I AM the law! part 2, the revenge

Well, I guess this isn't a direct 'part 2' of my previous 'I AM the Law' post, but I thought I'd reuse the title since the topic of judging others is brought up again in chapter 18. The main point was to
was a nice wrap up in the end of the chapter, reminding us what the greatest commandment is - to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and then second to that, to love our neighbors as ourselves.

I agree that as Christians, we set ourselves apart, but in many circumstances we are very judgemental when we actively 'set ourselves apart' from the world's ways in everyday situations. We usually don't even think about the unintentional damage that we do for the sake of being 'christian.' shame on us.

yeah, late post again, and it's 11:52pm now, so there.

what sets you apart

to be desciple, you do not have your own image. you are a direct channel of God and do as Christ would do. you also have no special power or privilege for being a desciple. you are just another person just with a special connection. it must be hard to be a desciple and to give up one's self image. i know i cannot do it. it takes a lot of discipline and focus. i do not have the mental capacity nor the toughness to seperate myself from the world and worldly things. in order to be divided from church and the world, you must do this. this defines you as a christian and a person of God. One step at a time will get you there if you want to get there.

Matt. 7, verses 13-23

This initial sequence of verses in chapter 19 is a fascinating one. It explicitly implies that the road to ruin is the easy path to take, and that the righteous path is the one that's the tough course to stay on. It goes on to emphasize how important it is to be wary of "false prophets" out there who are out to deceive and mislead the populace for the sake of their own selfish gain, monetary or otherwise. It's sad to think there are people out there who are like this, who will purposely attract the generosity of the masses for their own misguided, diabolical ends. To counter this, it further suggests that one always be on the lookout for "fruit," and whether it is good or bad may lend some insight. I can't help but think of televangelists in this light, but at the same time I'm in really no position to judge. Just to watch out intently like a sniper for the "Carmen Miranda" so to speak.

fasting

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." -Matt 6 v.6

This is a frequently referenced verse of the Bible, and it makes me think about the purpose of the act itself and the motives people have for carrying it out. I think the obvious answer is to draw closer to God, showing that the participant's dependence is in Him and not themselves. It's purpose is not to show how tough you are among your fellow men in a ridiculous spectacle, but to display who is truly in control, which should be God and not the misguided egotist.

being carefree

It seems as though a lot of times I lose that connection of God having power in my life and me actually living that faith in Him out in my everyday life. Like that knowledge that God always has my back should lead me to not worry and even take more risks. Yet I worry, I stress and I am afraid of failure.

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
Philippians 4:13

in the closet faith

A lot of the time, many christians remain in the closet. hiding their faith and not opening up and sharing about it. maybe it's more than about the faith but maybe one's character. yesterday, i saw shadowlands, a play about cs lewis' life. i got a glimpse on his faith and how he lived. he was a christian through and through but when is came to relationships, he had to make choice about about showing his love of someone who was not available. his friends tried to keep him straight but the heart won over and he did what made him who he was. even the strong can sometimes take a step back to cover up the rest of life. personally, it happens to me too. a lot depends on the situation and how we feel. we need to feel more open more.

the natural

well, at first this chapter seemed a bit repetitive and going no where, and finally he got to the point. Bonhoe, made it clear that our lives shouldn't be striving to be "extraordinary" for the sake of it, but that our normal lives should be so "extraordinary" that it's normal and ordinary. It kind of seems like it contradicts itself, but it makes sense. I believe that if we're to live the "extraordinary" lives that we're meant to be, then it has to be all the time.

yeah i know, i made this entry down to the wire and as i type this it's 12am... suckas.

tunnel vision

So we have to let our lights shine on top of a hill but it can't be visible (to us). I guess it's just a natural thing to do as a human to concentrate and focus on ourselves. It's also hard when you put yourself in a leadership role because a lot of people are looking at you to act a certain way. Like if a military leader shows weakness or doubt then his troops might falter. So as a leader you might be too preoccupied on how your troops are perceiving you. But the best military leaders in history probably didnt become bogged down in how they look but were focused on the objective to be accomplished. Must've took good discipline.

the visible invisible man

Jesus cautions us to seek God first in all our endeavors; in obediance, humbly following after Him and seeking to further His kingdom and glory. Otherwise we run the risk of doing things for the sake of being seen; to be acknowledged by men, seeking self glory.

humbleness and spontaneous

in order to be righteous with God, you must use the extraordinary gifts that he has given us. but we must do it with humbleness and with spontaneity. it shall not be pre-meditated or that would be considered your own virtue. so in order to truly be what God wants of us, we must hide in the shadows and only do what God wants when he wants.

resistance is futile

On page 143, Bonhoeffer brings up the Reformers interpretation of the chapter 12 Matthew passage and he poses the question, "If I am attacked am I not at once the father of my children, the pastor of my flock, and e.g. a government official? And am I not bound for that very reason to defend myself against every attack, for reason of responsibility to my office?" It seems Bonhoeffer says no, which seems to imply that any type of fighting or violence is wrong (like war for example). I suppose I shouldn't generalize or make blanket statements like all war is wrong. I dunno, I guess we'll have to discuss it more during CG.

Enemies

Loving your enemies...the more i think about it, the harder it seems. I already find it hard many times to love those that are my friends. But if Christians are meant to be 'extraordinary' then it's an area that I would definitely need some help.

revenge

i am one who meets evil with non-resistance. but i am also one that does the same with attacks on our religion unlike what the reformers speak about. i understand their view but the lack of knowledge makes it hard to battle those attacks on my religion. i do however defend my faith and beliefs, defending the faith in general is tough. but what the reformers say make sense and explains how evil/revenge should be handled.

Week 7 of 14

Revenge - Ch. 12
Eye for an Eye... Tooth for a Tooth... so is revenge or violence ever called for? Again it's a calling to suffer. I still don't understand how this could be practically lived out in every situation in life. Bonhoeffer acknowledges the difficulty of living a life of non-aggression when other people are put under your care (mid p.143) and the fact that we are still living in a world of sin (mid p.144). So are we supposed to be passively "taking it" while others are wronging us? I'm all about loving our enemies (next chapter)... but I still don't understand this whole thing of non-aggression. It seems that in practical living... there are certain circumstances that require some sort of response.

The Enemy - "The Extraordinary" - Ch.13
"Every insult they utter only serves to bind us more closely to God and them. Their persecution of us only serves to bring them nearer to reconciliation with God and to further the triumphs of love." (top p. 150) Bonhoeffer says that this is an active love towards our enemy. So I guess that as we actively love the other person and pray for the other person, their hearts will start to turn towards God. In this passage, I guess it specifically calls out people who are our personally enemies. But I'm guessing that this applies to anybody who is an unbeliever (an enemy of God).

Just so that I remember how much I owe... as of today I owe a total of $20. Like I said last week, I'm going to be out of town again this coming Tuesday (3/6).