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Putting Jesus’ Words into Action, 31DEC

Best advice for this new years? For us – it is to put Jesus’s words into action! But how? – But wow! – These commands are pretty tough! Love your enemy! & don’t judge others! & don’t be a hypocrite!

It’s not enough to simply JUST accept Jesus – but now we have to strive to be like HIM – yeah how EASY it is to be Angry Jesus overturning the money changing tables – but how TOUGH it is to be the forgiving non-judgmental Jesus – that IS going to be a lifetime of work!

Whew! – tall order for anyone to adhere to these commandments ALL the time! Perhaps as sinners we can try to ask for forgiveness AFTER we disobeyed one of these orders – perhaps we can ONLY do all preventative work pre-sinning IF we rely on the One and Only One who can help – Jesus… I will never be a perfect person and I will always be a sinner – so the BEST I CAN do is TRY – TRY to Love, TRY to be non-judgmental, and TRY to fix myself first before I try to fix everyone else… TRY TO TRY…

Building a firm foundation on God’s Word is the best precaution to live a solid life – it is spiritual preventative maintenance – just as LUKE 6 reminds us – and building building building our faith is what we are called to do this New Year – and every New DAY! We need to be scrapping the old work that keeps us sinning and we need to continually become NEW in Christ – that’s better than hodge-podge fixer-upper work! Start fresh – start fresh each day and not just because it is New Year’s Resolution time… Start each day fresh to TRY to do your BEST – strive actually to do God’s Best…

Blessed are those who TRY!

I will try – I feel blessed to be able to try – my work is cut out for me! Luckily I know the best Carpenter to be my role model!

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Luke 6 Love for Enemies

27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Judging Others

37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.

41 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

The Wise and Foolish Builders

46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. 48 They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”