5 in The Message

About every 3 months I read through the gospels, 1 chapter at a day...

Matthew = 28 chapters

Mark = 16

Luke = 24

John = 21

So that 89 days ;-)

The last time I read through what is called The Sermon on the Mountain (Matthew 5, 6, & 7), I put the whole chapter in this blog in the New Living Translation, the translation I do my morning reading in each day.

This time around, I thought I'd share those 3 chapters in The Message, a paraphrased translation.

Here ya go with chapter 5 – read it slowly, & more than once...

Matthew 5

1-2 When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:

3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

17-18 “Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.
19-20 “Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom.

21-22 “You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.
23-24 “This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.
25-26 “Or say you’re out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don’t lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you’re likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you won’t get out without a stiff fine.

27-28 “You know the next commandment pretty well, too: ‘Don’t go to bed with another’s spouse.’ But don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt.
29-30 “Let’s not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a morally pure life, here’s what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile. And you have to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded for good in the dump.
31-32 “Remember the Scripture that says, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights’? Too many of you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be righteous just because you are ‘legal.’ Please, no more pretending. If you divorce your wife, you’re responsible for making her an adulteress (unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if you marry such a divorced adulteress, you’re automatically an adulterer yourself. You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure.

33-37 “And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.

38-42 “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
43-47 “You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to 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 then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

139 in The Voice

Psalm 139 (from the translation The Voice)

O Eternal One, You have explored my heart and know exactly who I am;

2 You even know the small details like when I take a seat and when I stand up again.

    Even when I am far away, You know what I’m thinking.

3 You observe my wanderings and my sleeping, my waking and my dreaming,

    and You know everything I do in more detail than even I know.

4 You know what I’m going to say long before I say it.

    It is true, Eternal One, that You know everything and everyone.

5 You have surrounded me on every side, behind me and before me,

    and You have placed Your hand gently on my shoulder.

6 It is the most amazing feeling to know how deeply You know me, inside and out;

    the realization of it is so great that I cannot comprehend it.

7 Can I go anywhere apart from Your Spirit?


    Is there anywhere I can go to escape Your watchful presence?



8 If I go up into heaven, You are there.


    If I make my bed in the realm of the dead, You are there.


9 If I ride on the wings of morning,


    if I make my home in the most isolated part of the ocean,


10 Even then You will be there to guide me;


    Your right hand will embrace me, for You are always there.


11 Even if I am afraid and think to myself, “There is no doubt that the darkness will swallow me, the light around me will soon be turned to night,”


12 You can see in the dark, for it is not dark to Your eyes.


    For You the night is just as bright as the day.


    Darkness and light are the same to Your eyes.






13 For You shaped me, inside and out.


    You knitted me together in my mother’s womb long before I took my first breath.


14 I will offer You my grateful heart, for I am Your unique creation, filled with wonder and awe.
    You have approached even the smallest details with excellence;


    Your works are wonderful;


I carry this knowledge deep within my soul.


15     You see all things; nothing about me was hidden from You


As I took shape in secret, carefully crafted in the heart of the earth before I was born from its womb.


16 You see all things;


    You saw me growing, changing in my mother’s womb;


Every detail of my life was already written in Your book;


    You established the length of my life before I ever tasted the sweetness of it.


17 Your thoughts and plans are treasures to me, O God! I cherish each and every one of them!


    How grand in scope! How many in number!


18 If I could count each one of them, they would be more than all the grains of sand on earth.
Their number is inconceivable!


    Even when I wake up, I am still near to You.






19 I wish You would destroy all the wicked, O God.


    So keep away from me, those who are thirsty for blood!


20 For they say such horrible things about You,


    and those who are against You abuse Your good name.


21 Is it not true that I hate all who hate You, Eternal One?


    Is it not true that I despise all who come against You?


22 Deep hatred boils within me toward them;


    I am Your friend, and they are my enemies.





23 Explore me, O God, and know the real me. Dig deeply and discover who I am.


    Put me to the test and watch how I handle the strain.


24 Examine me to see if there is an evil bone in me, and guide me down Your path forever.

a paraphrased 37

Psalm 37 (From the paraphrased translation known as The Message)

1-2 Don’t bother your head with braggarts
    or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
In no time they’ll shrivel like grass clippings
    and wilt like cut flowers in the sun.

3-4 Get insurance with God and do a good deed,
    settle down and stick to your last.
Keep company with God,
    get in on the best.



5-6 Open up before God, keep nothing back;
    he’ll do whatever needs to be done:
He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day
    and stamp you with approval at high noon.



7 Quiet down before God,
    be prayerful before him.
Don’t bother with those who climb the ladder,
    who elbow their way to the top.



8-9 Bridle your anger, trash your wrath,
    cool your pipes—it only makes things worse.
Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;
    God-investors will soon own the store.



10-11 Before you know it, the wicked will have had it;
    you’ll stare at his once famous place and—nothing!
Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,
    relishing a huge bonanza.



12-13 Bad guys have it in for the good guys,
    obsessed with doing them in.
But God isn’t losing any sleep; to him
    they’re a joke with no punch line.



14-15 Bullies brandish their swords,
    pull back on their bows with a flourish.
They’re out to beat up on the harmless,
    or mug that nice man out walking his dog.
A banana peel lands them flat on their faces—
    slapstick figures in a moral circus.



16-17 Less is more and more is less.
    One righteous will outclass fifty wicked,
For the wicked are moral weaklings
    but the righteous are God-strong.



18-19 God keeps track of the decent folk;
    what they do won’t soon be forgotten.
In hard times, they’ll hold their heads high;
    when the shelves are bare, they’ll be full.



20 God-despisers have had it;
    God’s enemies are finished—
Stripped bare like vineyards at harvest time,
    vanished like smoke in thin air.



21-22 Wicked borrows and never returns;
    Righteous gives and gives.
Generous gets it all in the end;
    Stingy is cut off at the pass.



23-24 Stalwart walks in step with God;
    his path blazed by God, he’s happy.
If he stumbles, he’s not down for long;
    God has a grip on his hand.



25-26 I once was young, now I’m a graybeard—
    not once have I seen an abandoned believer,
    or his kids out roaming the streets.
Every day he’s out giving and lending,
    his children making him proud.



27-28 Turn your back on evil,
    work for the good and don’t quit.
God loves this kind of thing,
    never turns away from his friends.



28-29 Live this way and you’ve got it made,
    but bad eggs will be tossed out.
The good get planted on good land
    and put down healthy roots.



30-31 Righteous chews on wisdom like a dog on a bone,
rolls virtue around on his tongue.
His heart pumps God’s Word like blood through his veins;
    his feet are as sure as a cat’s.



32-33 Wicked sets a watch for Righteous,
he’s out for the kill.
God, alert, is also on watch—
    Wicked won’t hurt a hair of his head.



34 Wait passionately for God,
don’t leave the path.
He’ll give you your place in the sun
    while you watch the wicked lose it.



35-36 I saw Wicked bloated like a toad,
croaking pretentious nonsense.
The next time I looked there was nothing—
    a punctured bladder, vapid and limp.



37-38 Keep your eye on the healthy soul,
scrutinize the straight life;
There’s a future
    in strenuous wholeness.
But the willful will soon be discarded;
    insolent souls are on a dead-end street.



39-40 The spacious, free life is from God,
it’s also protected and safe.
God-strengthened, we’re delivered from evil—
    when we run to him, he saves us.

angels?

Hebrews 13:2

 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! (NLT)

Always remember to help people by welcoming them into your home. Some people have done that and have helped angels without knowing it. (ERV)

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (ESV)

Never let your brotherly love fail, nor refuse to extend your hospitality to strangers—sometimes men have entertained angels unawares. (J B Phillips)

Be ready with a meal or a bed when it’s needed. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it! (The Message)

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (NIV)

Don’t forget to extend your hospitality to all—even to strangers—for as you know, some have unknowingly shown kindness to heavenly messengers in this way. (The Voice)

This is just a thought – ponder it, as we move about during our day.

Iow, ya never know...

show me

1 John 3:18

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. (NLT)

 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (ESV)

My children, let us not love merely in theory or in words—let us love in sincerity and in practice! (J B Phillips)

 My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. (The Message)

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (NIV)

My little children, don’t just talk about love as an idea or a theory. Make it your true way of life, and live in the pattern of gracious love. (The Voice)

love - powerful stuff

John was all about love.

These verses from 1 John are some powerful stuff in regards to love & God's expression of it.

I offer no commentary – this stands by itself...

1 John 4

7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another,

for love comes from God.

Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.

8 But anyone who does not love does not know God,

for God is love.

  9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.

10 This is real love...

not that we loved God,

but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

  11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

12 No one has ever seen God.

But if we love each other,

God lives in us,

and his love is brought to full expression in us.

  13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.

14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them,

and they live in God.

16 We know how much God loves us,

and we have put our trust in his love.

  God is love,

and all who live in love live in God,

and God lives in them.

17 And as we live in God,

our love grows more perfect.

So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment,

but we can face him with confidence

because we live like Jesus here in this world.

  18 Such love has no fear,

because perfect love expels all fear.

If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment,

and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

19 We love each other because he loved us first.

  20 If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar;

for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

21 And he has given us this command:

Those who love God must also love others.

buckle up

Just read this – but buckle up!

In my Bible, there's LOTS of underlining in this chapter...

1 John 3

1 See how very much our Father loves us,

for he calls us his children,

and that is what we are!

But the people who belong to this world don't recognize that we are God's children because they don't know him.

2 Dear friends, we are already God's children,

but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears.

But we do know that we will be like him,

for we will see him as he really is.

3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure,

just as he is pure.

  4 Everyone who sins is breaking God's law,

for all sin is contrary to the law of God.

5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins,

and there is no sin in him.

6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin.

But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.

  7 Dear children, don't let anyone deceive you about this:

When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous,

even as Christ is righteous.

8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil,

who has been sinning since the beginning.

But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

9 Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning,

because God's life is in them.

So they can't keep on sinning,

because they are children of God.

10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil.

Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning:

We should love one another.

12 We must not be like Cain,

who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother.

And why did he kill him?

Because Cain had been doing what was evil,

and his brother had been doing what was righteous.

13 So don't be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

  14 If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life.

But a person who has no love is still dead.

15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart.

And you know that murderers don't have eternal life within them.

  16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.

So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God's love be in that person?

  18 Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other;

let us show the truth by our actions.

19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth,

so we will be confident when we stand before God.

20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings,

and he knows everything.

  21 Dear friends, if we don't feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.

22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask

because we obey him

and do the things that please him.

  23 And this is his commandment:

We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,

and love one another,

just as he commanded us.

24 Those who obey God's commandments remain in fellowship with him,

and he with them.

And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.