:10

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Here Jesus changes his teaching; still showing us what is expected but now it involves those who oppose people who follow Jesus. The devotional of a couple of weeks ago #44 addresses what can only be considered as persecution. Not only is the culture around us trying to force their values on true followers of Jesus, they want to stop us from speaking the truth according to God’s Word.

It is interesting to hear recently that our secular culture is most accepting of the Roman Catholic version of conservatism. That is understandable given the fact that the Roman Catholic Church has always maintained her traditional stand on women, sex and marriage while the Protestant community is all over the map in terms of those three important Biblical family issues. Therefore, Protestants who have sold out to secular liberal culture share in the persecution of conservative true followers of Jesus.

The issue is not conservatism or liberalism; it is a Biblical truth issue. Jesus understood that fact, Jesus is the truth and the religious leaders of that day did not see the truth even as Jesus lived and worked in their presence. In the end living and speaking the truth put an end to Jesus’ life on earth. Since that time many millions have been put to death and today people continue to die for living and speaking the truth.

Turning to verse 10 Jesus is telling us that there will be persecution for His followers. It is a serious issue but it is a temporary situation but Gods blessings are forever. If we are persecuted, we are carrying around the righteousness of Jesus and if we continue to hold on to that righteousness through thick and thin we inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. That is a forever situation people! Amen and Amen.

Comfort in Time of Need.

# 45 2016 Dev. Ps. 61:1-2. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 61:1-3

^“1Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. ²From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
³For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.”

Ps. 61 falls into Book II of the V books of Psalms. It is a Psalm of prayer and praise. It is thought to be a Psalm of David, perhaps during the time of conflict with his son Absalom (NIV). Ps. 61 also is part of a group of prayers ending in Ps. 64. The Psalm is divided into three groups of two: v. 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 framed in an introductive appeal, v.1 and concluded v.8 in a promise to praise and serve God.

The main body of the Psalm is a request from the king in a weakened position to reconnect with God and for God to reconnect with Him. The king longs to dwell with God, his only refuge, “in the shelter of your wings”.

The first couplet v.2-3 sets the tone. “From the ends of the earth I call to you,” it’s a metaphor for being disconnected from reality, he is lost, faraway. “I call as my heart grows faint:” he is in danger emotionally and physically. “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” The king is asking God to save him, he is not able to save himself. “for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.” The king acknowledges God as his only refuge, a place to be safe.

These verses are great comfort for us today. When we are down, overwhelmed with the events of our lives, when we are short in hope and confidence or faced with loss, we need a place to be safe. Lead us to the rock that is higher than us is a reference to Christ, in the Old Testament, the “Rock” is our Savior, Jesus, more powerful than our difficulties, more safe than any other place! Stay connected to him!

Making Peace!

# 44 2016 Dev. Mt. 5:9 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Matthew 5:9

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons of God.”

The following intro. is the context for verses 3-12. Verse 9 is part of “The Beatitudes”. The meaning of this word is: “a state of absolute bliss” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). On this earth that state is the result of God’s grace and human kindness. Therefore, Jesus begins his sermon with the attitudes and the ethics of the Kingdom of Heaven.

What are we thinking about when we talk about making peace? It seems to me that making peace is a lifestyle. The practice of peace is part of following Jesus and begins at home, living in peace is a personal choice. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Ro.12:12). However, peace is rooted in reconciliation and begins with God reconciling us back to Him in Christ Jesus. That makes peach making more complicated, it involves love, forgiveness and acceptance of those with whom we have differences of opinions and beliefs. But it does not mean compromise, we continue to believe and practice biblical precepts but we do not force that on those who do not. We must have the freedom to practice our beliefs but we must extend that freedom to others as well.

The reality of our present situation does not promote peace. Our religious freedom is now at risk by the pressure of government and other organizations to accept as normal, life styles and attitudes that are in conflict with the Word of God. Further, if we speak out of our belief it is considered as hate language and may be subject to prosecution. So much for freedom.

That is the negative but let’s move to our verse and the positive. Peacemakers are blessed, God’s blessing flow throughout our lives. But this is so much bigger because peacemakers “will be called the sons of God.” Those who follow Jesus are the children of God. The bottom line: v.31. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Ro.8:31-32). Amen!