I AM SUPPOSED TO DO WHAT?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“You have heard that is was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’
But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you
on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
(Matthew 5:38-39)

MEDITATION:
Following the commands of Jesus can present us with many challenges,
can’t it? It means that quite often we will have to set aside our natural
tendencies which get in the way of obeying His instructions. This is not
often easy; it requires forethought on our part. If you are a person who
likes to see fairness (in the eyes of mankind) prevail, it becomes even
harder to follow His commands.

We have been influenced by the world, which encourages our natural
instincts to control our reactions to the problems and issues of life. It
means that we will often respond in selfish ways, which are opposite
from the teachings of Jesus.

Whenever someone hits us, we want justice right now; we want immediate
revenge; we want others to pay for their wrongdoing (especially when it’s
directed toward us). What we don’t want to do is, turn the other cheek and
let them verbally assault us even more. But, in all situations we need to keep
in mind that, God’s ways are not our ways.

How can we overcome our natural tendencies? There is not a magic formula,
but when God saves us, He gives the availability of an advocate (Holy Spirit)
to help us in many ways. When we invite the Holy Spirit to be in control of
our lives, we will discover He can help the seemingly ‘impossible’ become
‘possible’.

The Holy Spirit is qualified to help us overcome our natural tendencies
and become more obedient to the commands of Jesus. The more often
we respond in ways that are pleasing to the Lord, the easier it will be for
us to obey Him the next time we are faced with a challenging situation.

We may have this question,
    “How do I allow the Holy Spirit to have control in my life?”
The answer is, we ask our Heavenly Father to give us the Holy Spirit.
    If you then, though you are evil, know how to give
    good gifts to your children, how much more will
    your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those
    who ask him!”
    (Luke 11:13)
It’s not something for us to figure out; it is following the instructions
we are given and having faith and trust that God will make it happen.

Look at how Jesus says we should react when someone harms us.
Our natural reaction is to retaliate and get revenge, but Jesus says,
“Don’t do that”. His instructions to us are, to respond with humility.
Why? Because He was the epitome of humbleness; being humble is
a characteristic that pleases God (arrogant pride is not!).

If we want to be more like Jesus, then we are required to develop
His characteristics in our own lives. This means we need to learn
to react to things in the same way He would. He has commanded
us to absorb the damage to us from others; as opposed to seeking
revenge for the harm they have caused us.

Is that easy to do? Of course not! But when we tell the Lord that
we want to react in a way that pleases Him, we discover that we
are capable of doing things we thought were impossible. Why is
that? It happens because the Holy Spirit intervenes and changes
our attitude from a ‘natural’ to a ‘righteous’ one.

When we obey the Lord, we will develop the ability to pray for the
other person, even if we feel they are not worthy of our prayers.
This develops another characteristic of Jesus in our own lives:
    we learn to pray for those who treat us rudely and unfairly;
    we develop the ability to absorb their hurtful actions instead
    of responding in a combative manner.

That’s exactly what Jesus did on the cross – He prayed for those
who were crucifying Him. He could have summoned a legion of
angels to stop their madness, but instead, He absorbed what they
were doing to Him with humility that was driven by an abundance
of love for each of us, and an overwhelming desire to please God,
the Father.

ACTION:
God has given us ‘free choice’ in making our decisions. But, we
should know (and remember) that we are not given freedom 
from the consequences of the choices we make.

If we ‘choose’ to ask the Lord to forgive us of our sins, and we
commit to living a life of following Jesus and serving God, then
we will enjoy the consequences of ‘our choice’.

On the other hand, if we ‘choose’ not to ask for forgiveness, and
do not commit to following Jesus and serving God, then we will
have to suffer the consequences of ‘our bad choice’. It doesn’t
mean we will get a ‘slap on the wrist’; it means we will suffer the
most excruciating pain we could ever image, and it never stops.

Think about the last five adverse situations you faced. How did you
react to each one? Would you say you reacted more like Jesus has
commanded us to respond, or were your responses controlled by
natural tendencies (which are in opposition to God’s instructions)?

Let’s be honest, following the commands of the Lord is not easy,
but He expects us to conform to His way of thinking and reacting.
The more we obey His commands, the more we become like Jesus.
If we have sincerely chosen to follow Jesus, then we have also made
a choice to develop His characteristics in our own lives, haven’t we?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I have a sincere desire to obey Your commands.
You know me, and You know the areas where I struggle. I pray that
You would strengthen me in those areas so that I will become more
obedient to Your commands. My desire is to develop the characteristics
of Jesus in my own life and I know that is impossible without Your help,
guidance, and strength. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me to allow
Him to be vibrant and alive in my life. Forgive me for the times when I
have chosen to follow my own natural inclinations, instead of allowing
the Holy Spirit to guide me and influence my decisions. Teach me how
to respond with humility, and give me courage, faith and strength to turn
the other cheek instead of retaliating.”

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