5When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat downG1161G1492G3793G305G1519G3735G2532G846G2523G846G3101G4334G8462and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:G2532G455G846G4750G1321G846G30043"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.G3107G4434G4151G3754G846G2076G932G37724"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.G3107G3996G3754G846G38705"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.G3107G4239G3754G846G2816G10936"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.G3107G3588G3983G2532G1372G1343G3754G846G55267"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.G3107G1655G3754G846G16538"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.G3107G2513G2588G3754G846G3700G23169"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.G3107G1518G3754G846G2564G5207G231610"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.G3107G1377G1752G1343G3754G846G2076G932G377211"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.G3107G2075G3752G3679G5209G2532G1377G2532G2036G3956G4190G4487G2596G5216G5574G1752G170012You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.G5463G2532G21G3754G4183G5216G3408G1722G3772G1063G3779G1377G4396G3588G4253G521613"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.G5210G2075G217G1093G1161G1437G217G3471G1722G5101G233G2089G2480G1519G3762G1508G906G1854G2532G2662G5259G44414"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.G5210G2075G5457G2889G4172G2749G1883G3735G3756G1410G292815If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand.G3761G2545G3088G2532G5087G846G5259G3426G235G1909G3087G2532G2989G3956G1722G361416Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.G5216G5457G3779G2989G1715G444G3704G1492G5216G2570G2041G2532G1392G5216G3962G3588G1722G377217"Don't suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God's Law or the Prophets. I'm not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama.G3543G3361G3754G2064G2647G3551G2228G4396G2064G3756G2064G2647G235G413718God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working.G1063G281G3004G5213G2193G302G3772G2532G1093G3928G1520G2503G2228G3391G2762G3364G3928G575G3551G2193G302G3956G109619"Trivialize even the smallest item in God's Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom.G3739G1437G3767G3089G3391G5130G1646G1785G2532G1321G444G3779G2564G1646G1722G932G3772G1161G3739G302G4160G2532G1321G3778G2564G3173G1722G932G377220Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won't know the first thing about entering the kingdom.G1063G3004G5213G3754G3362G5216G1343G4052G4119G1122G2532G5330G3364G1525G1519G932G377221"You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.'G191G3754G4483G744G5407G3756G5407G1161G3739G302G5407G2071G1777G292022I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.G1161G1473G3004G5213G3754G3956G3710G846G80G1500G2071G1777G2920G1161G3739G302G2036G846G80G4469G2071G1777G4892G1161G3739G302G2036G3474G2071G1777G1519G1067G444223"This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you,G3767G1437G4374G4675G1435G1909G2379G2546G3415G3754G4675G80G2192G5100G2596G467524abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.G863G1563G4675G1435G1715G2379G2532G5217G4412G1259G4675G80G2532G5119G2064G4374G4675G143525"Or say you're out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don't lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you're likely to end up in court, maybe even jail.G2468G2132G4675G476G5035G2193G3755G1488G1722G3598G3326G846G3379G476G3860G4571G2923G2532G2923G3860G4571G5257G2532G906G1519G543826If that happens, you won't get out without a stiff fine.G281G3004G4671G1831G3364G1831G1564G2193G302G591G2078G283527"You know the next commandment pretty well, too: 'Don't go to bed with another's spouse.'G191G3754G4483G744G3431G3756G343128But don't think you've preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt.G1161G1473G3004G5213G3754G3956G991G1135G4314G1937G846G3431G846G2235G1722G846G258829"Let's not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here's what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile.G1161G1487G4675G1188G3788G4624G4571G1807G846G1807G2532G906G575G4675G1063G4851G4671G2443G1520G4675G3196G622G2532G3361G4675G3650G4983G906G1519G106730And you have to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded for good in the dump.G2532G1487G4675G1188G5495G4624G4571G1581G846G1581G2532G906G575G4675G1063G4851G4671G2443G1520G4675G3196G622G2532G3361G4675G3650G4983G906G1519G106731"Remember the Scripture that says, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights'?G1161G4483G3754G3739G302G630G846G1135G1325G846G64732Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are 'legal.' Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you're responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you're automatically an adulterer yourself. You can't use legal cover to mask a moral failure.G1161G1473G3004G5213G3754G3739G302G630G846G1135G3924G3056G4202G4160G846G3429G2532G3739G1437G1060G630G342933"And don't say anything you don't mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions.G3825G191G3754G4483G744G1964G3756G1964G1161G591G2962G4675G372734You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, 'I'll pray for you,' and never doing it, or saying, 'God be with you,' and not meaning it. You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true.G1161G1473G3004G5213G3660G3361G3654G3383G1722G3772G3754G2076G2316G236235(SEE 5:34)G3383G1722G1093G3754G2076G846G4228G5286G3383G1519G2414G3754G2076G4172G3173G93536(SEE 5:34)G3383G3660G1722G4675G2776G3754G1410G3756G4160G3391G2359G3022G2228G318937Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.G1161G2077G5216G3056G2077G3483G3483G3756G3756G1161G4053G5130G2076G1537G419038"Here's another old saying that deserves a second look: 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.'G191G3754G4483G3788G473G3788G2532G3599G473G359939Is that going to get us anywhere? Here's what I propose: 'Don't hit back at all.' If someone strikes you, stand there and take it.G1161G1473G3004G5213G436G3361G4190G235G3748G4474G4571G1909G4675G1188G4600G4762G846G243G253240If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it.G2532G2309G2919G4671G2919G2532G2983G4675G5509G863G846G863G2440G253241And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life.G2532G3748G29G4571G29G1520G3400G5217G3326G846G141742No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.G1325G154G4571G2532G2309G1155G575G4675G654G3361G65443"You're familiar with the old written law, 'Love your friend,' and its unwritten companion, 'Hate your enemy.'G191G3754G4483G25G4675G4139G2532G3404G4675G219044I'm challenging that. I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer,G1161G1473G3004G5213G25G5216G2190G2127G2672G5209G4160G2573G3404G5209G2532G4336G5228G3588G1908G5209G2532G1377G520945for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.G3704G1096G5207G5216G3962G3588G1722G3772G3754G393G846G2246G393G1909G4190G2532G18G2532G1026G1909G1342G2532G9446If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that.G1063G1437G25G3588G25G5209G5101G3408G2192G4160G3780G2532G5057G84647If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.G2532G1437G782G5216G80G3440G5101G4160G4053G4160G3780G2532G5057G377948"In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.G2071G5210G3767G5046G5618G5216G3962G3588G1722G3772G2076G5046
Dublin, OH
