I've been thinking about soul care a lot lately. Everywhere I go I am faced with the deep need to address what is going on "inside" of me. At home, at church, at play, and most importantly in the messiness of this life I am recognizing the importance of what's happening in my soul and how that impacts every aspect of my life and also impacts every person in my path for good or bad.
Wow, it's not just about me. Not sure I was quite ready to realize what I thought was carefully packed inside has the potential to help or harm others. As I attend to caring for my soul, I am reading "Soul Keeping," by John Ortberg for the fourth or maybe it's the fifth time now. I'm reading and re-reading the new testament and also many old testament passages that relate to "soul care."
It must be pretty important to God that I get this "soul care" thing right, because everywhere I go and everything I do speaks to soul care. God is continually revealing Himself and reminding me of His presence and His desire to be fully present with me during every step of my journey through this life.
This weekend, I picked up my Message version of God's Word and read Matthew 5-7. Yes, those are chapters and I couldn't put it down. So, I am sharing this passage with you:
You’re Blessed
"5 1-2 When
Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside.
Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him.
Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing
companions. This is what he said:
3 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4 “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5 “You’re
blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less.
That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that
can’t be bought.
6 “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
7 “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
8 “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9 “You’re
blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or
fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in
God’s family.
10 “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
11-12 “Not
only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or
throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is
that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You
can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t
like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in
good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this
kind of trouble.
Salt and Light
13 “Let
me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that
brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness,
how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will
end up in the garbage.
14-16 “Here’s
another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the
God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going
public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you
light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do
you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a
hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your
lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with
God, this generous Father in heaven.
Completing God’s Law
17-18 “Don’t
suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either
God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I
am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast
panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky
and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears
out, God’s Law will be alive and working.
19-20 “Trivialize
even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialized
yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will
find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees
in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about
entering the kingdom.
Murder
21-22 “You’re
familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling
you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is
guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might
find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a
sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is
that words kill.
23-24 “This
is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter
your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly
remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave
immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only
then, come back and work things out with God.
25-26 “Or
say you’re out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don’t lose a
minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if
you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you’re likely
to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you won’t get out
without a stiff fine.
Adultery and Divorce
27-28 “You
know the next commandment pretty well, too: ‘Don’t go to bed with
another’s spouse.’ But don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply
by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. Those leering looks you think nobody notices—they also corrupt.
29-30 “Let’s
not pretend this is easier than it really is. If you want to live a
morally pure life, here’s what you have to do: You have to blind your
right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer. You have to choose
to live one-eyed or else be dumped on a moral trash pile. And you have
to chop off your right hand the moment you notice it raised
threateningly. Better a bloody stump than your entire being discarded
for good in the dump.
31-32 “Remember
the Scripture that says, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him do it
legally, giving her divorce papers and her legal rights’? Too many of
you are using that as a cover for selfishness and whim, pretending to be
righteous just because you are ‘legal.’ Please, no more pretending. If
you divorce your wife, you’re responsible for making her an adulteress
(unless she has already made herself that by sexual promiscuity). And if
you marry such a divorced adulteress, you’re automatically an adulterer
yourself. You can’t use legal cover to mask a moral failure.
Empty Promises
33-37 “And
don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our
traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen
of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or
saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words
true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech
sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’
When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.
Love Your Enemies
38-42 “Here’s
another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for
tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t
hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If
someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back,
giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes
unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life.
No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
43-47 “You’re
familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its
unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m
telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you,
not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the
energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves,
your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the
sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good
and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you
expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those
who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does
that.
48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up.
You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created
identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God
lives toward you.”
The World Is Not a Stage
6 “Be
especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t
make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who
made you won’t be applauding.
2-4 “When
you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself.
You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating
prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate
as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get
applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out,
don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively.
That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the
scenes, helps you out.
Pray with Simplicity
5 “And
when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production
either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers,
hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
6 “Here’s
what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be
tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as
you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will
begin to sense his grace.
7-13 “The
world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.
They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques
for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This
is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what
you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.
Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
14-15 “In
prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You
can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving
others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s
part.
16-18 “When
you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on
God, don’t make a production out of it. It might turn you into a
small-time celebrity but it won’t make you a saint. If you ‘go into
training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair,
brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn’t require attention-getting
devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well.
A Life of God-Worship
19-21 “Don’t
hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by
rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where
it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The
place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and
end up being.
22-23 “Your
eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder
and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in
greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds
on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
24 “You
can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating
the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t
worship God and Money both.
25-26 “If
you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you
don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes
in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the
food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the
clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered,
not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you
count far more to him than birds.
27-29 “Has
anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much
as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it
makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out
into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop,
but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten
best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.
30-33 “If
God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which
are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in
you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to
relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.
People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things,
but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality,
God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll
find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
34 “Give
your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get
worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you
deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
A Simple Guide for Behavior
7 1-5 “Don’t
pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless,
of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way
of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and
be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to
say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by
contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again,
playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe
that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a
washcloth to your neighbor.
6 “Don’t
be flip with the sacred. Banter and silliness give no honor to God.
Don’t reduce holy mysteries to slogans. In trying to be relevant, you’re
only being cute and inviting sacrilege.
7-11 “Don’t
bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn’t a
cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. If your child asks for
bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare
him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn’t
think of such a thing. You’re at least decent to your own children. So
don’t you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
12 “Here
is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you
want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.
Being and Doing
13-14 “Don’t
look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire,
easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your
spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do.
The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.
15-20 “Be
wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced
sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other.
Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are
is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never
exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with
their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.
21-23 “Knowing
the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going
to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing
what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands
strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we
bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And
do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did
was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit.
You’re out of here.’
24-25 “These
words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life,
homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational
words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your
life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock.
Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved
that house. It was fixed to the rock.
26-27 “But
if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your
life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy
beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a
house of cards.”
28-29 When
Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had
never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living
everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers!
This was the best teaching they had ever heard."
Okay, I hope I didn't lose you with several chapters of God's word, but I wanted you to know what's going on in my world and I pray God will speak to each of you as powerfully as He is speaking to me. Together, we can all run this race called life and do our best to become the person/people our Heavenly Father created us to be.
By His mercy and in the grip of His grace,
Andrea Bowling Perdue
