June 30th

June 30th -- Matthew 5:31-48 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205:31-48&version=NLT)

Gonna' only touch very briefly on two topics.
1) Revenge. We're told not to seek it. We are told instead of seeking revenge, "turn the other cheek". It's an interesting concept, I find. We are God's children, and we are precious because of that. Yet, when we are told to always "turn the other cheek" it seems like we let ourselves be walked all over. However, I think it's not like that at all. I think rather, it's that then we are humbling ourselves. We should recognize we are absolutely nothing without God. The closer we are to Him, the lesser we should become and the greater He should become in us. When we are able to be so humble that we put ourselves below others, then we are doing it right. That doesn't mean we allow ourselves to be walked all over. We can still stand up for ourselves when we have been wronged. However, we are not meant to react in anger, but in love.
This leads us to the second thing I wanna' bring up.
2) Love your enemies. LOVE. YOUR. ENEMIES. Not just family and friends, but ALSO ENEMIES. I think this is an important thing to remember. I mean, the second greatest commandment is "love your neighbour as yourself". I think we tend to get this idea that we can pick and choose our neighbours. NOPE. Our neighbours are any and every other human being out there. We need to love them all. It's hard, though. We don't always get along with anyone, and we often don't get along with some people. Yet we are commanded to love everyone. The only way to do this, I find, is to see them as God sees them. Don't see them for their mistakes, but see them as a hand-crafted piece of art (that means all of them - outward and inward) that is greatly loved by the Creator of everything. Remember that the same Savior who died for you died for them, too, because He loves them that much. It makes it easier. A lot easier.

Well, that will be all! God bless! Shalom!