Julie
We are gaining great insight and helpful lessons through this reading. This one covered a lot of ground. I think that this is the first time that we see the Beatitudes and God telling us that we should be humble and know that even in times of trouble we will overcome them. One of the most important rules/commandments it he Bible is to love your neighbor as yourself. He tells us that if we love those that are difficult to love that shows our compassion and forgiveness that He provides to us. We should not judge others because we are likely guilty of the same thing or we are forgetting that we are just as human and make mistakes. We should also treat others as we would want to be treated. We are not blessed for treating those that we like and have no problems with grace, but for those that we struggle with.
This is telling us to have wisdom in the words we speak and in how we speak.
Michelle
I think you said this perfectly. It's just what I was thinking as I read it. The devotional with this section talks about having a solid foundation. It likens our spiritual foundation to that of a building with a rock-solid foundation. That if we have a solid foundation in God and his word, we will be able to withstand anything that comes at us. The last paragraph sums it up in much the same way as you did. "Love your enemies and be good to them. Exchange kindness for anger, silence for gossip, a sweet spirit for bitterness. Don't judge others but accept them as God has accepted you. Forgive, because you have been forgiven. Be generous, and generosity will come back to you when you most need it. Be more concerned with your own purity than about the purity of others. Care about the goodness of your heart because your words will reveal, no matter how good of an actress you are, what's really inside. The rock-solid foundation isn't an abstract notion. The "rocks," ironically, are a soft heart and a gentle spirit. And those can only come from...Jesus Christ."
This one does seem to be about watching what you say and foolish behaviors and words.
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