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MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
I just want to wish everyone in my community of readers a very Merry Christmas and hope that there is much love and laughter this holiday season.
Mat 5:43-48
43 You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”44 But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you,45 so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same?47 And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax-collectors do so? 48 Therefore be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.
In the above passage, Jesus asks one of the greatest questions ever; “what do you do more than others?” It is clear that Christians are supposed to live by a higher standard than others. Christ is telling us that we must love our enemies. Is this easy to do? Not at all, but it is not impossible and is expected of us as Christians. I come across many who claim to be Christian and yet, they do not seem to be living by the high standards of Christianity. Being a Christian is more than just being part of some social club. It requires more than just lip service too.
There is a standard by which most people live today and that standard is built upon selfishness. I like to call this standard “the average standard.” God tells us through Paul to look not to our own things, but to the things others (Phil.2:4).
The writer of this “average standard” that most people live by is fictional, but I call him “General Average.” He is very influencial in this world. The Christian is constantly in danger of being dragged down by the average standard. Let’s consider some things about Christ’s standard in comparsion to General Average’s standard.
“Thou shalt not kill” meets the demands of the average, but Jesus demands more. He condemns hate, the seed of murder. “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abbiding in him” (I John 3:15).
The average is in sympathy with this standard: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”-average law. But Christ demands more, non-resistance to evil: “But I say to you, That you resist not evil: but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matt.5:39).
“General Average” says that man must obey this law: “Thou shalt not steal,” but he has no objection to your defrauding just so long as you stay “within the law.” He calls that good business. But Jesus gave a higher standard. He says “Defraud not” (Mark 10:19).
The demands of the average prohibit a man’s getting drunk and disturbing the peace, but to get almost that way is no violation of the average demand. Yet again, the Master demands more from us Christians. Paul said, “Abstain from all appearances of evil” (I Thess.5:22).
General Average says that one religion is as good as another, but Jesus taught otherwise. He taught that worship may be in vain and that other plants will be rooted up (Matt.15:9,13)
These contrasts of popular standards with Scripture are sufficient to prove that Christ demands that we exceed the average standard. Jesus Christ is our standard if we claim to be Christian and so we MUST live to that standard. Christ is the way that leads home to the Father. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).
These are just thoughts that have been on my mind lately. To tell you the truth, it is a message that I need reminding of every so often. I chose to live my life to glorify God when I chose to submit to water baptism and from that moment on, I was raised to live a new life…by Christ’s standard. Who’s standard are you living by, Christ’s, or General Average’s.
These are just some of the paintings that my dad has done. Most are famous impressionist paintings that he did by looking at a small photo of the paintings. He amazes me at how he can draw and paint anything he can see. He did most of these paintings fairly recently. The painting with the bluebonnet field and a red barn was from a photograph my mom took. He liked the photo so much he decided to paint it. The whole painting was done with painting knives. The oldest painting he did here is the one with a gondola. It was done all with a painting knife as well. They are also all oil paintings. These paintings will probably look freshly painted for over 200 years or more because he used the techniques of the masters to make the paints last.
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