"The Lord said to Samuel, 'Do everything the people request of you. For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king. Just as they have done from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what they are also doing to you. So now do as they say. But seriously warn them and make them aware of the policies of the king who will rule over them.'
So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, 'Here are the policies of the king who will rule over you: He will conscript your sons and put them in his chariot forces and in his cavalry; they will run in front of his chariot. He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties, as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment. He will take your daughters to be ointment makers, cooks, and bakers. He will take your best fields and vineyards and give them to his own servants. He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and give it to his administrators and his servants. He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best cattle and your donkeys, and assign them for his own use. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his servants. In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you in that day.'" (I Samuel 8:7-18, NET)
"'You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. But whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic, give him your coat also. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and do not reject the one who wants to borrow from you.
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor' and 'hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be like your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the same, don’t they? And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:38-47, NET)
"Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:16-21, NET)
"Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, 'I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.' Therefore 'come out from their midst, and be separate,' says the Lord, 'and touch no unclean thing, and I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,' says the All-Powerful Lord." (II Corinthians 6:14-18, NET)
"If anyone is meant for captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed by the sword,
then by the sword he must be killed.
This requires steadfast endurance and faith from the saints." (Revelation 13:10, NET)
God bless the U.S.A.?
1 comments:
I’ve seen a good deal of the world and despite this country’s failings, of which I am well aware, it is a much better place than most of the world.
One sermon that impacted me greatly was about a phrase which is used in Mark. “…take up your cross and follow me”, as in to allow the Cross to shape our lives and our way of thinking, or to be a Christian and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, a fairly innocuous phrase. Innocuous, as in safe or harmless, until it was pointed out to me in this sermon that Jesus knew at the time He said it that He would be crucified, and was saying that if we’re going to be disciples we must be willing to suffer the same fate.
Because we know the end of the story, we tend to jump ahead to the truth that He did, in fact, rise again. To understand the phrase accurately we have to let the discomfort of Jesus’ words—before the resurrection—confront us. Jesus suffered and died on the cross, and calls for us to be willing to do the same if necessary.
I was in the Army for 24 years and occasionally found myself “in harm’s way”. The idea that they may be called upon to give their lives for their country, to “make the ultimate sacrifice”, is always in the back of a soldier’s mind in combat. When I think about it I am proud of the fact that I served, that I volunteered for hazardous assignments, and that I was willing to die for my country.
I sometimes find myself wondering if I would be as willing to die for my faith as I was for my country. Would you, or I, be willing to truly “take up our cross” and follow Jesus just as He meant we might have to?
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