Am I confident in the personal authority God has given me? Am I confident that the words in the Bible are true? Have I claimed these promises? Do I intend to follow God all the way? Am I putting an ultimatum or time limit on God for my requests?

Five Discourses of Matthew: The Lounge Chair Christian

Matthew 5:1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 There are five categories in the Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom of God, evil, forgiveness, communion with God, and holiness. Forgiveness is a tipping point. It opens the door for communion with God and for holiness.

Do I want to be a subject of the kingdom? My decisions and how I treat the world around me come from my poverty and meekness of spirit. This allows me to hunger after the right (righteousness) things, which, in turn, brings me to a place to forgiveness and mercy.

When I am “lounging in my chair,” I don’t want stress or hardship.

When unfairly reviled, I have all the blessings working in me. Rejoice! I can suffer for the sake of Christ without getting a bad attitude. The ability to suffer hinges on the ability to forgive.

Matthew 6:14 There’s a tipping point.

What reward am I seeking in my Christian experience? Happiness at the expense of others is not a substitution for the blessings. Am I fleeing persecution? The ultimate goal of humanism is good is for the human. Christianity's goal is the good for God.

If I have trouble forgiving, I must do whatever it takes to displace what is in the space God wants to fill with forgiveness.

Matthew 6:19 Treasure is what I value most: food, significant other, family member, toys, hobbies, ideas, or even obsessive fear.

A peacemakers treats all the same so they may win them to Christ. They have a peaceful spirit and their orientation in life is to deliver peace. “I may not agree with you but I’ll do nothing to hurt you.”

Status, physical and mental health, or wealth doesn’t affect the ability to be a peacemaker. I can have bad days, but this doesn’t affect the condition of the soul. My condition or suffering is not an excuse to have no peace or take peace from someone else.

2 Corinthians 12:7 Paul's mental or physical condition was difficult, but God promised sufficient grace.

Am I full of myself? Am I thirsty for righteousness? Is my fear my treasure? Have I been extending mercy to some and withholding from others? What does God want me to do?