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Matthew 5:5 -“5Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed Aliens 

As I did last week I want to work our way towards this next Beatitude by first drawing your attention to another passage of Scripture.  In Hebrews 11:13, the writer says, “13These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”  The great men and women of faith were strangers and exiles (aliens) on the earth.  The life of faith in Jesus Christ is so opposed to the values of this world, that Christ’s followers look like aliens in this world.  

That is what we have been seeing so far as we have looked at the first two Beatitudes.  ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’; whereas the world says “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.”  ‘Blessed are those who mourn for their sin’; while the world says eat, drink and be merry, and blessed is the one who has the most fun.  To live out these Beatitudes is to be an alien in the world’s eyes.  And if we aren’t aliens to the non-Christians around us, then that tells us a great deal about our profession of faith in Christ.  

 
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Matthew 5:3 - “3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Is Christianity a Crutch?

I’ve sometimes heard people call Christianity a crutch.  It is a term used in derision, to say that it is just a way for emotionally weak people to cope with life.  When I’ve heard that attack, I’ve felt compelled to defend why Christianity is not a crutch.  But my meditation this week made me think differently. 

The question to ask in response to that accusation is: Why is calling Christianity a crutch a valid criticism of Christianity?  That is not the way people normally respond to crutches; to mock it and ridicule its value. When you see a guy with a broken leg walking around on crutches, you do not mock him and speak of his weakness for using a crutch.  The crutch is good.  So if Christianity is a crutch, why is that such a bad thing?

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