Genesis 9:6 - Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
The daily papers are full of crime of every sort. It seems there is no end to the mischief men can think to do to one another. The most horrible of these is probably murder. Yet murder has become so common that most of us think almost nothing of it when we read about it in the news unless it happens close to home. It seems that television has helped us to become immune to the harsh reality of murder.
The last few weeks/months the papers have been full of the highly publicized murder of a young man by his ex-girlfriend. I cringed as I read how that most of the jurors wanted the death penalty. As I was contemplating this it seemed I could hear the Holy Ghost whisper the scripture from Genesis into my spirit. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed."
Without going into an argument about the death penalty, I would say this. Anyone that could take the life of someone else doesn't realize how precious life is. We are not just physical beings but the scripture states that we are made in the image of God. When someone attacks another, they are attacking the very image of God. That is why God mandated that anyone who takes a human life receive such a stiff sentence as giving his life in return. He wanted us to understand how serious he takes it.
Most of us would never physically take another life yet we think nothing of murdering someone's reputation with our tongues. If we truly understood how God looks at us we wouldn't so carelessly attack our brothers and sisters. I am just as guilty as the next person of sharing a bit of workplace gossip. But I have to stop myself and ask, "Would I want someone to say the same thing about me?" More importantly, would I say the same thing about God? In effect that is what I am doing when I attack a brother or sister with my tongue? I am attacking the image of God.
God help me to be more careful about what I say and listen to. If it is slander against someone's character, help me not participate in it. Let me realize that all people, born again or not, were originally made in the image of God. Help me to look beyond the faults of the people in my life and see some attribute of God in each one. Then perhaps I can help them to discover it for themselves and develop.
I want to be like Jesus and I want to help everyone around me be like him as well. Don't you?
Yours Truly,
Sullivan Jones
6/20/13
6/19/13
The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth
The meek shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5
Jesus had some strange teachings. At least they are strange to the normal way of thinking. The world teaches us that to get ahead we have to be all we can be. We have to look out for ourselves because no one else is going to look our for us. Some would go so far as to say that we must step on others or be stepped on. Jesus taught the complete opposite of this. He taught that meekness (humility) was the way to great riches. In fact, he went so far as to say that they the meek would be given the earth as an inheritance.
Most find this concept hard to grasp because we tend to think of meekness as weakness. Meekness is not so much weakness as it is gentleness. It is having great power yet knowing how to control it. This is the picture of Jesus. The same man who could walk on the sea and calm storms also took children in his lap and healed them.
Judith Bentley, a schoolteacher who did mission work in the former USSR tells about a man who had confused weakness with meekness. She had been teaching an educational seminar and at the end she opened it up for questions. The man asked this question: In teaching our children to be like Jesus are we not teaching them to be weak? In the end, will we all be crucified as he was? I find part of her answer to be very relevant. She said, " Your question implies that Jesus was a weak person. I have always tried to follow Jesus' teachings and to be like him and I have never thought of myself as a weak person."
I can identify with Judith. I have always strived to be like Jesus though naturally I have a long way to go. I want it to be said of me, as it was of the apostles, that I have been with Jesus. This means that sometimes I will have to choose to do something he asks me to do even if it does not fit with what I wanted to do. I have to give my will to another. But in doing so I gain far more than I will ever give up. And who knows? One day I just might inherit the earth.
Prayerfully,
Sullivan Jones
Jesus had some strange teachings. At least they are strange to the normal way of thinking. The world teaches us that to get ahead we have to be all we can be. We have to look out for ourselves because no one else is going to look our for us. Some would go so far as to say that we must step on others or be stepped on. Jesus taught the complete opposite of this. He taught that meekness (humility) was the way to great riches. In fact, he went so far as to say that they the meek would be given the earth as an inheritance.
Most find this concept hard to grasp because we tend to think of meekness as weakness. Meekness is not so much weakness as it is gentleness. It is having great power yet knowing how to control it. This is the picture of Jesus. The same man who could walk on the sea and calm storms also took children in his lap and healed them.
Judith Bentley, a schoolteacher who did mission work in the former USSR tells about a man who had confused weakness with meekness. She had been teaching an educational seminar and at the end she opened it up for questions. The man asked this question: In teaching our children to be like Jesus are we not teaching them to be weak? In the end, will we all be crucified as he was? I find part of her answer to be very relevant. She said, " Your question implies that Jesus was a weak person. I have always tried to follow Jesus' teachings and to be like him and I have never thought of myself as a weak person."
I can identify with Judith. I have always strived to be like Jesus though naturally I have a long way to go. I want it to be said of me, as it was of the apostles, that I have been with Jesus. This means that sometimes I will have to choose to do something he asks me to do even if it does not fit with what I wanted to do. I have to give my will to another. But in doing so I gain far more than I will ever give up. And who knows? One day I just might inherit the earth.
Prayerfully,
Sullivan Jones
6/18/13
The Righteous and The Wicked
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Proverbs 24:16
Have you ever contemplated the difference between a righteous man and an unrighteous man? Just what is it that makes the righteous man righteous and the unrighteous man unrighteous? Is it the deeds that they do? Although actions are very important I believe attitude has more to do with righteousness than actions.
The scripture tells us that a righteous man falls seven times and gets right back up. Therein lies the secret to righteous living. A righteous man does not make excuses when he falls. He desires to do what is right so he gets up again. The wicked, however, fall into mischief (or sin) and stay there. No effort is made to avoid the sin the next time.
Although we have been born again spiritually we must still contend with our fleshly desire on a daily basis. Because of this, some have adopted the idea that we must all sin a little every day and it is alright that we do. This attitude is what separates the righteous from the wicked more than anything else. The righteous man has purposed in his heart to do what is right. If he falls, he repents, and gets up again. The wicked makes excuses for what he has done. He excuses himself with phrases such as "I'm just a sinner saved by grace." As reborn believers in Christ we should not think this way. We should constantly remind ourselves that we are being remade into the image of God. If we fall along the way (and we will) so be it. The answer is not to make excuses for why we did fall but to get back up again.
I am thankful for God's amazing mercy and grace. Without his grace all of us would be lost. But the words of the Apostle Peter echo in my ears: "Do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil." In other words, when we fall, get up, repent, and go forward.
Yours in Christ,
Sullivan Jones
Have you ever contemplated the difference between a righteous man and an unrighteous man? Just what is it that makes the righteous man righteous and the unrighteous man unrighteous? Is it the deeds that they do? Although actions are very important I believe attitude has more to do with righteousness than actions.
The scripture tells us that a righteous man falls seven times and gets right back up. Therein lies the secret to righteous living. A righteous man does not make excuses when he falls. He desires to do what is right so he gets up again. The wicked, however, fall into mischief (or sin) and stay there. No effort is made to avoid the sin the next time.
Although we have been born again spiritually we must still contend with our fleshly desire on a daily basis. Because of this, some have adopted the idea that we must all sin a little every day and it is alright that we do. This attitude is what separates the righteous from the wicked more than anything else. The righteous man has purposed in his heart to do what is right. If he falls, he repents, and gets up again. The wicked makes excuses for what he has done. He excuses himself with phrases such as "I'm just a sinner saved by grace." As reborn believers in Christ we should not think this way. We should constantly remind ourselves that we are being remade into the image of God. If we fall along the way (and we will) so be it. The answer is not to make excuses for why we did fall but to get back up again.
I am thankful for God's amazing mercy and grace. Without his grace all of us would be lost. But the words of the Apostle Peter echo in my ears: "Do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil." In other words, when we fall, get up, repent, and go forward.
Yours in Christ,
Sullivan Jones
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