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something. We should consider whether we can help, not whether we will get it back.
We are to give up our rights because of God's grace to us. He has dealt with us in grace so we, as kingdom people, must show grace to others as well.
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The law said that your should love your neighbor and hate your enemy. Once again, Jesus said, "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Some manuscripts read: "Love your enemy, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who hurt you." Why should we aim for such a high standard, far above worldly standards? So that we can be like Jesus - sons of our Father in heaven!
If we are to be like the Father, then we need to know what He is like. Does He bless, protect and provide only for the good who follow Him? No! The sun also rises on the evil and the rain also falls on the unrighteous. Does that mean that God approves of them? No! But He is full of grace,
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"not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance".
If we return love for love, how is that different from the world? If we greet only our brothers, are we any better than the pagans? The Awa Indians who killed 5 missionaries would do that. But they would spear anyone of whom they were suspicious or who was a clear enemy.
The world system says that it's O.K. to be angry, to lust, to be selfish, to be deceitful, to get your rights and to hate anyone who's different or your enemy. Jesus' teaching runs counter to the entire system of the world.
Jesus has been dealing with a whole list of inner feelings and motives which tend to control us even as we give the outward
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appearance of following the law - being "good". Remember Jesus' key phrase: "Your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law." Beneath the surface lies the true person we are, possibly harboring anger, lust, selfishness, deceit, insistence on our rights, and hatred.
We are called finally to be "perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect". This perfection is like a transparent window. Everything is clear on the other side. There are no hidden agendas or secrets. We do these things because we are God's children, the ones Jesus described at the beginning of His sermon. It is our goal to be like the Father whose children we already are. U
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Juanita Simpson is a retired missionary still serving the Lord in Micronesia after 36 years of ministry.
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Some church leaders today are saying that no one should ever question what they teach. Others call down curses on anyone who questions them. Is this God's way?
What did Paul do when the Bereans "examined the scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true"? (Acts 17:11) He called them men "of more noble character"! Paul's prayer for the Christians at Philippi was that they might "be able to discern" (Phil. 1:10).
What is discernment? The Greek word for discern means "to test and approve", "to examine", "to raise questions". It is our responsibility as
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children of God to be discerning - to carefully examine the teachings we hear at our church, on the TV and radio, and at big crusades. We need to ask: Do these teachings follow God's holy Word? Let's look at some examples of what it means to be discerning.
You are watching the TV and see many strange things happening like people falling to the floor ("slain in the spirit"), barking like dogs, and laughing uncontrollably. Are these "signs and wonders" from God? You remember reading Jesus' words in Matt. 16:4: "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign." You know these signs cannot be
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from God.
The preacher at the crusade you attend says, "Just leave your mind at the door. Stop analyzing." But just this week you were studying Romans 12 in your devotions. It emphasizes the importance of our minds. "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." You know God gave us our minds to use.
When you talk to a pastor about how we must measure everything by God's Word, He says, 'God is painting a new picture. This is new revelation.' When you go to your Bible to find out if this is true, you read, "He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been
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