Pirates are already down 3-0 in the 2nd inning (and it should be 4-0 if not for a player thrown out at the plate), so that's all I have to say about that.
I'll revisit the topic of the trade in a few weeks to see how the four players the Pirates got in return are doing. Jeff Karstens is going to start this weekend against Jen Harrison's Cubs.....that's a tough assignment to start with, but we'll see.
Anyway, the main focus of this blog is to throw out for discussion one of my favorite parts of the Bible. Over the last month, the series going on at our church is the Sermon on the Mount. Unfortunately, with travel, we've missed a couple of these, but were there this past Sunday.
What I think the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew Chapters 5-7 --click on to read it!) boils down to is the Philosophy of Jesus. Just about everyone knows the main verse for believers in Jesus is John 3:16 and we believe that accepting Jesus as Savior is the ONLY ticket to Heaven. But, in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, he laid out how those who follow Him should live. Don't get too tripped up in the Beatitudes (Blessed are the....), but if you look at the short points that he lays out over the next two chapters, Jesus is saying that it's not about the rules, but rather about the heart.
So, my suggestion to you is to check out Matthew 5-7 if you haven't before and see what kind of a life a Christian is striving for. It's not about perfect Sunday School attendance, not eating meat on Fridays during lent, making sure you give 10%, rules of divorce, fasting, or any other "rule."
Rather, what's in your heart as your living your life, using the rules as guidelines. We shouldn't throw out the rules, but shouldn't be obsessed with the rules instead of the intent behind the rules. This is where the Pharisees got in trouble back in Jesus' day. They were all caught up in the rules and not the compassion.
I hope you take that to heart and (especially if it would be the first time or it's been a long time) definitely read the Sermon on the Mount to get a feel for where a Christian's heart should be....not focused on the rules.
Also, congrats to Maija on a solid 2nd place finish in the NJ State triathlon....especially overcoming the goggle issues!!!!
2 comments:
Thanks for the congrats/mention :)
I see you swam 1650 yrds the other day--way to go!
Nice Post Oscar. Thanks! Good reading too on the sermon. My favoriate is... Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. I love that one. Thanks for the thoughts.
Post a Comment