If REAL LIFE is living The Father's Expectation for us, then who is ready to LIVE?

Nothing Jesus taught was original or new with him. He was really just reminding the Jewish people of that day of things they already professed to believe. The fact is, hate is easier than love, and more profitable for politicians and even spiritual leaders.

The great irony of human history is that so much hatred, so much war and mass murder and exclusion and genocide, is either justified by, or directly caused by religions that supposedly are all about universal love and tolerance and cooperation and understanding.

You only have to look at the R&S section here on Yahoo Answers to see how Christians bash 'atheists' (i.e. anyone who believes something different from themselves). How they tell lies about them, how they take an honest intellectual disagreement almost personally, as an attack.

God made us how we are! We can never be perfect because we were made (deliberately) imperfect. We can TRY to be perfect, strive towards that goal, but if that means acknowledging that there are many ways to think and feel about things, that's hard for many Christians!

The adventure consists in discovering God's plan for us. If it were not possible to be "perfect" he wouldn't have said it. However, as Jesus is our righteousness, holiness and redemption, as always He has us covered.

Greetings Seth (sorry.. could not connect..not possible, lost email also!).

Jesus, Creator God, tells us here HOW to be perfect.And it shows us how the Father IS PERFECT.

When I DID do that...for 10 years, I experienced the truth of this

scripture:

Perfect LOVE casts out All Fear.

then I did that, now I have NOT been doing it.

I really thought...10 years is long, arduous, FATIGUING.

The difficult?...Impossible? situation was solved with GREAT VICTORIES.

And we had NO fear.

And further, we kept out of extreme negativity, which wrecks the soul.

But we must 'live and move and have our being in Christ'

and we Do it...but some HELD BACK.

The ante was raised. What SEEMED tough before... and it WAS EXTREME..

to most, is easy now compared to THIS CHALLENGE.

Yet NOT doing this, finding ways around it is NOT HELPING!

The Lord is Master...and He will have us be...MORE than victorious.

In fact, Seth, this post is enlightening to me in this.

This situation is tougher, way tougher.

And we have not applied 'I can do ALL through Our Lord Jesus Christ'.

We will Grow in Grace.

Seth, I am going to share an answer given a few days ago, it certainly opened up more for me, heart, mind and soul.... when we ARE living it; one could say we are being fulfilled... with the Fullness of all that God is ~ however so often we aren't even sure of what it is God wants us to BE, and for me this is a crucial understanding; as if we can envision it; then how are we going to BE this? As our minds, become renewed; so do our hearts, and compassion! God will inspire us, and light us UP if we Ask, ask, seek, knock so we can say we 'Blessed R's!

To understand these passages of verses, I felt it important to begin with Jesus who on the Mount was giving His sermon to all who came. Jesus begins with the *Beatitudes* which begin with:

*Blessed are.*

The text doesn't say those Jesus discusses will be blessed, but that they are blessed! So when we study it's helpful to keep in mind that these statements known as the Beatitudes underline the difference between human values and God's and calls us to view life and success God's way. When I read them, I feel God is preparing me; clarifying how pure and Holy God is... showing me how to live and be... humbling me too, as a human being who desires to demonstrate all that is being accomplished and manifested in me, due to God's direction and loving kindness towards me (you, all of us). And I know that as I dwell here with you and the others I am being blessed; because I see a cherished difference explained to me in these passages. From the worlds human understanding into God's Divine understanding and differences as shared to all of us, through Jesus Christ; who so loved God that He knew what it means to have "The Fullness of God" in operation... as *Blessed Are!*

As salt and light, believers are called to demonstrate God's love and the only way to do this is to savor and illuminate God's way which alone can preserve and guide humanity.

He wants us to question righteousness, in the way God sees *righteousness*. (And not as something we can't have or be; because God says we can have and Be this ~ and that is profound).

Each example in this chapter contrasts what "was said" (in the Law) with Jesus' explanation of what God intends human beings to understand. In saying "do not murder' God was speaking not only against the act, but against the very hostility towards and contempt for others which leads to murder. He was teaching us that we must not see others as objects to be used. (As this happens so often, even when we feel and think our intentions are good! ~ that is a heavy weight to think of.)

The eye for an eye law, was meant to keep people from taking revenge as no person in their right mind wants to loose an eye or a tooth. However when injuries set in, people did and still do lunge forth with an BE attitude of revenge. More often than not we don't question ourselves humbly enough before God; and therefore without that willingness to do those inward checks; we can't even come into this kind of grace of having no enmity. This understanding Jesus Christ gives us here is a treasure of such beauty; if only we could yield just for a moment and reflect with God's Spirit; personally asking God to deliver us from our own despairing ways. To change our hard hearts and minds... to gather us into loving wisdom... that helps us see we how we stop much our lack of grace undermining God's Spirit in us from activating us better; we need to know ourselves deeply; how and why we fail in our attempts when we should not be failing; and then as God instructs us... get to know God like Jesus Christ does; our relationship with God first; then work on those horizontal relationships with others; because we can be rightfully those *Blessed Are!" Effectively living and gathering others with God's deep counsels.

These passages have nothing to do with an attitude of Pacifism, rather they point to God wanting us to have the kind of righteousness operating in ourselves that is found in God. Jesus Christ explains that what God wants is for us, as He Himself does, not to seek revenge but to treat others with grace. It is God's way to do good to those who injure Him. This is to be our way too.

(This question you ask should shake the ground beneath us; as it asks us to consider God's Righteousness in a deeply aware way, and Jesus directs us to consider coming out of seeing only the legalities of the Law, so we can be governed by The Love and Grace of the Spirit of God's very heart, and be governed by His Righteousness with His Morals, Principles thriving in us... with lovely spirits graced with the beauty of God's counsels!

When we know just what pleases God with certainty, we can be counted as those who are in mentioned in the Beatitudes! *Blessed Are's* Why ~>because we become those whose image has been changed through all that God is revealing ~ the Blessed Spirit of God counsels us, renewing our hearts and minds, so our souls do prosper with God's blessings. As this is created inwards; then it can flow outwards to all men as we begin to understand like Jesus Christ does!

Legal righteousness is not enough for God, look at Jesus Christ to determine what His Righteousness consists of, and ask God... to sharpen our minds and hearts to this because, in calling for perfection Jesus reminds us that true righteousness is actually found in being like God. (Matt 5: 43-47)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the kind of question that dares us to go back and restudy all that Jesus Christ has to say concerning .... the Be-attitudes... to give attention to the compassion, mercy, help, comfort and sensitivity to God; as people who are hungry and thirsting. (Ty for asking; as this really cleared up and dispersed that lingering fog that tries to roll in over my landscape so much so that I find myself not being able to recognize with clarity those deeper truths, which inspire so much! ~ If we don't seek the depths, breadths, widths and heights of Gods Love; how can this be manifested in us, kinda thing? Gleaning God's He-artfulness for His Creation is a wonderful freedom we have!)

Who is ready to LIVE?

That sounds like an invitation.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Real LIFE comes from above... from the Messiah and from the Father (they are ONE). Real life begins when we are born from above, when the Messiah makes His abode in us, when we become a new Creation.

Real life begins when we open that door, and my real life is now hidden in Messiah.

To be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect is a High Calling, but it is also to be like the Messiah, who Himself is perfect, being the image and exact representation of the Father.

To be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect is to be as complete as He is complete. It is to love as He loves, with a complete and pure love... a perfect love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love NEVER fails.

That is perfect love.

To be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect is to love even our enemies, and to love those who do not love us in return. It is to love as He loves, to be merciful as He is merciful, and to forgive as He has forgiven us.

1 Ephesians 4:32

Be kind and tender-hearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Messiah God forgave you.

To be as perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect is to imitate Him.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love...

When we walk in love, we manifest the love of the Messiah and of the Father to others. When we walk in love we are being perfected in love... by the ONE who IS Love dwelling in us.

1 Corinthians 16:14

Let all that you do be done with love.

That is the bottom line.

When all we do is done with love, then we will be as perfect as He is.

I am not yet perfect. I have not yet been completed. I am still growing. He is still working on me.

Philippians 3:12

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been perfected, but I press on to take hold of that for which Messiah Yahushua took hold of me.

1 John 3:2

Beloved ones, now we are children of God. And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Then I shall be like Him.

Psalm 73:23-24

I am always with You, You hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me in glory.