“You are the salt of the earth; …
“You are the light of the world. …
"Do not be afraid, little flock …"
Oh God, you make me glad to've had my birth.
You oversee and help these good folk to
continue on, to be salt of the Earth,
& light within this world. That's what they do.
And you must always be thinking beyond,
and further than this life's biology,
I've heard that you are really very fond
of ev'ry child that's born. So, even me!
Which I would straight dispel, excepting for
the fact that I have loved each of my kids,
and know that your love is, well .. "How much more..?"
So, here I am. One of your billy lids.
So glad my Dad's the Source (Creative Love),
of, not just concepts, personality!
So when connected to who's "from above",
a "person" is what I then start to be.
For human persons grow here - tender shoots,
both immature & incomplete, and fēt-
al; if they're disconnected from their roots,
their personhood will fail, they start to bleat..
All as a kid, not as a lamb to ram -
where there is such a thing as "ou-r flock"
that works to gather - not to split or jam,
to get where it wants to, as goat on rock.
And all the savoury tastes & smells, that float
around within our atmosphere are sourced,
as are the beams of light, which like a boat
help us to stand above, not fall through flaws.
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: …
… (the blessings of God's reign, and the functioning of this alternative view of God's world)
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
- Jesus (Mt 5:1,13-16)
Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, …
(about hypocrisy, fear, the spoken word, desire, allegiance, grace (that is "How much more"), effort, worry, focus, and acceptance)
… strive for his reign, and these things (what the nations spend all their time striving for - food, drink, & shelter) will be given to you as well.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you his reign. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
- Jesus (Lk 12:1-2, 31-34 )
Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. …
(e.g.)
Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.
Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them.Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own Lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. …
Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
… Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. …
Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of another.
I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval.
Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God.
Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.
The faith that you have, have as your own conviction before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves because of what they approve. But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
(italics in brackets above, added by me as a summary of topics covered, or to give the sense from the larger unquoted context)
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