FEBRUARY 09 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#03 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

FEBRUARY 09  THE JESUS QUESTIONS    JQ#03  “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord there is nothing I can do to merit Your favor but You place within our grasp the very “Power” that brings Eternal Life with Perfect Fellowship with the Father. That “Power” is contained within our Free Will which you have so graciously bestowed on all that call upon the Name of the Lord, even our LORD JESUS. Help me Lord to always be mindful that each and every choice that I make in my daily life has an effect on my Eternity. Lord, too often do I overlook the “divine responsibility” and the magnitude of the importance that exercising my Free Will automatically carries with it! Lord, influence me today to make those good choices for all my tomorrows.     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS concludes JQ#02 with “No one can serve two masters…you cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24) and then He introduces JQ#03 with this statement:  “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.” (Matthew 6:25A) Once Jesus has firmly established our line of thinking to consider our day-to-day, everyday experiences He then asks His Question to make us laser focus on the Truth of God  to follow:  JQ#03  “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25b)  Jesus uses “Questions” as a Teaching tool by asking Questions that He fully knows the answer to — He asks the Question not that He needs us to impart knowledge to Him, He asks the “Question” to impart His Knowledge which is Perfect to us, thereby Jesus uses “Questions” get us actively involved in the thought process and Teaches us to take just another step to being “perfect”. In this Matthew 6:25-34 section Jesus asks 8 separate questions but all of them deal with “worry”. Since Jesus uses Questions as Teaching tools,  if He asks effectively the same Question 8 separate times in quick succession it logically follows that He must be Teaching on an important subject. From JQ#02 this thought emerged “why tax collectors?” and that question was answered with the obvious everyday observable fact that “taxes and tax collectors” are a “universal” reference that everyone can relate to, and in JQ#03 Jesus addresses a topic that is also “universal” and affects everyone I know — “Worry”. Again, as is the Teaching style of Jesus, He introduces the topic with an absolute “Truth” and then gets us to “think” about the “Truth” He has just spoken. This JQ#03 section starts out with one such “Truth” when Jesus says: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; not about your body, what you will put on…” (Matthew 6:25a) and then to emphasize His point, Jesus asks a simple series of Questions that reinforce the Lesson He is Teaching. This teaching method can be compared to a college professor first stating the object of the lesson and then turning immediately around and gives a test question like “What did I just say?” So Jesus states the “Truth” that we should “not worry about our life” and lists some everyday choices we make such as what to eat and drink and what to wear. He immediately makes us stop and consider a Question with an obvious answer just to make His point. Jesus says “not to worry” and then He asks the deep Question that will lead us to a “Divine Truth”! He ends His opening statement with His main Question in this section: JQ#03 “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25b) His Question at the end of verse Matthew 6:25 is the main Question in this section of Matthew 6:25-34 therefore it needs to be “chewed on” for a little while — therefore, since the “Question” is a basic question about yourself and your everyday life, shouldn’t we stop and consider that Jesus thought it important enough to Teach an “everyday Truth” that we in our “everyday lives” must deal with “day-in-and-day-out”?!?!  If we meditate on “Why” would Jesus bother to “Teach” us about simple “everyday” things we will come to understand that our “everyday, day-in-day-out” lives are important to Him because it is important to “our Father in heaven”!!! When Jesus starts with what is actually a command: “do not worry about your life”, we should assume that Jesus is Supremely Confident that our Father in heaven is going to take care of our needs, therefore the Divine Truth is that “God will supply all our needs” and that our “worrying” never helps anything so we should ask the simple-obvious-logical-everyday question:  “What do we think we can accomplish with our worry that God hasn’t already taken care of in His Master Plan for our day-to-day lives?” We get into Spiritual “trouble” when we make our “worry” a greater power than our “Faith in God” — Trust God that when He commands you “Not to worry” that He HAS YOUR 6!!!

FEBRUARY 08 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#02 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

FEBRUARY 08  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   JQ#02  “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, there is nothing to do but to TRUST that You are the TRUTH, made flesh and dwelt among us to reveal the Father in heaven to a lost and dying world, and by knowing the TRUTH, there is HOPE for a world lost in darkness of sin! And in knowing the Son of the Living God, through FAITH there is PEACE - a PEACE that cannot be understood with our limited and finite intellect therefore it can only be perceived and applied to our lives through the the Lens of Faith leading us down Paths of Righteousness — a road that all believers travel safely down as the LIGHT is ALWAYS ON and Jesus leads us down this PATH OF RIGHTEOUSNESS for He has gone before us and has come to SHOW US THE WAY! Lead on Jesus!!!     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS has established with JQ#01 that we are “salt” and “light” but Jesus makes it clear that these are “God-given” talents and as such they should be used for “kingdom work” — we have been blessed by God to be trusted to “enter into His Labors” so we should use what God has given us to help others and we should let the “LIGHT” of God shine in the darkness that seeks to consume the world! In JQ#02 Jesus pointedly asks us again to consider that when we are doing “kingdom work” that we should be doing kingdom work to HONOR THE KING and therefore the best way to HONOR God is to “imitate” God and that is best done by “Loving others” who are as equally undeserving of God’s “LOVE” as we are! Jesus then commands us to “be perfect, just as you Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) and to make it a “command” and not a “suggestion”, do not miss Jesus declaring “you SHALL be perfect” and not “maybe you can” — No, it is the imperative command, “you SHALL”!!! God never gives us instructions without first making sure that we have all the provisions necessary to complete the task God has given us to perform and once Jesus tells us to “Be perfect” He then proceeds to give us instructions — there are 4 main areas of helping others that Jesus addresses, warning us that when we help others for the kingdom’s sake that we are to avoid being “hypocrites” in order to please God. So far we have seen (1) we are to do “Charitable Deeds” (2) we are to “Pray” and we are to (3) “Fast” (Matthew 6:1-18) and (4) “Serve God” and avoid serving “Mammon” for God shows us clearly that all our desires should be directed towards God and His Kingdom. Jesus uses a series of Good Action/Bad Action events to demonstrate this point: (A) “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal…” (Matthew 6:19) BUT — “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:20) TRUTH A: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)  Then (B) “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. (Matthew 6:22) BUT “…if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. TRUTH B: “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23) Jesus sums up the Good/Bad Lessons with this TRUTH OF GOD: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24) This makes it clear that everyone is going to “SERVE” someone else and God shows us that the Master of the world is Mammon and the Master of Creation is God, so the logical question is: “Are you going to serve that which is not eternal and is plagued with destruction such as the things of this world or are you going to serve “God”, the ETERNAL Creator of the Universe and the Giver of ETERNAL Life?” I, myself, can only tell you — “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!” (Joshua 24:15) 

FEBRUARY 07 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#02 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

FEBRUARY 07  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   JQ#02  “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

FEBRUARY 07  LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer

JESUS, Lord and Savior, Redeemer and Friend, may every breath I take be used for Your Glory, let every thought I have be only thoughts of your kingdom, and may all my deeds be done in Your Name and for the kingdom’s sake. I have no desire but “serving" the King of kings and Lord of lords! Forgive me when I fail You with some careless thought or deed that draws me to the world, may they all be used to grow the kingdom — keeping nothing for self.   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS used JQ#01 & JQ#02 to focus our efforts on others and He gave us a couple of warnings to avoid “hypocrisy”. Jesus commanded us to do “charitable deeds” and “to pray” (Matthew 6:1-8) and in regards to "how" we pray Jesus gave specific instructions that when we pray (not if — but when) that our prayers should be just as if we were talking to the Father and not just using “vain repetitions” because “…your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him…” (Matthew 6:7-8) Jesus then gives us the “Model Prayer”: 

“In this manner, therefore, pray: 

Our Father in heaven, 

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come. 

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our transgressions

As we forgive those who transgress against us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:9-13) 

Jesus then amplified the importance of our forgiving others as He immediately made it plain that God forgives us because of our personal attitude that we harbor in our hearts toward others: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15) Again Jesus has told us plainly what God expects of us (Free Will CHOICE) and to make it clear Jesus gives us motivation as He lists the “rewards” and the “penalties” (CONSEQUENCES) of obeying (Actions that results from our Free Will CHOICE) the commands of “our Father in heaven.” After Jesus discussed “charitable deeds” and “praying” Jesus then instructs us in “fasting” and just like Jesus warned us about the first two steps to “perfection”, Jesus also warns about “fasting” that we should “not be like the “hypocrites” putting on a show to impress men “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:16-18) It is interesting to note that the first three steps we are to take to being “perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect” is to take these steps outside the spotlight of men — for Jesus warns us that if we do anything to impress men then we will be seen as “hypocrites” in the Father’s eyes. Jesus says our motivation to taking steps to perfection should be to gain favor with “our Father who is in the secret place, and sees in secret” who will know that we took the steps for Him and Him alone and that we will TRUST GOD to “reward” us as HE DESIRES!!!

FEBRUARY 06 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#02 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

FEBRUARY 06  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   JQ#02  “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

LIVING FOR  JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Thank You Lord for closed doors and for those times when I stand and knock 

on the wrong door until my knuckles bleed and then Your Peace fills my soul and I know that I have drifted into the stormy waters on the Great Sea of “I-Want”. Lord Jesus, Your Grace is sufficient for me and I beg for Your Mercy as I take that deep calm breath and KNOW that YOU ARE GOD and that YOU KNOW ALL MY NEEDS and then YOUR PEACE will descend upon me! Lord, LORD — forgive me for I let the dark shadows take my attention away from the Bright Rays of Hope that break through all my clouds. You Lord control all circumstances and I trust You for the outcome and pray that I grow in Your Grace as I face each trial that You allow in my life. There is no circumstance greater than Your Love therefore I pray to keep focused on Your Solution and not the circumstance itself!     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS takes us to the self-realization that we are “salt” and “light” and that the purpose God intended for “salt” is to add flavor to other’s lives and then we should use our “light to shine” in such a way as to help others avoid the dangers lurking in the darkness. Then Jesus shows us that we are made in the image of God and that the Greatest Gift ever Given mankind was God’s Giving of His Son at Great Cost and Sacrifice of Himself for the Good of all mankind thereby demonstrating His Great “LOVE” for all His Creation! Jesus continues the Lesson on the “giving-of-ourselves” to help others by giving us a Standard of Perfection to focus our attention on and then Jesus Teaches us to do “charitable deeds” but avoid seeking glory for ourselves  — for “charitable deeds”” done for the wrong reason is the sin of “hypocrisy” which completely nullifies our “charitable deeds” — all our “deeds” should be done with a single motivation which is to “glorify our Father in heaven” thereby making all our deeds “charitable”. God’s Logic in doing things for “His Glory” is that by doing our “good works” for Him we avoid the temptation of selfish vain-glory for our own petty selves, our selfishness being a convenient basket we have to put our “light” under in order that we can puff ourselves up before men! Jesus commanded “you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) then Jesus told us to perform “charitable deeds” but avoid the “hypocrisy” of desiring personal glory for “charitable deeds” but instead do the “charitable deeds” trusting God for any reward that He chooses to bestow on our efforts to achieve perfection. (Matthew 6:1-4) Jesus immediately commands us “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogue and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.” (Matthew 6:5) It should jump out at us that Jesus says that in order to “be perfect” we must “do … charitable deeds” but severely warns us “do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.”(Matthew 6:1) Those doing “charitable deeds” to receive honor from other men, Jesus called “hypocrites”!!  After doing “charitable deeds…in secret” we are to “pray” but Jesus gives the same warning about “praying” that He did about “charitable deeds” and that same warning came with the same condemnation for those doing their “praying” to gain attention for themselves as again Jesus labeled those motivated by “self-glorification” as “hypocrites”! Jesus has given us “charitable deeds” and “praying” as the first two steps to “perfection” but both steps come with a warning to avoid “hypocrisy”!!! — 2 out of 2 times is 100% — since Jesus preaches 100% against hypocrisy therefore we should realize that “why” we do anything is more important than “what” we do! Jesus has given us two Lessons on “Helping Others” and in both Lessons Jesus has listed in clear detail the “attitude” we should have as we live our life in order to show respect for others in order to give Honor to God! Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 5:13-14 we are “salt” and “light” and then for the rest of chapter 5 Matthew documents Jesus Teaching us to respect others to “glorify your Father in heaven”. Starting with Matthew 5:17 until Jesus stops and asks us His JQ#02 in Matthew 5:46-47 we are given “Spiritual Guidelines” to correcting ourselves to benefit others as the way we are to honor God as Jesus Teaches us to honor the Law, reconcile ourselves before God and then make our sacrifices to Him, avoid lust, adultery, and divorce in our private lives. Jesus continues with details on our life styles as He addresses our relationship with others by discussing perjury and retaliation and then Jesus sums up the Lesson on the “giving-of-ourselves” by telling us “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)   And then to add emphasis to His instructions He says not only does He expect us to accomplish all these “selfless deeds of charity” but we should strive to do them “perfectly” and that perfection can only be achieved by avoiding “hypocrisy” in our journey to “perfection” — it is a TALL SPIRITUAL ORDER  but the ONE giving the LESSONS has “BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT” and is giving us advice from “Personal Experience” that points us to “Heavenly Resources” to help us attain our “Goals” — the Truth of God is that He WILL PROVIDE for ALL OUR NEEDS so if you realize your NEED to “journey to perfection” then you can TRUST (that) GOD WILL PROVIDE the WAY and LIGHT YOUR PATH!!!

FEBRUARY 05 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#02 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

FEBRUARY 05  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   JQ#02  “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer

JESUS, You Lord are to be praised by all mankind for there is not a soul that was ever born that did not or does not benefit from Your Great Sacrifice on the Cross in Obedience to the Father’s Will because You, God’s Only Begotten Son  suffered and died for the sins of the world, ALL SIN for EVERY SOUL — so Lord Jesus I acknowledge that You paid my Debt and Ransomed me from my slavery to sin and I claim You as my Redeemer, may I be found then to be a “good and faithful servant” and that one day in glory I will hear You say, “Well Done!”      AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS used multiple Questions in Matthew 5:46-47 to basically bring to our mind the necessity of using our talents to help others instead of being selfish and looking out only for ourselves. Jesus brought up the topic of “Love” and pointed out that if we intend to spend our eternity in heaven with God then we should start living our lives in such a manner that it would be pleasing to God who demonstrated His “Love” for us that “While we were still sinners, [God gave us His Gift of His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ to the world and]  Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus made it clear that to receive a “reward in heaven” that we should “Love others” while on earth! Jesus then starts a series of lessons on how we should be like God in our actions so that others will not see us but will see the “glory of God” shining forth from our actions! Jesus commanded at the end of Matthew chapter 5, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) and then Jesus begins immediately to instruct us on how to “be perfect” as He teaches: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what you right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:1-4) So in our first step to being “perfect” before God is that we must do “charitable deeds” for others but Jesus warns us not to be “hypocrites” — it is very interesting that Jesus tells us to do “charitable deeds” but immediately condemns “the hypocrites in the synagogues” that are doing “charitable deeds”!?!?!? The term “hypocrites” is always used by Jesus to describe those that “do good things” but that they do them “for the wrong reason” which is a VERY IMPORTANT LESSON on “doing for others” — for Jesus tells us that we should do our “charitable deeds in secret” and avoid the temptation to make ourselves look good in front of other men which would make us “hypocrites” in God’s eyes but we should do our “charitable deeds” in such a manner that we do not get any personal credit but that others would benefit from our “charitable deeds” and “your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”!!! The VERY IMPORTANT LESSON is that we should GIVE TO HELP OTHERS and TRUST GOD FOR HIS REWARDS. Every time we seek glory from men for some action that we have done we risk being “hypocrites” for when we act on God’s behalf but we do it to receive personal glory from men, we have robbed God! If we do our “charitable deeds” to glorify God, then and only then will God get the glory and we will receive a reward from “God Himself” — man cannot match the Gift of God nor can man give a reward that comes close to matching God’s Rewards!!! So our first step in “perfection” then is to imitate God and do “charitable deeds” in His Name and for the kingdom's sake and not for our own personal glory!!!

FEBRUARY 04 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#02 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

FEBRUARY 04  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   JQ#02  “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer to JESUS    

JESUS, as I come before You today I come seeking nothing but to be in Your Presence which You so Graciously shower onto us when we bow before You. Lord I am reminded of reading an Oswald Chamber’s quote some years ago that I did not understand until today when I awoke and felt the peace of knowing You were with me when I laid down in my bed and You are right here waiting for me to awake and open Your Word! The Oswald quote said something like “When we stop seeking God for His blessings, then we can start seeking God for Himself!” and today I know deep in my soul that Your Presence is the Greatest Blessing that can be bestowed on mankind and is what makes the Hope of Heaven so Significant! Forgive me, a sinner, and I plead daily for Your Mercy and Grace!    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS asked the JQ#02 Question directly after JQ#01 to help focus us on the Truth of God that God has intended from the very beginning to include man in His Master Plan as demonstrated by God’s own Actions towards His New Creation — “The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden…Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” (Genesis 2:8-15) Jesus reminded us with JQ#01 that God’s Purpose for mankind was for man to be “salt” and “light” and in order for “salt” and “light” to perform their purpose that they must be used to benefit others. “Salt” must be consumed by others because unless it is “consumed” it will not impart its flavor. Jesus also made the point that if it is not used to benefit others that “salt” will lose its flavor and will be “good for nothing” which is bad enough but Jesus added that once tasteless salt is thrown out it will then be “trampled underfoot by men.” (Matthew 5:13) To continue His Point about having the responsibility to use our God given natural abilities to be beneficial to others, Jesus then adds that if we “light a lamp and put it under a basket” that the light will not benefit anyone but if our light is put “on a lampstand” that the light “gives light to all who are in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15) Jesus makes it clear that mankind is to use our talents to benefit others as our personal responsibility to the One that Created mankind for Jesus instructs us: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16) Therefore JQ#01 was to bring our attention to the giving of ourselves to help others and Jesus then follows that Lesson with JQ#02 which continues the focus not only on helping others but we are to imitate God’s “Love” for us by loving others equally undeserving as ourselves!  Jesus then sets the Standard for our “conduct” with this command: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) So we are to let our light shine on others as God has shone His Light on us and we are to “Love” others as graciously as God has Bestowed His “Love” on us — and in doing these things we will become more like the PERFECTION that GOD IS!!!! Jesus gets our attention and then He Teaches some of the most Profound Details on our journey to be like God as we continue studying His Lessons contained in Matthew 6:1-24 on how we are to treat others and glorify God as we attempt to “be perfect”!!!

FEBRUARY 03 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#02 “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

FEBRUARY 03  THE JESUS QUESTIONS   JQ#02  “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you …and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:46-47)

LIVING FOR JESUS   Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Praise you Lord for Your Lovingkindness and for Your Daily Guidance in all things we do. Lord Jesus, I continue to pray for the family, not just mine but for all families that they will grow strong in Your Grace and become the cornerstone to rebuild our society. O Lord, I know that when I started praying for my family that I never imagined what Blessings You would rain down on our entire family but then, that is because “[Your] ways are not [our] ways” (Isaiah 55:8). Jesus, forgive us where we daily fail You and forgive us our trespasses against Your Commandments, especially when we do not “Love God with all [our] hearts [and] love our neighbors as [ourselves].”  (Luke 10:27)     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JESUS makes it clear what is on God’s mind in this Matthew 5:43-48 passage which contains the second of “The Jesus Questions” for it leaves little doubt in our minds that God is teaching us about His “Love”. Jesus states “you have heard…’Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’…” (Matthew 5:43) but Jesus immediately Teaches, “But I say… love your enemies” and then Jesus replaces “hate” with “…bless those who curse you…” then adds “…pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) If that wasn’t obvious enough that Jesus wants us to “Love” others as He “Loves” us, Jesus adds “why”  we should “Love others” as He “Loves” us: “that you may be sons [and daughters] of your Father in heaven…” (Matthew 5:45) While Jesus has our attention, He then asks common sense Questions from a Divine Viewpoint for our reasonable consideration: JQ#2a “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?” (Matthew 5 46a) The answer is implied that if we don’t “Love” as commanded from heaven then there is no “reward” awaiting us in heaven. JQ#2b “Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:46b) This Question implies that if we do not act any better than “tax collectors” (the tax collectors were at the time of Jesus definitely pagan and serving the Emperor of Rome) who serve men rather than God then we will receive no “reward”. I asked the question “why tax collectors?” and the answer that came to me in the Spirit is that in God’s great wisdom He has written in His Word a reference that any one from any generation could relate to and those words are “taxes and tax collectors” which definitely are a universal reference point - this gives extra weight to the phrase “…such as is common to man…” (1 Corinthians 10:13)  . JQ#2c “And if you greet your  brethren only, what do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:47a) and JQ#2d “Do not even the tax collectors do so?” (Matthew 5:47b) which are essentially the same Questions aimed at Teaching the same Lesson as to why we should “Love others” and makes the point that we are to separate ourselves from the world by doing “more” for others than ourselves which demonstrates not our character but God’s Character and demonstrates His Power to change our daily lives into Glory for Himself while making us and the world a better place and in the process we add so much “more” good to society! Jesus concludes the Lesson on why we should “Love” with another command that is really, really hard to live up to but we must try because Jesus commanded it and I am confident that with each effort at being like God that we expend, that we will grow “spiritually” and learn with each effort what the Father is trying to Teach to us as we journey “under the sun”! Jesus leaves the we-should-Love-others Lesson by commanding followers: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48).  Agreed, we will never be perfect in the flesh but the least we can do is give our “Utmost for His Highest” as did the great Christian writer Oswald Chambers and the key to heavenly success is to “Love others” as closely as we can by imitating our God who demonstrated unquestionably that He “Loves” us — even though we are natural born sinners!  Keep in mind those who sat under the Teaching of Jesus learned this personal Lesson on “Love” from Jesus: “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, ‘With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’” (Matthew 19:26)  A good way to learn to be “perfect” is to learn from The Perfect One, JESUS!!!