Drawing upon the teachings of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount, the author helps us understand our call to live differently as his followers. Weekly sermons include:
Week 1: Happiness Redefined
Week 2: You Can Change Your World
Week 3: A Higher Standard
Week 4: Love the Ones You Hate
Drawing upon the teachings of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount, the author helps us understand our call to live differently as his followers. Weekly sermons include:
Week 1: Happiness Redefined
Week 2: You Can Change Your World
Week 3: A Higher Standard
Week 4: Love the Ones You Hate
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Overview
Drawing upon the teachings of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount, the author helps us understand our call to live differently as his followers. Weekly sermons include:
Week 1: Happiness Redefined
Week 2: You Can Change Your World
Week 3: A Higher Standard
Week 4: Love the Ones You Hate
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781426781278 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Abingdon Press |
| Publication date: | 10/15/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 947 KB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Upside Down: A Different Way to Live
Daily Readings
By Jacob Armstrong
Abingdon Press
Copyright © 2013 Abingdon PressAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4267-8127-8
CHAPTER 1
Week 1: Happiness Redefined
O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Matthew 5:1-12
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. He taught them, saying:
"Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
"Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.
"Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.
"Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.
"Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.
"Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.
"Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God's children.
"Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
"Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you."
Day 1
Matthew 5:1
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him. He taught them saying ...
Every day I see different people. On the walking trail by my house, I pass my neighbors. In the grocery store I see people from my community. On my street corner the homeless hold signs. At the gas station we stand, but we do not speak. If I'm honest, I see a lot of people and think very little about them. I have my stuff to do, and I am on my way. If I'm honest, some days I hope that I don't have to stop or speak because my day is planned, my mind is preoccupied, and my heart is busy.
On the day that Jesus shared what is now known as the Sermon on the Mount, he saw a lot of people. A huge crowd had followed him.
Jesus didn't see the crowds and keep walking. Jesus didn't see the crowds and try to get away.
When Jesus saw the crowds he was moved to do something for them, something with them. He went up on the side of a mountain (presumably to a place where his voice could be heard better), sat down (the seated position would have been the authoritative way to teach), and began to share with the crowds a message that they did not expect.
Jesus shared what is commonly known as the Beatitudes, a term which means happy or blissful. Jesus began to share the way to happiness to a crowd that he loved. This week we will look at these teachings that were upside down from the common thinking of that day and of our day.
Before we do that, though, let's note that when Jesus saw the crowds he didn't keep on walking. He stopped. He gathered them. He loved them.
Different people raise different emotions in us. A beloved family member, an old friend, an annoying co-worker, a stranger on the street—they all elicit different responses in our hearts. From deep devotion to indifference. From fondness to disdain.
Don't miss that when Jesus saw the crowds he was moved with compassion to share with them a different way that would be the way. The way that they had been looking for, longing for, hoping for.
As we look at a Jesus who calls us to a different way—a way that is upside down from what our culture has taught us is the way to happiness and success—remember that he stops and speaks to us because he loves us.
What do you think Jesus sees when he sees you?
If you knew that today Jesus was stopping to share with you a different way to live, what would be your response?
How can you view the crowds that you see today differently?
O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Day 2
Matthew 5:3-4
"Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
"Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad."
I'm often surprised when, on a normal day when I'm just going about my business and think I'm doing okay, something happens to show that indeed I am not okay. Where did those tears come from? Why did I say that? How did I get so angry so quickly? Why do I feel so depressed all of a sudden?
I am reminded that in some ways I lack hope. I am reminded that I have some things I am still grieving.
In Jesus' day, as in ours, it was the powerful, the rich, the highly regarded, the confident who were expected to be blessed and happy. They were the ones who received inheritances. They had the good stuff and lived the good life. Jesus said, in effect, "I'm going to turn that upside down."
"Happy are the hopeless." Huh? "Happy are people who grieve." What?
Jesus taught that those who are broken in their hearts—the weak, the hungry, the insulted—are the ones who will get the inheritance. They will receive the good stuff and live the good life. They will be happy, blessed, filled with joy.
Jesus comes to those who have days of grief and hopelessness. Jesus calls us to admit the ways we are without hope and the things we grieve. And Jesus meets us there, offering his kingdom to the hopeless and gladness to the grieving.
Jesus says that the best things he has to offer are available for those who are hurting. If you hurt today, know that Jesus has something for you.
It may be helpful to consider the parts of you today that are without hope ... the places where you grieve. Where do you need hope today?
What do you need in order to grieve before God? Has anything hurt you that you need to share with God?
O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Day 3
Matthew 5:5
"Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth."
It's all about me." Though it is painful to admit, if I'm not careful this can become a major guiding statement behind much of what I do. And it makes me terribly unhappy. There is something innate in us that leads us to look out for number one; but when our life becomes all about us, our souls become very empty.
Jesus says that humble people are happy people.
True, the humble rarely get noticed. By nature they do not call attention to themselves. They often are overlooked and passed over. And yet Jesus, in his upside down way, says that the humble have a great inheritance in store for them.
Again, Jesus points out that the ones we usually think of as missing out on the good stuff are in fact the ones who have access to the truly good stuff.
So often we strive for the spotlight, for attention, gain, or recognition. We have been taught to do this.
Get ahead.
Make a name for yourself.
Store up all you can.
And yet these mantras lead to terribly unhappy lives. When it is all about me, there is not much joy to be found.
Strangely, Jesus says that when we see ourselves as small and as desperately in need of God, we connect to a deep inner happiness.
Though this doesn't make sense culturally, most of us have experienced it practically. I'm unhappy when I feel that everything rests on me. I'm anxious when I have the unrealistic notion that the world is dependent on me and what I am going to do for it. I'm happy when I am totally and unapologetically dependent on God.
Paul gives a warning in his letter to the Romans about thinking of ourselves more highly than we should. He says it is much better, much more faithful, to see ourselves as part of the body (Romans 12:3-8).
So take heart today. The world does not rest upon your shoulders. If you feel that it does, it probably means you are thinking of yourself more highly than you should. It probably means that you should instead see how you might fit into Christ's body.
What are some ways in which you be tempted to think "it's all about me"?
What are some ways in which you can see yourself as a part of what God is doing?
O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Day 4
Matthew 5:6
"Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full."
Most of our lives are full. Really full. Our schedules are full, our evenings are full, our inboxes are full, and most of the time our bellies are full.
And when we are full we don't hunger and thirst.
This could be a dangerous thing for us. If we are filling up our lives with commitments, appointments, and responsibilities, even if they are noble, we may miss out on a blessing. Jesus says that people who hunger and thirst for righteousness know the happiness and blessing that we are so busy seeking in other ventures. For many of us, the different and upside down life that Jesus is calling us to may mean making space for a new kind of hunger and thirst. It will mean doing less of some things to make room for the right things.
If we look deeply at the condition of our hearts, we may find that even though our lives are full of stuff, it is not really the good stuff that we were hoping for. Even though our schedules are full, there are big parts of our lives that feel empty.
Jesus describes a type of fullness here that comes from hungering and thirsting for the things of God. Jesus promises a kind of satisfaction for those who hunger for him that cannot be matched by other worldly pursuits.
Take a look at your schedule for the day. What do you see in your appointments that shows you are hungering after God? What dies your schedule say about you?
What space do you have in your day to hunger and thirst for the things of God? What could you do less of so you could have more time for God?
Know that if you make changes in what you do and where you go to seek after God, then the world will think you are different. That's a good thing.
O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Day 5
Matthew 5:7
"Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy."
Ah, mercy." It was an explanation that I heard my granny say a thousand times. She used it when she was tired. "Ah, mercy." She used it when she received an unexpected gift. "Ah, mercy." She used it when I did something she found funny or exasperating. "Ah, mercy."
For sure, it was something she said without thinking about the meaning of the word. She said it almost unconsciously in many different situations. But, now as I find myself carrying on the tradition of saying, "Ah, mercy," I think about what the word means and how it applies to the times we are tired, pleasantly surprised, amused, and exasperated.
The word mercy has many meanings and uses such as divine favor, forgiveness, compassion, and pardon. The original Latin word meant "price paid."
Jesus said people who show mercy are happy. They are happy because they will also receive mercy. People who speak mercy, give mercy, and live mercy will get mercy in return.
As Jesus calls us to live differently in this mercy-starved world—a world that is desperate for divine favor, forgiveness, compassion, and pardon—he is calling us to show mercy. When we reach out to those in need, when we pardon those who have wronged us, when we speak of God's grace to those who are embittered, we will stand in stark contrast to a world that says we should give people only what they are due. To people living in that world, our actions will seem upside down.
Jesus came into our world and showed a counter-cultural way of loving others. It was extravagant and radical. He spoke it, gave it, and lived it everywhere he went. It caused great crowds to gather around him, and today it causes us to listen and take note because we too are hungry for it. He offers it to you and to me today.
"Ah, mercy."
How can you show mercy to those close to you today?
How can you show mercy to a stranger today?
From whom have you been withholding mercy?
O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Day 6
Matthew 5:8-9
"Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.
"Happy are people who make peace, because they will be God's children."
As Jesus continues in the Beatitudes, things seem to get harder.
If you want to see God, you need a pure heart. Uh-oh.
If you want to be a child of God, you have to make peace. Ouch.
Is this where we check out? Is it where we give up? For most of us, when we remember all the impure things we've attempted, done, and thought, being pure of heart is something that seems far-fetched. For most of us, with all the things and people that war against us, being peaceable seems impossible. And yet we desire to see God, and we want to be God's children.
So, let's not give up yet.
Everything that Jesus calls us to in the Sermon on the Mount is beyond what we can do on our own. There is certainly personal responsibility inherent in the instructions given in Jesus' sermon; however, we can't forget that our only hope to live into this way of life will be if God does something in us that we can't do ourselves.
Purity and peace are things God can do in us by God's power.
We aren't pure on our own. Yet, through the sacrifice of Jesus and our submission to his Lordship, we are made pure in God's eyes and can seek to live in a pure way.
We can't make peace on our own. Yet, as we sit and learn from the Prince of Peace and see the many ways he makes peace, we start to become peacemakers in our world.
So, are you ready to bring purity and peace into the places where you live and work?
Are you ready to look different, upside down from an impure and violent world?
Do you desire to see God? Do you desire to look like one of God's children? If you do, remember that purity and peace are not options for you on your own, but something you can achieve because of Jesus.
Where do you desire purity in your life? Ask God to come there.
Where is God calling you to be a peacemaker? With whom do you need to make peace?
O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Day 7
Matthew 5:10-12
"Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven in theirs.
"Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you."
Jesus lets us in on a secret here at the end of the Beatitudes. The secret is: If you follow me and live the upside down life I've called you to, the world is going to hate you. People are going to say bad things about you, even do bad things to you.
All right ... who's still in?!
Some walk away at this point, but my guess is that you are still reading. Like the thousands who have come before you, you are willing to risk ridicule and even harm because you love Jesus so much. You are willing to endure whatever you have to endure.
And you are so crazy about Jesus and his crazy ways that you are full of joy and even glad to risk harm because it makes you like the ones who have come before.
Inherent in being a follower of someone is the realization that the things your master faced, you too will face. And as we continue to read the Jesus story we see that insult and harassment and harm are definitely a part of his story, which means they will be a part of our story.
Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous.
Happy are you when people insult you because of me.
We accept it and are ready for it because we want the upside down life, and we desire happiness. We are not experiencing a fleeting emotion. We are happy not because a piece of chocolate cake has been set before us, or someone has given us a compliment. That happiness passes pretty quickly. We are talking about a happiness that remains in spite of harassment and harm.
Are you willing to endure hardship for Jesus? It is one of the steps to the upside down life.
O God, I give you thanks that you stop to speak to me today. Let my heart feel moved with compassion at the sight of your people. Open my heart to what it may mean for me to live differently as a follower of Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Upside Down: A Different Way to Live by Jacob Armstrong. Copyright © 2013 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction,How to Use These Devotions,
Week 1: Happiness Redefined (Matthew 5:1-12),
Week 2: You Can Change Your World (Matthew 5:13-20),
Week 3: A Higher Standard (Matthew 5:21-37),
Week 4: Love the Ones You Hate (Matthew 5:38-48),