Luke 6:21-23
21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
I love that the Savior mentions laughter. Laughter is one of my favorite healers and fills me with joy. I love to bond with others by laughing together. Sometimes life causes us to weep, but we can still find reasons to rejoice and laugh. The key is having an eternal perspective and remembering that everything is for our good in the end.
The call to "leap for joy" is yet another way that we can be like children. Children leap for joy often, even when their circumstances aren't ideal. The other day, I was at a thrift store and found a toy that my grandfather had when I was young. I came home so excited to put batteries in it and see if it would work - to bask in the nostalgia and memories. When that little dog began to walk and then did a flip, I literally leapt with childish glee. I can't remember the last time I did that.
I feel most joyous when I have a good relationship with God; when I feel good about my choices and have a clear conscience. Service and being Christlike to others bring me joy, too. The Beatitudes are full of ways we can be like the Savior. Many of those involve how we treat others - especially those who don't treat us well.
Matthew 5:22-24
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
A footnote for verse 22 mentions that "without a cause" is omitted in other places. I think it's fascinating that anger can led to hell fire, but it isn't a surprise. It's the idea of having two wolves within us. In this case, one wolf is anger and one wolf is charity. When we feed the angry wolf, it tends to devour all the light inside us. Anger is a slippery slope that prevents us from feeling the Spirit and leads us away from God. We need to be reconciled and have our hearts in the right place before we can truly worship. It's all about our hearts and intentions.
Matthew 5:8
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
We can't "see God" in our lives when our vision is clouded with sin, unclean thoughts, or bad intentions. It's hard to see the good in the world and to trust that He is working for us behind the scenes.
Luke 6:27-28;31
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
It doesn't take great effort to love those who love us and serve us. But to love our enemies? To love our persecutors? That's much harder. Jesus loved the centurions at the cross as much as He loved His followers. We can't be hypocrites. If we commit to follow Jesus Christ, we commit to love as He does - and that's a tall order. Doing this brings a lot of joy. It's freeing and wonderful to let go of bitterness, grudges, bad first impressions, offenses, and everything else that prevents us from being charitable. We are to love and forgive everyone and it's up to Him to judge. As always, that doesn't mean we shouldn't have boundaries. But the way to joy is choosing to love. It's a hard choice sometimes, but it fills us as only following Him can.
Luke 6:37-38
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
I think about this a lot. I can't judge others harshly without bringing that upon myself. Goodness knows I have plenty of shortcomings. Being mortal is difficult and we're all struggling in our own ways. Isn't it better to focus on bringing all of us to joy, instead of condemning each other? We can do so much good for each other when we see with His eyes.
Luke 6:
43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
46 ¶ And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
The idea of digging deep reminds me of the construction on the Salt Lake City, Utah temple. We have to dig deep to ensure we have a stable foundation. Sometimes that means getting rid of the dirt and such that was already there. Sometimes we have to give up old parts of ourselves as we dig and toss them away.
I have so much to work on. One of the footnotes for verse 45 mentions gossip, which is one of my weaknesses. I have committed to follow the Savior - to call Him master - and am therefore a hypocrite if I don't do as He has taught. I want to have good treasure in my heart. I'm trying to do good things, but if I think and speak poorly of others, I'm not much better than a corrupt tree. That's reality. If we are corrupt, even our attempts to do good can be tarnished by our ill intentions. This year, I've been reminded again and again that I need to let go of my judgements and love, serve, and give instead.
The other day, I was pondering life questions with my father and asked him what the difference is between gossiping and expressing concern for others or wanting to help them. He bluntly asked me if what I'm saying really helps and if I'm taking action to help. He made his point. "Wanting to help" can be an excuse. If we're really concerned, we need to seek inspiration and make a plan to help others, not just talk about it.
If you hear me judging or gossiping, tell me to stop it. I'm serious. I want to cut that habit out of my life.
Matthew 5:29-30
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
The best part of this advice is to "cast it from thee." It can be easy to give up bad habits or thoughts for a while, but if we don't give ourselves distance from those things, they come back. I've struggled with various bad habits over the years and I can testify of this. It's vital to get to the source of the thing and cast it away in every way possible. If you have a favorite sin, fall out of love with it. Distance yourself from the source. Don't hang out with it. Don't put yourself into situations where it's hard to resist. I've noticed I'm more likely to gossip with certain people or in certain places. We have to be aware of ourselves and watchful.
Matthew 5:
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
The footnote for this verse says "complete, finished, fully developed." It struck me that Father wants us to be complete because He wants His family to be complete. We are all needed and wanted. He wants us all to return to Him. These chapters teach us the things we need to do and change to be part of the Savior's eternal family forever. That will be the ultimate joy.
Bonnie Gwyn
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