I had a full day of classes today, and got out of my photo class at 4:30, just in time to take some photographs of super tuesday and then get desi dog for dinner. It seems like the Barack Obama campaign is dominant here on the Berkeley campus, since it's pretty much the only thing I've seen all day today.

Prayer meeting was a little different tonight. We had a college student prayer meeting instead of a church-wide one, and started at 6:30 instead of the usual 7. When it ended at 8, we went to Dwinelle to study, before relocating to main stacks. We studied until midnight.

Devotion time notes:

Matthew 5-7

Through the beatitudes, Jesus teaches us how we are to view ourselves in the bigger picture. The correct view of our place is:

1. God
2. Others
3. Ourselves

The qualities that Jesus emphasises are the qualities that the world rejects. By observing the world around us, it would seem that the necessary way to "inherit the earth" is to be prideful, arrogant, and reckless, yet Jesus tells us that it is the meek who actually inherit the earth.

It is hard to think of persecution and suffering being anything positive, but Jesus says that it is a blessing because we are being counted worthy of experiencing the same hardships as the prophets and godly men and women who came before us.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:11-12

What could be more encouraging to a Christian going through difficulties than these two verses from the mouth of the Lord himself?

The purposes of salt are very clear, but if salt can no longer fulfill the purposes for which it is used, then what advantages would it have over something useless like sand? In the same way, we must pursue our purpose and God given duties as Christians in order to be useful for his kingdom. Why should we call ourselves Christians if we cannot be useful to God?