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Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too

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much because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy

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for today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect

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yesterday's portion of heavenly manna the word of God to

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keep us through today's challenges. On this program, we are

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going to change all of that. Let's experience God's words

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today and receive the power we need to live healthy,

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vibrant lives. Welcome to Your Daily Portion with your host

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author speaker, Elle David Harris.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Good morning. It is Wednesday, August

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twenty seven, twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is Elle

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David Harris. I am your host, and this is your

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Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single

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day and today is no exception. We are continuing in

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our Lesson study series through the Book of Exodus, and

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our caption for today is an I for an eye,

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uh oh an I for an eye. Before we get

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into that, I'd like to just say welcome to you

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and ask you to please go over to your Daily

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Portion dot com. Please join our online community, pick up

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the Your Daily Portion Life application guide, and let us

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know where you are in the world. At your Daily

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Portion dot com. This is one of the ways that

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we continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's go ahead

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and pray, and then we will get underway. Father, we

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thank you for this day and for giving us justice.

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You've shown us what equal balances are. You've shown us

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what the right pathway is. You've shown us how to

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deal with conflicts. Please help us to live according to

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the truths you have shown us. In Jesus' name, I

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pray amen and Amen again. And I for an eye.

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Oh yeah, there's some people who have that snapback, bust

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back mentality like I'm gonna get back at whoever comes

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to me the wrong way. An I for an eye,

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Like it's retaliatory, it's reprisals. Yeah, retributive. Yeah, that's how

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some people naturally think. But Jesus is teaching something else.

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And before some people start beating your drums about passivity,

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that is not what we're talking about. So there is

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an actual sweet spot right in the middle between passivity

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and being retaliatory. And so the Bible reads you have

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heard that it was said and I for a knife

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and a tooth for a tooth, But I tell you

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not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you

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on your right cheek, turn the other to him. Also,

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if anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic,

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let him have your coat also. And whoever compels you

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to go one mile with him, give them two. Give

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to him that asks you, and from him who wants

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to borrow from you. Do not turn away. You have

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heard it was said you shall love your neighbor and

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hate your enemy. But I say unto you. Love your enemies,

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Bless those who curse you, do good to those who

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hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use and

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persecute you, that you may be the sons of your

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father in heaven. For he makes his son to rise

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on the evil and on the good, and sends rain

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on the just and on the unjust. For if you

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love those who love you, what reward have you? Do

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not even the tax collectors the same? And if you

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greet your brethren only, what do you more than others?

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Do not even the tax collectors. So therefore you shall

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be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

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So much to say, so little time. I'm imploring the

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teachers in the room that will be teaching in a

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few days at Church on the subject to be honest,

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keep integrity. As you teach the context of this, I

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literally cannot do this in just about four or five minutes.

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And so let me give you a quick historical context.

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In Jesus's days, the scribes and Pharisees had distorted God's

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law by applying what they considered to be judicial principles

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to personal relationships. The law of retaliation from Exodus chapter

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twenty one and verse twenty four, Leviticus twenty four, verse

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twenty and Drooteronomy chapter nineteen and verse twenty one was

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originally given to prevent excessive revenge and to limit punishment

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to fit the crime. It was never meant to personally

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endorse revenge. By the first century, however, this principle had

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often been used to justify revenge even in private disputes.

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Jesus wasn't removing the law, but restoring its true purpose

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and moving his followers toward righteousness. And so when the

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Bible says that we are not to resist, that word

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for resist is not a blanket command against all resistance,

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but the kind in retaliation. There are times that we

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must resist. We must get up, stand up, stand up

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for our rights. There are times that we have to resist.

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We must resist injustice. We must resist when people are

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taking advantage and oppress of and oppressing others. God actually

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said it, like, is this the kind of fast that

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I endorse? That you just walk around with your sad

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face and make it look like you're fasting, and you're

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still oppressing people. You're not setting anyone free, You're still

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underpaying people who do good work for you. Stop all

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of that, and by the way, keep the Sabbath holy

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at the same time, and then I will accept your fast.

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And so that is the blessing of the kind of

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resistance that we must have. We should resist all injustice,

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resist all wickedness, resist all that is not like God.

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And so the command to love even our enemies reflects

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God's character. Jesus was not nullifying civil justice, but redirecting

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personal conduct to reflect the Kingdom of God. I remember

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a young a young woman rest in well. I shouldn't

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say rest in peace. She is resting in peace. But

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a young woman acts during a Bible study I was

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teaching in Trench Town here in Jamaica, and she said, Uncle,

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if somebody comes into my home and they break in

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and they are about to do something evil or violent?

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Am I supposed to just take it? And I said, listen,

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I for an I means not I for an arm.

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That's what it means. It means that if somebody is

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leaving you, you don't run after them and try to

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beat them up or kill them. You let the law

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deal with that. But if there is a time that

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you have to, you have to resist that evil and

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defend yourself. Do not go overboard. Do not go overboard.

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Whatever force is necessary to deal with the particular conflict

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and get up out of there. That is what is necessary.

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But when people go overboard or chase and do retribution,

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that's when we get outside of the law of God.

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And so the focus shifts from legality to grace and transformation.

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So let's go with a few concepts here. Give up

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the right to get even, give up the right to

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get even. It's natural to want justice, that's what we desire.

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But in personal relationships, Jesus teaches us to let go

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of the payback and pursue peace instead. We're talking about

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personal relationships. I need you to get the context. Don't

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write me about the difference between Malcolm X and Martin

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Luther King Junior like, we don't need to go there.

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You understand so, so it's we must not retaliate when

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we are hurt. We need to ask what would love do?

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Instead of striking back, you step up and choose mercy.

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We're talking about relationships. Number two, Be generous without calculation.

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Jesus says, if someone takes your coat, offer a cloak

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to he's addressing. Free them from material attachment and trust

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and trust in God's provision. Loosen your grip when asks

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for help. Don't assess the fairness in air quotes, but

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respond with kingdom generosity, and then, of course, love your enemies.

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Actively move or make excuse me a list of people,

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oh who have wronged you? Uh oh, Start praying for

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them daily. This reorients your heart and places judgment in

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the hands of God. You think God loves his enemies,

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we were once enemies until He made us friends.

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Speaker 1: Peace. Thanks for joining us listening. Friends, Always remember we

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cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that

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comes from the mouth of God. This has been your

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daily portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,