Giving up rights, cheeks, cloaks and comfort- Golden Rule

       "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the ones who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

       You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." - Jesus in Matthew 5:38-48

       "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."- Jesus in Matthew 7:12 (see also Luke 6:31)

       - These guiding Bible verses can certainly teach us a lot of things, but a few key things I take from them is Jesus' teachings on not seeking our "rights". We all have this idea of what things we are owed and what rights we should have bestowed on us by virtue of being born. However, when we put faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, we give up our rights to ourselves. Colossians 3:1-4 say that we actually have died and our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. Galatians 2:20 says that we are crucified with Christ and it's now He who lives in us. We are not our own; we've been bought with a price- therefore we must honor God with our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:20) We must count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11) We are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness instead. (also in Romans 6) We must let God renew our minds and offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him as our spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1-2) If we are to come after Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) The Bible tells us over and over again that we no longer have autonomy to do as we please- we have surrendered our lives to Jesus and we seek to do His will instead. (Ephesians 2:8-10 makes clear that this was God's plan all along- for us to do the good works He prepared for us to do in advance.)

       Thus, if all these things are true- why do I still act sometimes like I can insist on my rights? Why am I so generous with grace to myself for my own faults but so stingy with offering it to others for theirs? Jesus said, "Freely you have received; freely give." (Matthew 10:8) Thus, I can't help but readily offer God's grace to all. I must speak the Truth in Love to them (Ephesians 4:15) and share the Gospel at all times- ready in season and out of season. (2 Timothy 4:1-2) I am certainly not always the best at sharing God's love with others, but I try to speak whatever I can of God's truth anywhere I can in love. I want people to know that we are all sinners who constantly do wrong- and that's why the world's all messed up. Adam and Eve passed that down for the whole world through their sin. God loved us all so much that even while we were still sinners and rebelling against Him, He sent Christ to die for our sins. (Romans 5:8, John 3:16) Whoever believes in Him- calls upon The Name of The Lord- will be saved. They shall not perish, but have eternal life. If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) And it's His grace and kindness that leads us to repentance (as Romans 2 says) and we seek to do the good works He made us to do all along in gratitude to Him for His grace- not in an effort to get it- because He's already given it to us for free!

        So I have at times found myself choosing to do some things that the world may regard as foolhardy. (I've certainly done plenty of things that are genuinely foolhardy and just plain foolish too. ;-)) However, I tend to believe strongly, especially as the quotes from Jesus in Matthew that I mentioned at the start state, that I am sometimes called as a Christian to simply let myself be taken advantage of. I think I am called to give up all my rights and give up on what I think I am owed or what should be done for me. I seek to do for others what I'd like them to do for me. Whether they actually would do them or not or whether they actually do them or not does not really matter. It makes no difference. Whether they receive acts of grace with gratitude and thankfulness or with greed and callousness, it makes no difference to my call to be gracious. I feel I need to keep turning the other cheek, give away both my shirt and cloak and go the extra mile with someone who asks in practical ways, just as Jesus commanded. Give to the one who begs and lend to the one who wants to borrow. Other translations render that verse as saying, "Don't even try to get things back." (Or something along those lines, like in that new-fangled "The Message" version or something. [As I'm sure Dracula would agree, some probably prefer those old-fangled versions instead. But whether you're kicking it with Bram Stoker or Stephanie Meyers, let's make sure the blood we're drinking is Jesus' and not each other's. [see John 6].])

       At the same time, Jesus also tells us to be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves". (Matthew 10:16) I don't think these verses mean that we should be a doormat. But sometimes I think maybe we should be a footstool where people rest and lean upon us for a while while we serve them. It may feel sometimes like we're getting walked all over upon, but when we consider the Saviour who endured such suffering, rejection, suspicions, false accusations, torture, and ultimately death on the cross for our sakes- and then triumphantly rose again- maybe we should be more willing to toughen up some and take one for the team. Jesus was willing to make the sacrifice bunt so we all could get home. It seems the least we can do is be willing to take the charge coming down the court. (Let's hear it for mixed sports metaphors! :-)) I don't claim to be the best at this- many times I am not. Many times I am a complete failure at this and am nothing but a spoiled little brat whining when things aren't going my way. And that's where Philippians 2:14-15 hits so hard- "Do everything without complaining or arguing." Wow! That's a hard one to do. But when we let the Holy Spirit do it through us (all things are possible through Him- Matthew 19:26), we shine like stars in a dark world to a twisted and crooked generation so that they can see the light of Christ which lights up the world- and when Christ is in us- that light is us! (Matthew 5:13-16 and John 8:12)

       As 1 Corinthians 9 gives us an example, we should be like Paul and give up our rights and thus endure anything rather put an obstacle in the way of the Gospel of Christ. (1 Corinthians 9:12) Instead, we become all things to all people so that we by all means God might save some through us. (1 Corinthians 9:22)

      As 1 Peter 3:13-17 talks about, it's better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." (1 Peter 4:14) Verse 13 of that same chapter even says we should rejoice insofar as we share in Christ's sufferings so we can also be glad when His glory is revealed.God's world is very much backwards from what we know. But when we start letting His Spirit live it through us, we come to find out that it's our world that's messed up and backwards from what it should be. "Curiouser and curiouser", said Alice. This abundant life and eternal love stuff is trippy, man! But don't be tripping- Jesus is a stumbling stone and rock of offense, but blessed are all those who aren't offended by Him. (That's like a couple of passages there- Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 21:42-44, and Luke 7:23) But it's just that kind of topsy-turvy world Jesus calls us to live in and we find out that it's really just the kind of world we've been longing for all along- one that we'll have when our groanings are realized like Romans 8 talks about- the glory coming outweighs all the junk we go through here. In the mean time, here are some of the attitudes that Jesus said are becoming of us and that we should be becoming- (hence the name- the Beattitudes :-))

        "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:3-12)

Keep reflecting the Son and shine on! :-)