The Luggage You Took to the Altar

Yesterday I was making eggs for Joshua & me for breakfast (of which he ate none, but I figured it was worth a shot) with the radio on, as usual. Normally when the "special guest" comes on in the morning, I groan since I'd rather listen to music than someone talking (even though I've set these "special guest" appointments up for my church's conference and some marketing clients). Anyway, yesterday the talking had the opposite effect.

They had an author on there talking about a book he wrote and some of the principles that were written in the book. He wrote that everyone brings their own "luggage" to the altar, the contents of which typically come out the first day of the honeymoon or could even wait until the first full week of marriage. He said that he married a sinner...and his wife married a sinner. We're all sinners! This sin is what rips apart marriages. And once we recognize that, we can begin to see the root of problems in relationships rather than playing the blame game. He talked about the scripture "don't wipe the speck out of your neighbors eye until you get the plank out of your own" and likened that to how you treat your spouse - if your marriage is rocky, you have no further to look than your own behavior or heart issues. Then, he talked about showing mercy to one another and referenced Luke 6.

I thought his talk was so good that when we were done with breakfast, I sat with Joshua on the rocking chair to read Luke 6 from the Message (he lasted about half way through before wanting to get down to play, but he stayed right next to me as he examined things in his room). When I was in tenth grade, I participated in Bible quizzing, and the beginning of Luke was what we memorized. However, written in the Message it took on new phrasing and new meaning. I got a lot out of it, and I highlighted parts that seemed to be "highlighted" for me. I thought about how I bawled the night that I had Joshua in the doctor's office again and they said he couldn't breath, but I was okay the next day. I'm not saying I was happy, but there's a difference between happy and the joy of the Lord, which is our strength. And then as I continued to read, I especially felt the "ouch" when I read "you're true being brims over into your speech and deeds..." Hmmm...food for thought.

Luke 6

You're Blessed

17-21Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. Everyone was trying to touch him—so much energy surging from him, so many people healed!

Then he spoke:

You're blessed when you've lost it all.

God's kingdom is there for the finding.

You're blessed when you're ravenously hungry.

Then you're ready for the Messianic meal.

You're blessed when the tears flow freely.

Joy comes with the morning.

22-23"Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don't like it, I do . . . and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.

Give Away Your Life

24But it's trouble ahead if you think you have it made. What you have is all you'll ever get.
25And it's trouble ahead if you're satisfied with yourself. Your selfwill not satisfy you for long. And it's trouble ahead if you think life's all fun and games. There's suffering to be met, and you're going to meet it.
26"There's trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.
27-30"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
31-34"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.
35-36"I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
37-38"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."
39-40He quoted a proverb: "'Can a blind man guide a blind man?' Wouldn't they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice doesn't lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher.
41-42"It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.

Work the Words into Your Life

43-45"You don't get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.
46-47"Why are you so polite with me, always saying 'Yes, sir,' and 'That's right, sir,' but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.
48-49"If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss."