THE WORD AND THE WORLD

Jesus prayed, “I have given them Your Word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth.”  (John 17:14-17 NKJV)

God's Word teaches forgiveness and the world teaches revenge. The Word teaches sharing and the world teaches hoarding. The Word teaches humility and the world teaches pride. The Word teaches dependence on God and the world teaches self-reliance. The Word teaches us to love God and the world teaches us to love self. The Word teaches us to help those in need and the world teaches us to "take care of your own".

And perhaps one of the most disheartening is that God offers us faith and the world seems to underscore and build fear. It is only with worship to God Almighty that we learn to have complete faith in this life as well as total assurance in the life to come - eternal life. The best, the very best, this world can offer is meaningless compared to the benefits of worshipping the Lord. 

-- Pastor Gary Stone

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THE BEATITUDES – A SELF-PORTRAIT OF JESUS

“When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. Then He began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit… those who mourn… those who hunger and thirst for righteousness… the merciful… the pure in heart… the peacemakers… those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake…’” (Excerpted from Matthew 5:1-10)

The Beatitudes offer us a self-portrait of Jesus. At first it might seem to be a most unappealing portrait -- who wants to be poor, mourning and persecuted? Who can be truly gentle, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, and always concerned about justice? Where is the realism here? Don't we have to survive in this world and use the ways of the world to do so? Jesus shows us the way to be in the world without being of it. When we model our lives on His, a new world will open up for us. 

-- Henri Nouwen

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