Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.
He said:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Matthew 5:1-10

“There are various ways to describe it: turning the other cheek … going the extra mile … doing good to those who hate us … loving our enemies … pouring coals of fire on another’s head. We may say it in different ways, but the action amounts to the same thing. By doing the unexpected, we accomplish a twofold objective (1) we put an end to bitterness, and (2) we prove the truth of the age-old axiom, love conquers all. I’ve seen it happen over and over again. I’ve also seen occasions when it could have worked, but neither side was willing to give it a whirl.”

• Charles R. Swindoll, The Finishing Touch (Devotion for week 49, Monday)

Rev. Swindoll wrote this in the early 90s, and Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount two thousand years ago.

Yet, what is our problem today?  After the COVID pandemic, people seem afraid of each other.  Some people still wear masks.  I am not saying that the mask-wearers are wrong, but they have a heightened fear of something.  Namely: everyone else.

The pro-abortion people see everyone else as being against the rights of women.  But the gender dysphoria people cannot define what a woman is.  But the little baby knows its mother.  The little baby knows that Daddy is deficient in some things.

Note: They have had limited success in getting a man with certain chemicals in his system to produce something that looks like milk, but pediatricians claim that it is harmful to the child.  But I wonder how much of my tax dollars went to that study?

Many atheists are angry in a God that they do not believe in.

If George Orwell returned, he would look at the world today and say that he underestimated the total depravity in which the human race can descend.

The first thing to fix any of this is to believe in God and trust Him.  The battling sides will mellow just a little with Jesus in their hearts.

But then, to soften the heart of your enemy, it may take a Herculean effort.  The first nice thing that you do will be so unexpected they will throw the cake that you baked out with the trash, thinking it to be poisoned.

Some people think that it is too late to turn America around.  I liken America to the Hezekiah led Judah.  He was a good king, but the people were corrupt.  A couple of generations of bad kings later, Josiah became king, yet the prophecies were that the nation would soon go into exile.  Regardless of the reformation that Josiah started (only retained during his reign), the reformation did not quench the anger of God.

So, are we like Hezekiah’s reign, in bad shape and heading down hill, but with a faint possibility to repent?  Or are we like Josiah’s reign.  No matter how repentant we get, God is finished with us?

Let us not worry about either situation.  We can practice distrust and hatred toward others.  Or we can show love toward others.

The latter is unexpected.  We might get vile responses from them.  But we do not know if there can be a lasting change in a long series of good deeds, if we never do the first one.

Let us do the first good deed for someone who hates us.  And since it was unexpected, do not quit when the response is that of intense anger.  Do something else nice for them.

In time, the teaching of Jesus may not mend that relationship, but it mends our hearts.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.