Don’t judge? Or don’t be self-righteous? Matthew 7:1-5 TPT “Refuse to be a critic full of bias toward others, and you will not be judged. For you’ll be judged by the same standard that you’ve used to judge others. The measurement you use on them will be used on you. Why would you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own? How could you say to your friend, ‘Let me show you where you’re wrong,’ when you’re guilty of even more? You’re being hypercritical and a hypocrite! First acknowledge and deal with your own ‘blind spots,’ and then you’ll be capable of dealing with the ‘blind spot’ of your friend. Father, Thank you for Correcting this all too human flaw. Help me to not fall into this trap, where because there is something I hate in myself, I see it more clearly in others and cannot help but pick at it. Help me to be more humble and filter those things out before I go “there” with others. Help me to have grace for them and more grace for myself, so that I can be more loving toward them. Help love to be my primary m.o., rather than impossible standards. In Jesus’ name, Amen. So, as usual, TPT says it very differently from most other translations, the concepts are still there, but instead of black & white outlines, the picture is significantly more finished for us. It makes it more clear that it isn’t about unjustified judgments, but rather an attitude of fault-finding, usually to draw attention from oneself in those areas. Come at issues from a stance of, “Hey, friend, I struggle or have struggled in “x” area, too. How can I help you to overcome this?” vs “You suck! You are horrible at life because of “x”.” How would you prefer someone to approach you about something that you struggle with? Are you the insufferable critic? Why do you do that? I am not saying that problem areas do not need to be addressed, or that we need to go snowflake, here. What the Word says, here, is that if we choose to be brutal with others, that same brutality will come back to us. Is that something that you want to deal with? Are you ready to get back what you dish out? How do you respond when that does come back to you? This passage is a reminder of something that we more or less know implicitly, but many choose to ignore. Let’s reflect some more… what are some areas in your life that you like to gloss over? Which areas are you less than merciful with others in? (Those are probably the same areas, as the latter is a strong indicator for the former.) Ask the Lord to reveal these trouble spots and blind spots to you, then ask Him to help you deal with those things so that you can be more whole and less ugly towards others. Ask Him to pour out His love on you afresh and to teach you how to better relate with others. I can be brutal in the name of being “bluntly honest”, as my wife can attest (certain things from the early days of our marriage still come up, like comments I made about her cooking, nearly 10 years ago, and I can tell that they still bother her). I never intended to hurt her in any way, but my bluntness did just that, and I still hear about it on occasion. I try to be much less intense in my honesty now, and marriage has been a smoothing out process for me, not that I am anywhere near perfect now, but I am closer (I hope). There is a phrase that I grew up around that is very applicable, here, “Truth is hard unless it is softened by Love. Love is soft unless it is toughened up by Truth.” We must always balance the two, so that we neither become doormats, nor taskmasters with those around us.

Just Ask… and Believe, then Recieve. Father, As we learn from this passage today, help our faith to be expanded and to understand what Jesus was talking about here. Help us to keep at it when we face “No’s” from life, whether literal or figurative in our given situations. Give us the strength we need to keep on keeping on, and to keep asking, seeking, and knocking as situations present themselves. Thank you that you have never failed to give us what we need for each day. Thank you that we have come to today alive, breathing, and able to do life. Thank you for today. Help us to make the most of it as we listen to you every step of the way. Amen. Matthew 7:7-11 (TPT) Ask, and the gift is yours. Seek, and you’ll discover. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. For every persistent one will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he longs for. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door. “Do you know of any parent who would give his hungry child, who asked for food, a plate of rocks instead? Or when asked for a piece of fish, what parent would offer his child a snake instead? If you, imperfect as you are, know how to lovingly take care of your children and give them what’s best, how much more ready is your heavenly Father to give wonderful gifts to those who ask him?” Keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. Be persistent, knock heaven’s door down and keep at it until you receive that which you ask for. The reception may not look like what you thought it would, but you will receive it from Our Father. He delights in giving us good gifts, and he planted those good desires in us in order to fulfill them in the fullness of time. Ok, so I went a bit off track with the passage there, but there are many other passages that flow in the same way, throughout the Bible. We are His children, and He loves us. Sometimes it is hard to see it in the moment, when it feels like every moment is a fight to survive, but the fact that you are still here, breathing enough to complain and feel that disconnect from how you percieve it should be, speaks to the fact that He has given you what you needed in every moment to get you this far. My wife and I sometimes struggle, in fact now is one of those times, as I am sure that it is for many of you who watch this video. Times feel hard right now. Money is tight, and increasingly shown to be worthless, yet those of us who are children of God can have peace and hope. Why? Because our Father always works it out for us, and we always have what we need in the moment when we need it. Does it always look the way we want it to? No. Is it always easy or smooth sailing? Hell no. But we can rest in Him, knowing that He has us in His hands, and that nothing can take us from that place. So how does persistence work? How do we position ourselves to receive and to learn whatever it is that we need in each moment? Persistence, like the woman with the unjust judge, or Bartimeus on the road to Jericho, keeps at it until we get what we need, whether justice, healing, provision, guidance, or anything else in life. Faith allows us to persist when human reason would tell us to sit in shamed silence, defeated. Faith allows us to be in position to learn and to receive what we need in each moment, as Jesus taught us to pray in the Disciples’ Prayer. Here is a link to when I covered that: https://rumble.com/v187ynq-disciples-prayer-3-provision-and-forgiveness.html?mref=2jfr3&mc=anr3y When we stay in the NOW, we always find that we have what we need. When we borrow trouble through worry or regret, we find ourselves drained and stressed out. Stay in the NOW. It may feel irresponsible, but the truth is, you will find clarity to do the things that you were stressing over, and you’ll be able to approach them more calmly as well.

Life Application is Crucial Father, Thank you that you sent Jesus to not only show us what it means to live in communion with you, and to give his life to ransom us back. Thank you that we get to partner with you to build your Kingdom here. Thank you that we don’t have to do it on our own. Help us to be aligned and stay in alignment with you so that we can do what you do, when you are doing it. Help us to build wisely by staying in alignment. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Matthew 7:24-29 (TPT) “Everyone who hears my teaching and applies it to his life can be compared to a wise man who built his house on an unshakable foundation. When the rains fell and the flood came, with fierce winds beating upon his house, it stood firm because of its strong foundation. “But everyone who hears my teaching and does not apply it to his life can be compared to a foolish man who built his house on sand. When it rained and rained and the flood came, with wind and waves beating upon his house, it collapsed and was swept away.” By the time Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were awestruck by his teaching, because his words carried such great authority, quite unlike the religious scholars. Are you the wise person or the fool? Which am I? How often have I gone off on my own and tried to build something that was not of God? How often has it worked out for me? What is the teaching Jesus is referring to, here? This comes on the heels of his teaching about discernment, and telling the good teacher from the false prophet, and before that, the Golden Rule, and prior to that, faith as shown by persistence in asking for, seeking, and knocking on the doors that you want to enter, before that, he taught us about being overly judgmental of others. So, what is the thread between these teachings? When we judge, we miss out of blessings from others. When we give up prematurely, we short circuit God’s desire to bless us and the lessons that we need to learn from persistence. When we fail to treat others well, we miss out on the blessing of knowing them and things they could have taught us. When we fail to discern a good teacher from a false prophet, we get stuck in bad situations and miss the blessing of being under a good teacher. So, what is the thread here? What is the teaching that we need to apply here in order to be wise? What is wisdom? Wisdom is the humble fear of the Lord. Wisdom is living a life submitted to His Way, so always checking with Him in all we do. As we walk with Him, His Way becomes our way, and we become wise as we walk in right relationship with Him, and that will show up in how we treat others, how we discern places we should or shouldn’t be, etc. As we walk with and learn what pleases Him, we will grow wise, able to detect patterns sooner than others, so that we can avoid bad situations and not waste time in the same ways that we used to and that others do. That is the life application that we need to draw from this parable and from this chapter as a whole, it is a primer on walking with God. As we learn to walk with Him, not lag behind, or run ahead of where we think He may be going, we will walk out of the hyper critical patterns that used to run our lives, we will persist in asking for the good things that we KNOW He wants to give us, we will treat others well, and we will discern which bodies we should be members in far more quickly, which will all amount to a much healthier life for us, all around. That is the fruit of wisdom in our lives. That is proof that the Holy Spirit is in us, as it will cause the Fruit of the Spirit and the Gifts to become more distinctly manifest in us as well.

Abolish the Law? Hell naw… Father, As we take a look at What Jesus said about the Law of Moses, help us to take it in context. Help us to really understand what he is saying and teaching, here. Help us to understand what the purpose of the law was. Help us to see what the truths behind the law are. Help us to be pure and full of integrity, so that we can see the Kingdom, here. Thank you, Jesus. Amen Matthew 5:17-20 “If you think I’ve come to set aside the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets, you’re mistaken. I have come to bring to perfection all that has been written. Indeed, I assure you, as long as heaven and earth endure, not even the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with until its purpose is complete. So whoever violates even the least important of the commandments, and teaches others to do so, will be called least in heaven’s kingdom. But whoever obeys them and teaches their truths to others will be called great in heaven’s kingdom. For I tell you, unless your lives are more pure and full of integrity than the religious scholars and the Pharisees, you will never enter heaven’s kingdom.” What is the perfection or completion of which Jesus speaks here? What is the purpose of the law? Have we been incorrectly anti-nomian? What are the truths of the Law? Traditionally it has been held and taught that Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of Moses. He was the one whom all of the sacrificial animals foreshadowed, etc. Most of us have been raised with these sorts of thoughts. The traditional view would hold that Jesus is the focal point of the law, and that because he kept every point perfectly, we no longer have to. Let’s explore this, briefly. Jesus, here, is not claiming personal perfection, but is, as a Rabbi, stating that he has a fresh interpretation of the Law and the Prophets that the people should listen to. He is not saying that his interpretation should overshadow or replace the need to follow the Law as it was, in fact, he tells them to continue, unless their righteousness is greater than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, unless they have more purity and integrity than their religious leaders, that is. This is not Jesus’ typical use of them as whipping boys or object lessons. Rather, it is highlighting them as a positive example, which is odd. Jesus showed us how to live in perfect communion with the Father, which will lead to the kind of wise life that I talked about last week. It will, along with sanctification in us, which is the process of becoming more like Jesus while here on earth, lead to us more perfectly fulfilling the heart of the law as well. I am not talking about the minutia of ceremonial law, or even kosher law, as beneficial as these things can be… I am talking about walking in right relationship with God, who designed it all and tells us how to get the most out of this life through the law. That uprightness with Him will manifest in desiring to and doing more right things towards others. Our hearts, thoughts, words, and actions will begin to shift as we embrace wisdom and shun folly. This does not affect our salvation or justification before God. However, if we truly love Him, we will want to live in ways that will make His heart happier. We will want to live wisely, not overdoing things just because they are not forbidden, or avoiding things that we know we need to do. We will want to be a blessing to others, rather than leaving them wanting to curse us. So, did Jesus undo the law? Yes and no. The law is still there to be a guide for us, but the cross and the empty tomb are our answer for not being perfect in how we relate with God, ourselves, and others. However, failing to follow it no longer damns us, either. So in that, way, its teeth are broken.

Anger is Damnable? Matthew 5:21-26 (TPT) Oh Jesus, Help us. I know I’ve been pretty angry many times… has my anger damned me because I know I’ve called many people idiots and other derogatory terms out of anger, at least in my head, if not had it come out of my mouth. Forgive me. I know I’ve cursed myself and others in the heat of the moment. Forgive me. I repent. I plead the blood of Jesus over those largely idle words I’ve spoken. Amen. “You’re familiar with the commandment taught to those of old: ‘Do not murder or you will be judged.’ But I’m telling you, if you hold anger in your heart toward a fellow believer, you are subject to judgment. And whoever demeans and insults a fellow believer is answerable to the congregation. And whoever calls down curses upon a fellow believer is in danger of being sent to a fiery hell. “So then, if you are presenting a gift before the altar and suddenly you remember a quarrel you have with a fellow believer, leave your gift there in front of the altar and go at once to apologize to the one who is offended. Then, after you have reconciled, come to the altar and present your gift. It is always better to come to terms with the one who wants to sue you before you go to trial, or you may be found guilty by the judge, and he will hand you over to the officers, who will throw you into prison. Believe me, you won’t get out of prison until you have paid the full amount!” Wow. This is a heavy passage. Why does Jesus target anger with such laser focus, here? Simply being mad at another believer, within yourself, leaves you subject to judgment. If that turns into nasty words against that person, that now becomes fodder for a public issue in the family of faith. If you curse a brother or sister out, you could lose your salvation. Wow, that is strong language from Jesus. Why is that? If we allow anger to fester and grow, it can easily destroy lives, and the Kingdom is about restoring lives and rebuilding communities. Sinful anger is destructive, as it burns like fire and it is antithetical to love. Love is to be the core of the Kingdom, so how can rage exist with it? It cannot, and that, I think, is why Jesus hits it so hard, here. Reconciliation is primary, here. If you realize that there is some offense that is keeping you from fellowship with a brother or sister, deal with it before you go to worship. Mend the relationship to the best of your ability, then go enjoy the sweetness of the Spirit in the assembly. Don’t allow, as much as is in your power, your offended brother or sister the need to take you to court. This sounds like a primarily financial situation, here. Say you borrowed money, or possibly even stole something, handle that situation ASAP. Don’t be a hypocrite and go about your regular church routine if you have the ability to set that right. Or say there was a business transaction that went wrong, and for whatever reason the party who bought something was dissatisfied with that good or service. If you are the vendor or service provider, it is incumbent on you to make it right as soon as you are able. Not because you fear repercussions, but because it is right to do so. If you need to operate from fear, Jesus gives us enough to fear, here, as well. Do you want to be embarrassed first, then still have to pay a fine and have that on public record? Do whatever you can to prevent that. Apologize and do the right thing. To answer the question in the title, yes, it is, as long as you allow it to fester and become more ugly. It can easily destroy lives and relationships if it goes unchecked. Think about how many churches have been destroyed by angry people. Keep that in mind, and let’s make sure that we handle our frustrations before they get too big for us and start down the path to hell.

What is Lust? Matthew 5:27-32 I’m going to talk about my personal struggles in this devotion, so if that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to turn off the video now. Father, I know that I have struggled with this. I haven’t gone so far as to gouge out an eye, but I have struggled with it, mightily. Porn has been a thing in my life for too long. I have justified myself for the last time. My eyes have had times of purity, but I want to cleanse and protect them and myself from further lust in my heart. I plead Jesus’ blood over my heart, mind, soul, and eyes. I ask that my eyes would be restored so that I no longer objectify, but really see people. I ask that my heart and mind would be reset as through I’d never stumbled across porn in my life, much less allowed it to become a stronghold. I tear down that stronghold and break covenant with those thoughts and memories, even the desire to seek more stimulation of that sort. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you that your blood is more than enough to cover and heal me. Amen Matthew 5:27-32 (TPT) “Your ancestors have been taught, ‘Never commit adultery.’ 28However, I say to you, if you look with lust in your eyes at a woman who is not your wife, you’ve already committed adultery in your heart. 29If your right eye seduces you to fall into sin, then go blind in your right eye! For you’re better off losing sight in one eye than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand entices you to sin, let it go limp and useless! For you’re better off losing a part of your body than to have it all thrown into hell. 31“It has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her legal divorce papers.’ 32However, I say to you, if anyone divorces his wife for any reason, except for infidelity, he causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Real talk: I have struggled and still struggle with porn. I have not chosen to take that path for close to a month, and there have been longer seasons of victory in the past, even a year or two. However, I wind up falling back into it, inevitably. This may be abit more raw than most, so if you are uncomfortable with the topic, watch no further. Porn plays on lust, and allows its roots to dig deeper into our souls. What was the wound that gave that weed the opening to germinate and grow? Why is lust such a major problem in our culture? Is it a problem? Is porn a problem, or is it just “a way to explore without getting hurt”? Let’s look at the Word for an answer here. If Lust is a bad enough thing to warrant going blind in order to avoid it, according to Jesus, then wouldn’t a product of lust be a problem as well. Sexual lust is a perversion of our natural desire for our mates, just as envy is a corruption of an innate desire to better ourselves. Both are an overgrowth of natural needs and desires, but take nature to the nth degree. Lust of any kind, whether in sexual terms or other things, leads to dark places of objectification, as is typified by the plethora of porn that exists, along with the nature of advertizing in western culture, telling us what we should want to have, nay what we NEED to have so that we don’t “miss out”. Pornography is materials printed or produced (online, video, print) to ellicit sexual reactions and responses in those who partake in it. It is rooted in and sets the viewer up to partner with the spirit of Lust. Gramatically, it comes from the Greek word porneia, which is often translated as sexual immorality. This is much of why the very word feels dirty to those of us who grew up in the church. It is born from and feeds Lust in ways that it never could be fed in real life, with an overwhelming array of variations that would probably kill you if you tried to partake in them as portrayed. Not to mention that it destroys intimacy with your partners and spouses (one at a time, thank you very much). It gives you the feeling of having conquered another person (or been “taken” by them, if that is the subset you find appealing), but without actually meeting, much less knowing the person about whom you are fantasizing. When one brings that into their marriage relationship, it #1 sets you up for unrealistic expectations, both of yourself and your spouse; #2 it leaves you feeling inadequate, as well as likely your spouse as well; #3 it leads you to believe that you can act however you see the actors or characters act in your particular poison of choice and get those results; #4 it forms a wedge of intense isolation between you and your spouse, and can destroy your marriage, as it often cuts off communication when you are in the thick of it, as you feel ashamed of what you know is wrong. Enough on porn for the moment, lust is a multi-faceted issue and spirit that if left unchecked, can and will destroy relationships and lives. That is why Jesus hits it with both barrels, as His heart is to heal and restore and build, not destroy, when the thing in view is good, as marriage is. Lust rots marriages from the inside out. I tried to come in as purely as I could, but lust was always gnawing at me, goading me to imagine ridiculous fantasies, and to make insane requests of my wife (at least in my mind, as I’ve always been very inhibited, not wanting to appear either needy or domineering). It was there when we laid the foundations of our marriage, and it has rotted things that should’ve been strong. That is not to say that I feel that my marriage is weak or horribly damaged from it at this juncture. Jesus tells us to gouge out our eyes if we are dominated by Lust. After all, if you can’t see a physically attractive person, you cannot lust after them. The idea of literally losing eyesight over giving myself over to a stray lustful thought is deeply disturbing, as I would’ve been blind many years ago. I suppose that it would solve much, though. On the other hand, if one’s entire life is predicated on lust, and you cannot break out of it, drastic steps may need to be taken so that your salvation does not come into jeopardy. As a believer, we always have ways out from temptation. It is completely unnecessary for us to be stuck in lust or any other destructive form of behavior, thought, or attitude. We can break free. Along with the help of the Holy Spirit and the community of faith, we are to exert mastery over ourselves, and take every thought captive to the Mind of Christ in us. When we are weak, we need to admit it to ourselves, the Lord, and an accountability partner. Take this advice however you will, but as you climb back out of the lust pit, and escape its fruit in your life, these things will be useful to you. I’m not going to exhaust this topic, here, so I’m going to end it now. I hope that this was helpful for you, as it was therapeutic for me to not allow shame to control me.

Father, We cry out for vindication. Help us to Forget our kneejeark reations that have been so engrained and enculturated in us. Help us to be radical in our choices in how we relate with others, whether they are kind to us or not. Let our choices wake people up because they are so radical and different from the norm. From allowing others to abuse us and doing good to them in spite of it, to shaming them by giving them all you have instead of whatever they require. Help us to go the extra mile. Help us to be so good that only the most demonized people could ever take issue with us. Amen. Mtthew 5:38-42 (TPT) “Your ancestors have also been taught, ‘Take an eye in exchange for an eye and a tooth in exchange for a tooth.’ However, I say to you, don’t repay an evil act with another evil act. But whoever insults you by slapping you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. If someone is determined to sue you for your coat, give him the shirt off your back as a gift in return. And should people in authority take advantage of you, do more than what they demand. Learn to generously share what you have with those who ask for help, and don’t close your heart to the one who comes to borrow from you.” Tough passage. This is dying to self. Now, this has been tought in abusive ways in the past, to support leaders who are just plain evil, and have been used to justify continuing to be abused indefinitely. That is not what Jesus is saying here. Jesus doesn’t want his followers to be out for blood or vengeance for slights/abuses, no matter whether real or imagined. We are to trust that Our Father has our back, and not be concerned about revenge or self-vindication. If we truly trust that God will and does take care of things for us, we neither have to defend ourselves nor strike back when we are injured in some way. It is when we do not understand how loved we are by Our Father that we tend to take things into our own hands through revenge. There was a message I heard on this passage a few years back that has stuck with me, where the pastor explained what each of these situations really meant in the context of the first century hearers. When you allow someone who backhands you to strike you again, they will hit you with an open palm, which changes the dynamic of the encounter, as, even today, aback hand is disrespectful and implies that the one smacking the other person is above or better than the other in some way. However, it is very difficult to back hand someone twice in a row, so the second strike would be with an open palm, inferring equality. Not saying that it hurts less, but it changes the dynamic, nonetheless. Embarrass the one who wants to sue you for your over clothes by givng them your underthings as well, leaving you naked, and them ashamed of their greed. Think about this for a second… in the first century, and up until probably the 20th century, no one had underwear. They had shirts and cloaks, but no trousers or pants. So if one gave another both their cloak and their shirt, they would be naked. The text, as oririnally written had to do with the reality of being insta-drafted by a Roman soldier to carry their pack for 1 mile. Those packs were heavy, sometimes around 100 pounds. The truth was that there was a regulation which stated that they could only force a civilian to carry their pack for 1 mile at a time. If they tried to force a greater distance, their life would be forfeit. So, volunteering to carry their pack for 2 miles would cost the soldier their life for the convenience… even a step more than 1 mile would cost the soldier their life. Dr Simmons and his team generalize this more, here, but the idea is similar. They could pressgang you, but only to a certain point, not just capture you as a permanent slave or some such thing, only 1 mile, no more.

Song called Worthy by Matthew Patten, Based on Hebrews 12 You prized me Above all Power, authority Honor and praise Jesus, you prized me More You desired me More Jesus, You are above all Your name is higher Jesus, You are above all Your name is greater Matthew 5:43-48 (TPT) Lord, Logic says that we should return the favor, love those who love us, and likewse with those who do not, help us to love everyone, so that we are better imitators of Our Father. Help us to be perfect as you are, complete, as you are. Change our hearts so that we can love those who do not love us. Forgive us in the times when we fail to do so, such as when long-awaited news is finally released. Help us to not hate anyone. Help us to see even thouse who have given themselves to evil for their whole lives through your eyes of compassion, rather than simple glee at the demise of an enemy. Amen Matthew 5:43-8 “Your ancestors have also been taught ‘Love your neighbors and hate the one who hates you.’ However, I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them. For that will reveal your identity as children of your heavenly Father. He is kind to all by bringing the sunrise to warm and rainfall to refresh whether a person does what is good or evil. What reward do you deserve if you only love the loveable? Don’t even the tax collectors do that? How are you any different from others if you limit your kindness only to your friends? Don’t even the ungodly do that? Since you are children of a perfect Father in heaven, become perfect like him.” How do we love those who have set themselves up as enemies to us or to God? Bless them, pray for them, and by being kind to them. How do we do that, when we are hurting due to their words and actions towards us? Our heart must change. We cannot cling to that pain, so we must forgive them (different topic, that has filled many books, can’t adequately cover it here), and ask the Lord to help us to see them through His eyes. What is their overarching purpose? (why did God make them) How did they get where they are? Are they in pain and lashing out? Once you have these revelations, compassion should replace much of the hurt or offense in you, not that you shouldn’t acknowledge these things. By all means, acknowledge the pain and offense, but instead of living there, give them to God, then ask Him for His heart towards that individual. This will allow our hearts to be changed, which will cause the rest of the human reaction to be diffused. Bless those who curse you: this is not a, “Well, bless their heart” kind of blessing. This is a genuine desire to see God’s best for them in their lives. That is nigh impossible, other than as a fleeting thought, if you are trying to do this without the Holy Spirit’s help. You may change the behavior, but the underlying issues will likely remain. Be kind to those who hate you, who actively seek to do you harm. Love on them. Serve them. This is harder than the blessing thing… We actually have to DO something about it, here, not just bless them from afar. We are called, here, to get down and dirty and choose to be kind to those who want to destroy us. This is putting rubber to the road in terms of coming in the opposite spirit. Our emotions will scream at us to return hatred with hatred, anger with anger, but this is higher than that. Pray for salvation and revelation for those who persecute you for your faith. Do not pray for them to just be removed, much less taken out, unless God has made it clear that that is His plan first. He sees your pain. He will handle the problem, and/or you will grow to the point where it won’t matter so much. All of this hinges on our hearts being changed by submission to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in our lives. If our hearts are not radically altered through encounter with the Living God, these things are nearly unobtainable. As has been the usual in this chapter, Jesus is far more concerned with the condition of our hearts than he is with simple behavior modification. He is after seeing us grow into imaging Him more accurately, in becoming more sanctified and whole and closer to being able to partake in theosis, or unity with Him. That is a long road, and impossible in our human effort alone. Let us not forget the truth of 9/11.