Right Fruit!

Right Fruit!

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Matthew 5:44 KJV

Context:

This is the account of the first full sermon that Jesus preached after choosing his disciples. He went up to a mountain, gathered his disciples around him, and began to teach them. There was a big crowd at the foot of the mountain also listening to him, but the words here were not for the crowd. As popular as the crowd may be, there is no conviction, no clear thought and no personal relationship. That is the danger of following the crowd, where a man gets lost in the midst of so many people who do not have an idea of what is truly important.

The top of the mountain is visible; it takes time and effort to climb up. All who strive to get there have to travel light and carefully so you do not fall. You can't go with the garbage and baggage that belongs to the foot of the mountain. Jesus sits at the top of the mountain, waiting for the true disciples who have made up their minds to walk with and listen to him. It's not like Jesus is not at the foot of the mountain; he meets all of us at the point of despair, where we think we are at our lowest, but he does not leave us there. When I have realised my need for him, He wants me to come with him, away from the valley of despair to the place where He can shape, teach and prepare me for service and impact in the world where he has placed me. Part of that preparation is today's extract. 

Message and Response:

For all who have stepped up to the mountain, there is a code of conduct that is fitting for the place where you are now. You cannot be at the top of the mountain, and still envy the 'freedom and liberty' of those at the foot of the mountain. If I have climbed up that mountain to sit with the Lord to listen to him, I have signed up to his code of conduct. One of the major things that my being on the mountain does is a change of heart. The air is different there, as well as the demands and expectations. 

The world's response to enemies is hate/revenge; the response of those on the mountain is love. As hard as this may sound, there are accounts of people who had broken through a stony heart simply by love, even when the target had hurt their family by killing a member. It is not an expectation from everyone; it is only from those who are sitting with Jesus at the top of the mountain. 

The world will curse and abuse that which it does not understand or cannot control. The world will hate all those who do not align with its standards. The world will seek to exploit your lack of understanding of how the world works, and mock you when it seems that you cannot make gains that others in the world are making. It is hard when you have colleagues who seem to have moved on to better things simply because they knew how to pay the right people the right price to get the right prize. However, for those on the mountain, sitting with Jesus, there is a call to a higher standard. I am called to live better, do better and be better. 

I don't meet an action with the same action; I respond with what I have received from God, which is love. You can only give out that which you have. If indeed I have encountered God, I cannot flow out with hate or revenge to anyone. It does not matter what the person had done; each gives what s/he has. It is the world's duty to act out in anger; after all, what do you expect a system under the control and influence of the devil to produce? If I am then under the control and influence of God, my life's output must reflect that. 

I cannot do anything about your reaction to me, but I have power over my own reaction to you. One big reason why I must allow God work in and through me is because I cannot read people's minds. I have no way of knowing if your actions towards me are steeped in eye-service, deceit, hypocrisy or sincerity. I need God to sort out my heart so it can always flow out with the grace of God. It is only God that can work in a human heart so much that it will produce love in the face of hate, blessing in the face of curses, and prayer in the face of persecution. Has God done that kind of work in you yet? If I will flow out with his presence and power, I must allow him do the work only he can do in a surrendered heart. His time of favour is here.