The Sermon on the Mount
The meek accept persecution and remain humble and steadfast. We mourn over our sins, but we know they are forgiven.
We must seek holiness, not for the sake of avoiding Hell or just to be a good person, but we must pursue holiness with passion. We must do good things because we love Jesus, not because we're just trying to buy a ticket to Heaven.
To be merciful is to see others' defects, but help them rather than pursecute them. It is easy to call ourselves merciful by overlooking a person's faults, but we cannot be merciful without first forgiving the sin.
We must not critisize others who sin; it is easy for any of us to commit a grave sin. It is our duty to be merciful to them, as Jesus is merciful to us.
Purity of heart is love. To be pure of heart is to follow Christ in love, piety, and calmness, despite our troubles. You can only be a peacemaker for others if you are first at peace with God.
Suffering to do good makes us like Jesus who suffered to free men from sin.
If we are seeking our will, we are not seeking God's Will. It may be that our will and God's Will are the same. But, we must always seek only God's Will in our lives.
Christians like to micromanage God by making sure everything is absolutely perfect. We cannot limit God, but must accept His Will in our daily lives.
Ponder Point
Do I give in to the temptation to critisize others who have greatly sinned? In this age of vast communication such as the internet and television, many people make their sins public. Are we willing to forgive them and be merciful, despite the gravity of their sin or their rejection of Christianity?
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