Welcome to another podcast of Struggling Wealth. And for those of you that are wondering about our anniversary Oh. It was amazing. Jimmy flew me to Mint Hill, which is right down the street. The present you got me, Jimmy, was amazing. Amazing. Do you remember what it was?
no. I have no idea what it was.
Oh, we are we've been laughing about that. But it has been an amazing 49 years of being married. we've known each other longer than that.
Yes.
And we have a story about how we met, but we will not bore you with that. But I'm glad that I'm still married to you. You are. Now, I'm going to get mushy for a minute. You're not just my husband. You are my very best friend. And so, I'm thankful for that. I like you
for those kind words. I appreciate that. I really do.
So, if I mean, if I weren't married to you and married to some schle, I would really still like you, but I'm not married to a schleb. I'm married to you. So, Jimmy, I know you have some thoughts this morning, and I hope
I don't know how to transition into my thoughts from what you just said.
It's so hard.
It is so hard. But, you know what's amazing to me? is we all live in our country that is our home. for many of you that is the United States and others of you who've listened in different places around the world maybe it's a different country that you represent and you live in the way that represents that nation. but we're also if we know Christ, we're citizens of his kingdom and The more I think about it, the more I come to the understanding, it's not my phrase, it's somebody else has used it. We live in an upside down kingdom. The kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom. What do I mean by that? It's contrary to I don't care whether you live in the US, whether you live in Britain, where wherever it may be. God's kingdom is unlike anything that's represented in your nation. It's an upside down kingdom. And while we're waiting for Christ to return in fully usher in his kingdom. We also know the kingdom of heaven is current. Jesus said this in Matthew 4 when he said as he began his ministry, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Well, why? Well, because the king was present. He was there. And then it's interesting because then you can go to Matthew 5 through7 which follows right after that. And those are the biatitudes and the sermon on the mount. And my only question is this, who lives this way? who lives the way that Jesus outlined in Matthew's Matthew 5-7. just if you don't even want to get into the full sermon on the mount, just get into the biatitudes. Bless blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek. Blessed are those who hunger. Blessed are the merciful. And I go, nobody lives that way. And yet we are citizens of that kingdom. And we're called to follow the one whose kingdom we're citizens of
the it's so contrary to everything that the world tells us now and yet the word blessed I can't remember what's the meaning of that do you remember
happy is I mean people talk about happy is another way to describe it
so blessed are the poor in spirit and those who mourn and are meek and that is just not the way of the culture so we're caught between living here and Knowing that we are also not from here, I mean we are aliens in this world. How are we to then live out this? Jesus is telling this to people to the people. This is how you're supposed to live. How do we do that, babe?
Well, I think it's a challenge because it's easy to get caught up in the world that we live in. And in our case, it is here in the States. And again, I think the United States is a nation that has done some amazing things. I mean, and there are freedoms that we have here that I don't want to lose. And yet, the reality is it's not what Jesus has promised in his kingdom. It's not what he's promised in his as a citizen. As you said, we're aliens and strangers in this world. And but it's easy to not see anything beyond the reality of what I live day by day. And so, when I live day by day, I'm caught up into the world that I live in. That means I'm caught up into the country that I live in. It means that I follow the path of where I live and it's hard to go beyond it and see something that's bigger and different and cause me to live in a way that perhaps is different than the way my nation causes me to.
Yeah. And some of it too is that we think I don't even know how to say this. Everything that he talks about in the biatitudes is so contrary but We're called to live that way, but our culture is pushing us saying, "No, that's not the way to live." And as a believer, I have to choose. Like even in verse 11 when it says, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account." Well, as a believer, the world, and we see it everywhere. I mean, all you have to do is look online, you know, look on Instagram at some of the stories that are posted that those follow Christ are being reviled. So, how are we supposed to live in the midst of that? Because I don't think it's going to get better. I think that we are going to be persecuted more and more because we follow Christ. So, we have a decision to make about how we're going to do it. And one of the things, and this is just my personal opinion, one of the things that has been very sad to me is myself as well as others when someone speaks against who I follow I find myself getting angry and I think there's a lot of just misused that's not the word I want to use just a lot of anger that we express as believers when we are being reviled. and there are people out there that are apologists and are doing a great job with that those conversations. But for you and me, just your average people when we're being persecuted, how do we handle that? What is God's for tell us.
Well, yeah. What he says next in Matthew 5 is he gives the word picture of after he talks about being reviled and persecuted. he gives the word picture of being salt and light. So, so that sense of it's not to get angry, it's to be salt, which is a preservative. So, I can I can act as somebody who will point people back and light. I can do things and live in such a way as he says in those verses that people will praise my good deeds, but they'll give glory to the father who's in heaven. So, I'm changing people's eyesight to look past what I am and how I'm living to see the one I'm living for. And that's what makes it such a challenge.
Yeah.
And so, it's that sense that my life can make a difference in other people's lives and how They see, but that happens only, I think, when I choose to live by the values of his kingdom, which are spelled out in Matthew 5:7, elsewhere in scripture, too. But I just think that's the most focused and conc con concentrated expression of what it means to live for Christ in his kingdom.
I wonder if you take the biatitudes, just that portion, and you use it as the litmus test for people that are in church. church. I wonder how we would all stack up.
Yeah. Cuz it's not just the world. I think what we what we're seeing in our time is it's how believers go after each other.
Yeah.
And that's not what the gospels say. That's not what Christ's call for us to live and how to live. They should see a difference in how we treat one another. And that doesn't mean just the world. It means how we treat one another in the body of Christ. And I'm not sure that's happening. And sometimes it's because I don't think we fully grasp hold of the fact that we're citizens of his kingdom, which is an upside down kingdom.
Yeah. We I don't think that we grasp either that he is our father and we are identifying we're his children. And so we are what do you call it when you look in the mirror? What's that word? Reflection. Thank you. Oh, they're starting to go. The words, the hearing, the tear, the teeth, the ears, it's all going. But we're to be a reflection of him. And so when Jesus was giving u the biatitudes and the rest of the sermon on the mount, it was these are the ways that this is how you will be a reflection of who you say you believe. just like you know growing up, you're a reflection of your family. The name of your last name carries something. It matters. Well, I am either reflect ing or not reflecting who I am in Christ.
Right? And so, the challenge this week as you go about life, as you go about, the daily activities and maybe there's nothing big going on in your life this week, nothing that you can see that's a huge event. But can you realize that whatever nation you're from, whatever nation you live in, that you're also a citizen of his kingdom, which is an upside down kingdom because it takes values that aren't necessarily expressed in our own country and they make them his values that he wants to see lived out in our lives.
Thanks for joining us. We have been excited once again to receive some emails and texts from some people that listen and so we want to acknowledge you and thank you. So here's our shoutouts for this week. Well, actually for the whole month. there's a young gal named Kelly whom I met at Hutchmoot years ago and she wrote us a beautiful, beautiful email. it wasn't beautiful because of necessarily what she said about us, though those words were so kind, but this girl can write. I mean, she can write. So, thank you, Kelly. Also want to shout out to someone who is near and dear to us, and that's my sister-in-law, Christy. She listens and oftentimes will remark on how God has used it. So, thank you. We love you. another friend that we've had since we were probably first here Nancy, she listens and thank you for your taking the time to email us and tell us that you feel like you're sitting at the table with us. That means a lot to us. And then another friend that has been so influential in my life is a gal named Sandy. she is probably she's a beautiful artist, but she is a beautiful woman. And so, thank you, dear friend, for listening. So, if you're listening, let us know. We'd love to give you a shout out, too. So, thanks again. and for joining us. We'll see you next time.