READ
And blessed is he who takes no offense at me. (Luke 7:23, RSV2CE)
REFLECTION
Why would someone be offended by Jesus?
1 He allows evil in His world.
Evil is a deprivation of good. All things are not absolute perfection so all things have a deficiency. Because God made all things good, and just because there is a deficiency does not mean He cannot still see the good in it. He does not destroy all just because there is a deficiency in it. He can work with it anyway.
Ex: I have diabetes. I eat right, exercise, and take meds to keep the deficits at bay, but I am not annihilated just because I am not a perfect being anymore due to the disease.
2 He does not do things the way we want or think He should.
We want to be our own God. We want to do things our way. We want to direct and control. But we only see a sliver, God sees all of time and all circumstances through time for every action. I must submit my small puny intellect to his vast majesty knowing He knows best for all not just my personal circumstance.
Ex: He sees consequences from my one action that go all the way to other generations.
3 He calls us to more and it’s hard road.
Jesus calls us to follow his way. It is hard because it demands we see from His perspective which is diametrically opposed to the world’s way. The world says get for yourself. God say love all even your enemy. Evil is conquered by good not more evil. Which means it hurts when we have to absorb evil in honor of him.
Ex: Jesus took the entire world’s sin (love even for evil people) so that if we say yes to his offer we can be completely cleansed. He did not come to annihilate. He absorbed evil with good so all can become good.
Why I can be blessed if I’m not offended by Jesus.
If I accept God knows the absolute best for all, and that He is a loving father, that all things are in his hand, that he is guiding us, I can rest in all things that I cannot possibly understand. He is calling all to be blessed, but only those who are willing to be humble can actually experience it, He does not force man to accept Him, He only offers, He is a gentleman not a bully.
To be blessed means someone who is fortunate, highly favored, happy, or enjoying the grace of God. Means being holy, dedicated to fulfilling God's purpose. The word denotes a deep, God-given joy that transcends worldly circumstances. A declaration that a person has either received a blessing from God or can expect to receive his blessing in the future.
RESOLUTION
I accept that I cannot understand the best way for me. I forsake trying to be my own God and control. I surrender myself to God and let him direct my life for He sees all things, decisions, consequences, for all times and people. I am willing to do good to evil not repay evil for evil. Evil is not going to be eradicated here on this earth until the recreation. This is a hard calling but it’s the only way to blessing. It can only be done by grace of absolute surrender to the Spirit, it’s not a natural human capacity.
REST
I am blessed because I am happy that God is in control and I can trust Him and His wisdom. I am blessed because doing good areas of evil builds holiness. I am blessed because the Spirit of God is giving me grace to do His will. I am blessed because I am favored by God to be like Him fulfilling His purpose god me as being made in His image.
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