The Beatitudes

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

     Jesus, Creator and God Himself, made Himself meek and humble to become a man. He followed God’s will after He asked for the cup to be removed from Him before He died on the cross. Becoming meek before God is not weakness, but a willingness to follow Him, to walk according to His Word, a call to obedience.

     Jesus is the perfect example. In Matthew 11 He called Himself, “gentle and lowly in spirit.” 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

     The Holy Spirit within us begins to change our desires as we continually look to Jesus and His Word for answers to our deepest questions. Our strongest desires and appetites now search for God’s truth and His righteousness within us. His desires and His will become ours as we listen to Him and long for a deeper relationship with the One of our hearts. We hunger and thirst for Him.

     Meekness and humility before God in order to walk in His ways is not easy. It takes some discipline, with a willingness to put Him first in our hearts and minds every single day. He will do the heavy lifting when it seems impossible. After all, He created the heavens and the earth, and He created you!

Jesus,

Receive our humble hearts today as we struggle to follow You in a world straying farther and farther from Your ways. Let our desires become Yours as we develop a hunger and a thirst for the life You long for us to live, the abundant and over-flowing life of the Spirit.

Amen

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

     The Beatitudes, I believe, give us an order of how we come to God. The term “poor in spirit” might bring to mind material poverty or an emptiness of being ourselves. Instead, it means humility. Becoming poor in spirit allows us to recognize our need for God. Before our spirits can be filled, we need to make them available to God. Before we can accept Jesus, we need to humble ourselves before Him, and we will be blessed.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:3

     Recognizing our need for God, brings repentance, an acknowledgment and a new awareness of our sinful nature. Part of this awareness is an acknowledgement of the holiness and purity and perfection of God. Seeing ourselves as we are without our God brings about a “Godly sorrow.” (2 Corinthians 7:10) We mourn for what we have done against God, ask His forgiveness and what does He do? He takes us in as we are, forgives our sins, past, present and future and gives us Jesus and His kingdom. Now I’ll say that is comfort!

     This verse is a beautiful reminder that God comforts us throughout our lives. We all have times of mourning, mourning the death of a child or a sibling, the loss of a mom or dad or a spouse, the loss of a friendship or mourning through a divorce. God is the God of all comfort. He wraps His arms around us as we ask for His help.

     Humility and mourning are not signs of our weakness. Our Almighty God looks at them as an opening to a vital, living relationship with Him, through Jesus. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn.

Dear Lord,

We come humbly before You, recognizing we are nothing without you. Fill us with Your love and comfort as we fill ourselves with Your Holy Spirit. You promise us blessings and happy are we to accept them.

Amen

The Beatitudes

     Before we get into the eight Beatitudes we looked at yesterday, we might ask, “what is a beatitude?” This word means blessedness, fortunate, happiness. Jesus views blessedness in an upside down way from the world. He changes the way we think about what is important, and of value. This section of the Bible does not tell us how to live to become a Christian. It gives us a peek into our lives after we find Jesus. How have we changed? Do these blessings affect us today or only when we come into the full kingdom of the new heaven and earth one day?

     Words like "poor" and "meek" become strengths. Giving up our pride, coming before God in humility and awe, serving others without needing a return from our investment, seeking Him rather than money and fame. Sounds crazy, but the freedom it allows is worth pursuing. Let’s take a look at the blessings our God promises us we seek first His kingdom. These words are not only future oriented, but for us today.

Blessed are you. Blessed are we. Blessed are the children of God. Let the Spirit of God lead you to blessedness.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.

Romans 8:14

Dear friends, now we are children of God and what we will be has not been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Hi, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2

Father,

We seek Your kingdom in our lives today. Be with us as we study Your promised blessings for us as believers today and tomorrow and forevermore. We ask for Your blessings upon us.

In Jesus name,

Amen

The Beatitudes

     Jesus changes our hearts and minds and souls. His sermon on the mount reminds us of what life can look like as we follow Him. The Beatitudes paint a beautiful picture of discipleship. Let’s listen to the Words of Jesus today from this sermon and look deeply into each part this week.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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 5:1-12

     Blessed are we.

Jesus,

We want to follow You and obey You. Change us to become the righteousness of God as we learn from Your example.

Amen

Spirit-filled Stories in the Storm

     Standing on our faith, finding stillness and peace within chaos, believing the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) even when we can’t see the answers and finding contentment and satisfaction in any circumstance; these are all the work of the Holy Spirit of God.

     The Holy Spirit’s power and work are supernatural. When we have spiritual eyes, we can focus on eternal purposes and move beyond the temporal. Only with God is it possible. I have heard testimony after testimony on the power of God through the years. The comfort and peace of the Spirit as a loved one dies. A peaceful contentment when facing our own mortality. Finding purpose after a disability is diagnosed. Being transformed after an abusive childhood. You have heard the stories too. You have some of your own. Our stories are meant to be shared. How has the Holy Spirit worked in your own life? Have you seen a prayer answered? Experienced a miracle? Prayed for a stranger? Loved an enemy? Tell your stories to others. Jesus is meant to be shared. The Spirit works in the storm and walks with us until the light bursts through the clouds again.

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story-those He redeemed from the hand of the foe.  Psalm 107:2

Father,

You have given us Your Son. We all have stories to share about His abiding love. Let the Spirit’s power give us courage to speak.

In Jesus name

Amen

Satisfield in the Storm

     Are there blessings through a storm? Sometimes we need to search for them during a difficult season. Has someone comforted you? Have your thoughts and discussions been deep and meaningful? Have you found a new purpose after the storm has passed? I think often the blessings aren’t apparent until much later, but having a history with God helps us to trust Him even when those blessings are hard to find.

     Let your peace and satisfaction be in Jesus. Your faith in Him will never return empty. He brings sweetness through sacrifice, beauty from the ashes, joy out of despair, blessings out of grief. Our souls can remain well, when the rest of us is falling apart.  He is there with us. He will never leave us. He loves us. He died for us. Heaven is forever. Suffering is but for a moment. His peace is not of this world.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27

Lord Jesus,

Keep our hearts from being troubled and afraid even in a storm. Our hope and trust are always in You. Keep us peaceful even when the waters of life are turbulent. Give us contentment in You.

Amen

The Sword in the Storm

     You can wield God’s power in a storm. The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. When Satan tempted Jesus at the end of His 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus responded to the three temptations with Scriptures, “It is written…” “It is written…” It is written…” (Matthew 4)

     If you are not familiar with your spiritual armor, read through the 6^th chapter of Ephesians, beginning at the 11^th verse. Jesus covers us with the armor, all of it defensive, except one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.  Ephesians 6:17

For the Word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Hebrews 4:12

     Take up the sword and wield it against Satan’s wiles. If he has been deceiving you with doubt, fear, loneliness, grief, pride or anxiety, find a verse and speak it out loud. Puncture the clouds surrounding you and let the light of Christ come through. The power of the Word is alive and active, sharp and penetrating. And the devil will flee!

Jesus,

You have the words fo eternal life. Satan’s hold on the earth is coming to an end and he is restless and active. Your Word will defeat his many lies and activities surrounding us. Remind us of the sword of the Spirit and give us the time and wisdom to read it, meditate on it, keep it in our hearts and take it out again and again.

Amen