even stevens

Teaching about Revenge

38 "You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: `An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'s39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile,s carry it two miles.42 Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow.

matthew 5

this is hard. like, really, really hard. to not do anything when someone wrongs you. wait, i take that back, i mean, to actually turn the other cheek when someone wrongs you. why? why in the world would we do such a thing? it sounds like crazy talk! we're supposed to get revenge. that's just the way the world works! that's how we were made! there's just something inside of us that wants to get even with people! to even out the score! but here's God saying, "don't! stop in your tracks! turn the other cheek!" why?? i've used this argument before. because He did the same for us. i've cursed His name before. i've screamed at Him to get out of my life and leave me alone. and i think a lot of us have probably done worse. and what does He do? does He curse my name? does He try to hurt me intentionally to get back at me? what about the people who crucified His son? what did God do to them? did He capture, make fun of, torture, and then crucify their sons and daughters? no. He sent His son to die FOR them. God had every right to get revenge. didn't He? and yet, He chose to die for me. so i could have a relationship with Him. so i could know Him. see Him. feel Him. maybe it's the same now for us. that we should reflect the Father's love for others. in not seeking revenge but pouring out love on those who have wronged us so that they, too can have a relationship with us and a relationship with God. maybe by going the extra mile and taking the high road can help them see God's love in us. and here we're presented with another difficult but effective way of glorifying God. nobody said living for Jesus would be easy. =]

side note: Jesus is NOT saying we shouldn't defend ourselves in harmful and potentially dangerous situations. =]

our word

Teaching about Vows

33 "You have also heard that our ancestors were told, `You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the LORD.'s34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, `By heaven!' because heaven is God's throne.35 And do not say, `By the earth!' because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, `By Jerusalem!' for Jerusalem is the city of the great King.36 Do not even say, `By my head!' for you can't turn one hair white or black.37 Just say a simple, `Yes, I will,' or `No, I won't.' Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

matthew 5

this one took me a while. what Jesus is saying here is that not only should we not break promises, but we shouldn't make them at all. simply, you shouldn't have to make promises. my character should be strong enough that when i say i will do something, people will know that i will carry through. i won't be a flake. why should i have to wait to make a promise to really do something? shouldn't i do something simply because i told someone that i would in the first place? i should be a person of such great integrity that everyone will believe what i say when i say it. and really, i want to be that person. i want to be that trustworthy person that people can come to and get the real truth from.

this kind of also struck me. Jesus says not to swear by anything, by the heavens, by the earth, by jerusalem, or even by our own heads! why? what i think is that we don't know the future. we don't control what is going to happen. even on our own bodies, we don't know when we're going to go. for me, it sounds like, don't promise to do things if you know that the future is uncertain. and because the future is uncertain, because God controls it and we don't, we have the capability to break these promises. don't even take that risk. just do what you say you'll do. and if you can't, you really can't, at least you didn't break a oath by the heavens, by the earth, by jerusalem, or by your own head!

in the end though, i think the main thing Jesus is trying to get at is our character. are we the type of people who follow through on our word? simply our yes's and our no's? am i the type of person that people can believe what i say, when i say it? am i the type of person who, when i'm sharing the gospel, people will believe me? because i'm not, man, i have some work to do! i want people to believe what i say about life, love, and most importantly, about God. and that starts by me following through on my word.

one flesh

Teaching about Divorce

31 "You have heard the law that says, `A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.'s32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

matthew 5

had an awesome conversation with God yesterday in my car on the way to school. we were talking about the future, worries, security. i finally lifted everything up to God and told Him that even if He takes everything away from me, i will still rejoice and praise His name. i remember this one thing that jonny from rock harbor said, "take everything but leave me Jesus!" i want that to be my prayer. to let God know that the most important thing in my life is Jesus. that everything else is a blessing. extra. the fact that i'm saved and redeemed is vast and amazing in itself. how could i ever ask for more?

alright, so this verse got me thinking. had to search up an explanation for this one. so the backstory of this verse is that during the time that Jesus was preaching, men would go ahead and ditch their wives for new lovers. actually doesn't sound too foreign or ancient. these men would then leave their old wives to fend for themselves. if they had family, they would go back home in shame. so we have to realize that divorce and remarriage were actually pretty common back then as well, which is why God wanted it to be that if you married you would stay with the person you promised you would be with forever. these laws were meant to protect women from being cheated. because men divorced their wives left and right, and for no good reason, God would not view these divorces as valid. and so, since the divorces weren't valid, they were still technically married. therefore, if a man or woman sought another after this invalid divorce, they were committing adultery! and anyone who marries and consummates a marriage with someone with an invalid divorce would be committing adultery!

all in all, i see how serious marriage is to God. it is supposed to be something beautiful and permanent. not something that we throw away just because we're unhappy. it's something that you have to work on. and i understand there are a lot of relationships and marriages that shouldn't stay together because it's abusive, dangerous, or psychologically damaging. but there are a lot of marriages that aren't like that either. too many people give up. too many people don't give up their marriage to God. too many marriages rely on passion, romance, and butterflies and not enough on companionship, trust, and loyalty. most of all, they don't rely enough on God. to have a marriage without God in it isn't really a marriage at all. it just becomes a tradition or a legal document. bound loosely together by fading feelings. to have a marriage bound by God, now that's unbreakable.

somebody's baby

Teaching about Adultery

27 "You have heard the commandment that says, `You must not commit adultery.'s28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.29 So if your eye—even your good eyes—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.30 And if your hand—even your stronger hands—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

matthew 5

so for the past couple of days, i've been kind of slacking on reading the Word of God and actually applying it to my life. i realized that i blog for this reason. i kind of made it into something that it wasn't. this is for me. haha reminders of milestones and lessons in my relationship with God. so here i go.

the biggest thing that sticks out to me from this verse is how Jesus says if anyone even looks at a woman WITH LUST has already committed adultery with her in his heart. i realize that it's not that i shouldn't look at the other sex at all. but i realize that to look at a woman and want to proceed further with her is sin in itself. why? i didn't do anything! it all starts in the heart. everything begins in the heart. why we worship God and do things for Him starts in the heart. why we love others and forgive and practice patience starts in the heart. why we yell at people and grow impatient and grow bitter starts in the heart. we don't do things just to do them. i don't just go out and love on people just because. it starts in my heart. the emphasis on our hearts here is crucial. this is where everything originates. so if my heart is full of lust, my actions will eventually somewhere down the line follow suit. Jesus then goes on using overstatement to get His point across. that is so much better to take away whatever is causing you to sin than to have ourselves thrown away. it's that important! to let even a little sin in pollutes our whole spiritual walk with God. to allow it, to say it's ok, to tolerate sin. it's not ok. it breaks us down and poisons our body. i loved how in james, he compares sin to sickness. and it is. we cannot tolerate sin. God doesn't! why let it creep into our lives?? so what do i do with this? stop looking at women altogether? nah. there's this song that i've been listening to by jon foreman called "somebody's baby." he sings about this homeless woman he saw and describes her life. he has this haunting chorus that goes, "she's somebody's baby, somebody's baby girl/she's somebody's baby, somebody's baby girl/and she's somebody's baby still..." so i think about that now when i'm walking into school or anywhere. that each and every one of these girls is somebody's baby girl. and most importantly, God's baby girl. instead of lust, a smile is plastered on my face because i just remember that everyone is God's child. =]

the anger bug

Teaching about Anger

21 "You have heard that our ancestors were told, `You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.'s22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone,s you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot,s you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone,s you are in danger of the fires of hell.s 23 "So if you are presenting a sacrifices at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God. 25 "When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison.26 And if that happens, you surely won't be free again until you have paid the last penny.

matthew 5

this was really cool. i got this this morning when i was jogging. there are three parts to this. the first part is about me. if i'm angry at someone, woo, it's bad already. Jesus starts raising the intensity too. if you call someone a name, you could be brought into court. put it into further action and curse someone? well, then it's pretty bad! i start seeing just how serious Jesus is about this. it's all about your heart, again. where your heart is, that's where your actions start heading as well. anger at another person is sin. straight up. sin is when you fall short of how God wants you to be. ergo, you sin when you hold your anger against someone instead of forgiving them. now, the second part is about someone else being angry at me. if someone else is angry at me, i'm supposed to take the initiative and make up with that person. you see how big Jesus stresses on unity in His body. this last part kind of stuck out to me. if we're on the way to court, we all kind of are when we leave this place, then we should settle our differences...later? next week? next year? nope. quickly. do it asap. we don't have that long to be here on this earth. and if we're going to just block each other out, then we lose out on unity and who God wants us to be.

living from the inside out

Teaching about the Law

17 "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God's law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God's laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
20 "But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

matthew 5

lately, i've been going through a dry season in my spiritual walk. talked to a friend yesterday and i feel so much better. everything's coming back to me. why i follow jesus. why i do the things i do. why i love people so much. why i sacrifice so much time and energy. all for Jesus, all for Jesus. i gotta keep my eyes on Him. all i was focusing on was how negative things were. i was focusing on the waves and the storm again. wow. i wrote about that in this blog, too. God's here, though. He's always been here. i've been depending way too much on my feelings and emotions to see if God is around me. it doesn't matter how i feel. amazing things have been happening. thuy just got baptized and tem accepted Jesus Christ on wednesday. God is moving. i just have to remember to keep my eyes focused on Him. just read a bit of forgotten god by francis chan, really good. asking us if we actually want to be changed by the Holy Spirit. a lot of us don't. we're comfortable where we are. scary, huh? he brought up this book by c.s. lewis about this boy who turns into a dragon and the only way to become a boy again is to peel off the dragon skin. it's painful and it hurts. and it's the same way with us. we've been living in sin for so long that for us to start finally peeling off the layers of dirt and grime is painful. i mean, really really hard. but it's necessary for us. the Holy Spirit doesn't mean to harm us, but He does seek to make us Christlike, and sometimes it's painful. good stuff.

alright, so for today i was going over this verse. two things stuck out to me. that i ignore small commandments all the time! and ok, yes, i know i shouldn't, and i'm going to try harder because i want to do my best. that part was easy, but i realized that i don't know a lot of commandments. i don't know a lot of the bible for myself, actually. now, i could easily just say that since i don't know those commandments, i don't have to obey them. haha, what a cop out. i think i have to make it a point for myself finally to read the entire bible, jotting down what God says about everything.

also, steve carter talked about this last night, kind of. he was in luke, but it had to do with this. verse 20. Jesus didn't mean that we had to keep the commandments better than the pharisees with all the tiny little regulations added onto the original 600 or so. He means that our righteousness shouldn't just be on the outside like the pharisees. see, the pharisees just did everything for show, but their insides were full of greed and selfishness. Jesus wants us to be righteous from the inside out. it starts with, as we all know, our hearts! if our hearts are right with God, it will simply show through the way we live life. the way we interact with people. the way we handle difficulties. woo, good stuff. be blessed today. =]

salt and light

Teaching about Salt and Light

13 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
14 "You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

matthew 5

we're called to be the salt of the earth. to give the world its flavor. the purpose of salt is to give flavor and ultimately, be salty. our purpose as christians is to inject the world with God's love. if we don't do that, we're not fulfilling what we were meant for! we become useless! no good to anybody! what's the point of keeping salt if it doesn't do any of the things that salt is supposed to do? what's the point of calling someone a christian if he or she doesn't even love or act like one?

now, this second part really got to me. i like this line, "'you are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.'" that cannot be hidden. think about that. the moment we become christians, the world has its eyes on us. i've talked about this before, i think. the world's waiting for us to mess up and prove to them that we're all just hypocrites. we're supposed to be God's shining light to the world. so, of course, people will see everything that we do. our actions are not hidden. they are up on a hilltop for everyone to see. all our actions are put to scrutiny. are we going to glorify God? or make Him look like a joke? verse 16, let our good deeds shine. i always thought that we shouldn't brag about our good deeds, but here it is, straight up from Jesus, "let your good deeds shine out for all to see," why? "...so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." i guess what i'm trying to get across here is that don't just hide your good deeds, if we're doing it for God to glorify His name, let it shine for the world to see. do it in love and in humility, never, ever glorifying yourself.

where in your life do you see that you're not fulfilling your purpose? where you're not living out a life of worship like you should be? make a change! be the salt! don't become useless!

remember that unbelievers look at all your actions looking to see what God's really about. show them what He's about. remember His love and His salvation and live your life out in response to that and people will really see the Gospel through how you live! and when you do something good, let it shine. this is hard, but completely take yourself out of the picture and let God get all the glory. never take any credit. people can judge you, i guess. this we know for sure. some people will say, "what a show off. fake modesty at its finest!" but, God sees your heart. if your heart is in the right place, God will see and i think people who are really, really looking will see that too. maybe a life will be changed. maybe someone will come up to you and ask, "tell me about this Jesus."