Tuesday 3/07/12

Matthew 5:31-32 ESV

"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

God has designed marriage to be one flesh, and separation in marriage is as horror as tearing off one's flesh. Thus He abhors and forbids divorce, except on the ground of sexual immorality because human heart is sinful and stubborn. Also, adultery is a sin worthy of dead in God's law. Thus divorce is an gravely abhorrent matter which one must never think of. As grave as dead.

Monday 30/07/12

Matthew 5:29-30 ESV

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

In the Bible, God instructs us to stay away, even flee from tempting circumstances, lest we fall. Avoiding tempting scenarios do hurt us. Resigning from an office because it is full of corruption may hurt us financially. Joseph running away from an approaching adulterous woman gets him blamed and threw into prison. Refusing following bad activities may isolates us from our social friends. Sometimes, it costs and hurts us to do good, and it costs and hurts us to stay away from evil.

Nevertheless, we ought to do it. Jesus says it is better to lose our eye  or our hand than to go to hell, so we should be willing to suffer lost and pay the price to flee from sin or stay away from tempting circumstances. God will be pleased when we seek His Kingdom & His righteousness, and will take care of us. Joseph was thrown to prison, but he eventually became ruler of Egypt. While not always, God usually rewards righteousness much more than what we lose.

Tuesday 24/7/12

Matthew 5:23-24 ESV

So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

In this verse, God values reconcilation, peace and fellowship more than worship and offering. Thus we cannot worship & offering while having sth against the other. And reconcilation, forgiving and fellowship in God's name are more pleasing to God than offering.

Thursday 19/7/12

Matthew 5:22 ESV

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.

God is love, therefore, those who follow His teaching must act in love - being patience, kind, bearing and forgiving.



Anger is the opposite of love.  While human think anger is acceptable, God disapproves it. Anger causes strife and hatred, and destroys the fellowship. God warns of judgement, disciple, and hellfire for those who cannot control their temper.

Monday 16/7/12

Matthew 5:20 ESV

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

The scribes are the Bible experts in Jesus' time. They copy and study the Bible with great care. The Pharisees are the religious leaders. They lead the community and resolve disputes. While many are fallen to greed, pride and hypocrisy, at their best they are respected scholars and honored leaders.

Nevertheless, even at their best, they cannot go to heaven. We human simply cannot earn the right to go to heaven by our own effort. Moral living and doing good work are not the way to heaven. Our heart has sinful tendencies, we can only restrain, but cannot change this. All have sinned, and fall short on the glory of God. No matter how good by human standard, we cannot meet God's standard.

Because of this, God has taken on flesh to live among us, and to die on the cross as an atonement for our sin. By Christ's work, salvation from sin and eternal life in heaven are available to us as free gift of God. By and only by believing God exists, believing Christ's word, and receiving the gift of forgiveness and salvation from God, we can become children of God and destined for eternal life in heaven.

Friday 13/7/12

Matthew 5:17-19 ESV

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus seemed to know people will think the Law & the Prophet (the Old Testament) are completedly abolished by His work, and flatly denied it. He came to fulfill them, as a permanent atonement offering for our sins so we can receive forgiveness, be considered righteous and gain the right to become children of God in His Name, and many other blessings. However, it doesn't mean we can ignore the commandments and statues of God.

Jesus told us to work out our righteousness, do things pleasing to God and encourage others to follow. Those who do so will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

On the other hand, those do not exercise the teachings of God, and encourage others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven, even if they are saved.

Thursday 12/7/12

Matthew 5:14-16 ESV

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Light shines and enlightens the world. It gives every creatures warm and guidance. Jesus is calling all Christians to be a light in this fallen world, to show Godly love that gives warm, and to preach God's Word that gives guidance. Hiding  a lamp under a basket makes it useless, which may even put out the light. Similarly, hiding & not practicing God's Word anh Godly spirit makes a Christians useless and keeps us from growing.

Also, as we show Godly spirit and practice God's Word, people who don't know Him will see His glory in us and glorify Him. And from that, they may come to Him and to His Kingdom.

Wednesday 11/7/12

Matthew 5:13 ESV

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

The Bible uses extensive metaphors to vividly and succinctly portrait images God wants us to think about. Here Jesus uses the salt image. Salt is critical to enhance the taste of food, while keeping it from rotten. Salt that doesn't serve these purposes is good for nothing (it is said that salt is expensive and sometime be faked  in ancient time). Christians are called to enhance the world with Godly values, while keeping it from rotten by sin. Christians who don't contribute much to these tasks, at least in their neighborhood, are of no use to God. Admittedly, none of us is doing a good job on this, but at least we should do what we can with God's help.

Friday 6/7/12

Matthew 5:8-9 ESV

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

In this verse, God says those who are pure in heart and making peace will become very close to Him, see Him and be called His sons.

In worldly wisdom, the pure in heart may be considered naive and silly, not self serving and self defending enough. Similarly, the peacemakers are perceived as not strong and aggressive enough. They lack the important traits to success according to worldly wisdom.

However, God values them & be close to them. The pure in heart easily follow the path of honesty and righteousness. Being pure, they don't lie or do evil. The peacemakers are patient, merciful and humble. They easily exercise Godly love (1 Corinthians 13) and are caring for others. These people have the important traits for heaven, they love God & God loves them.

Wednesday 4/7/12

Matthew 5:4-5 ESV

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

These verses contrast God's values with the world's values. The world looks down on those who mourn and are meek, because they lack of strength & aggressiveness to fight for themselves and seize a good life. Nevertheless, Jesus called them blessed, or favoured by God.

Those who mourn are not satisfied with this life, thus they seek for something more, the things above. When receiving God's comfort, they are likely to come to Him and seek His loving care. Thus they are blessed and are people of God.

The meek are those who are humble and gentle. They are like sheep whom God like to shepherd because they will hear Him and follow Him. They are likely to obey His commands and keep to His way, and not become wayward by worldly temptations. They are cared & blessed by God.

In the end, God offers what the world doesn't offer, holiness, righteousness, loving care, grace and mercy... Blessed are the people who cone to him, the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek ...

Tuesday 3/7/12

Matthew 5:3 ESV

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

This is the first verse on the Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5,6,7, the heart and soul of Jesus' teaching and the tenets of Christian'd living.

In this verse, Jesus praised the poor in spirit, and asserted that God loves them and heaven belongs to them. The poor in spirit, as opposed to the proud & head strong mighty, are those who are humble and know that they need God, and are willing to listen. They are peaceful & avoid violence or exploiting. They are like the sheep who God is happy to be their shepherd, not the wayward goat or the violent wolf.

The poor in spirit - the world looks down on them, but God blesses them and gives them heaven.