“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:10)
There is nothing particularly joyous about persecution itself. Persecution is painful, hurtful, and destructive. There is not necessarily any spiritual prosperity in that. Ask any Christian who was beaten and imprisoned if that experience, in and of itself, created a joyous blessing for them, and you will likely see a grimace come to their face. So, if this is the case, how is persecution related to spiritual prosperity?
Jesus ties this to the cause of persecution. He ties it to the cause of righteousness, and He then elaborates in verses 11 and 12, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and false say every kind of evil against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Persecution experienced because of committed faithfulness and obedience to Jesus produces blessing, spiritual joyous prosperity, because Jesus blesses it, and it brings with it a heavenly reward. That reward will only become evident when those persecuted arrive in heaven. Those thus persecuted rejoice NOT because of the persecution but because of the outcomes.
Lord, Persecution is no one’s preference, but if that is what we must go through in order to be faithful in our witness to You, give us the strength to do so. Amen.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Peacemakers
“Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
Hostility, whatever the form, destroys. It tears down. Peace, on the other hand, builds. Peace is marked by life, wellness, wholeness, safety, freedom, and prosperity. Life is enhanced and expanded where there is peace.
A peacemaker is one who serves as an instrument or vehicle or catalyst for bringing about peace where there has been hostility. A peacemaker works to resolve the causes of hostility, which then results in peace, and that peace then fosters life as it takes root in the lives of people.
The peacemaking Jesus had in mind is of a spiritual sort. These peacemakers are folks who seek to bring people into peace with God, to a reconciliation with God. Jesus, the Son of God, resolved the issue with His crucifixion and resurrection, and those who build on that foundation by bearing witness to Him, by leading people to repentance, faith, redemption, reconciliation, and restoration are His peacemakers and, thus, sons of God.
Lord, Help us to be kingdom peacemakers today for Your glory and for the good of those who desperately need You and the peace You can bring. Amen.
Hostility, whatever the form, destroys. It tears down. Peace, on the other hand, builds. Peace is marked by life, wellness, wholeness, safety, freedom, and prosperity. Life is enhanced and expanded where there is peace.
A peacemaker is one who serves as an instrument or vehicle or catalyst for bringing about peace where there has been hostility. A peacemaker works to resolve the causes of hostility, which then results in peace, and that peace then fosters life as it takes root in the lives of people.
The peacemaking Jesus had in mind is of a spiritual sort. These peacemakers are folks who seek to bring people into peace with God, to a reconciliation with God. Jesus, the Son of God, resolved the issue with His crucifixion and resurrection, and those who build on that foundation by bearing witness to Him, by leading people to repentance, faith, redemption, reconciliation, and restoration are His peacemakers and, thus, sons of God.
Lord, Help us to be kingdom peacemakers today for Your glory and for the good of those who desperately need You and the peace You can bring. Amen.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Heart Purity
“Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
So, how pure? How pure in heart do you have to be to be blessed so that you get to see God? Only a western mind would ask such a question. The question is actually irrelevant.
Let’s see if we can unpack this.
First, think about “heart.” The physical heart is nowhere in Jesus’ mind here. The heart described in the Bible refers to what is at the center of a human life. It is the center of thought, emotion, and personality, the place in us where the “person” we are resides. It is the core of our being. And most importantly, it is the place where the human will is found. In fact, the word “heart” can sometimes even be translated as “will.”
To be pure is to be free from pollutants. Salt is pure if it has no sand or dirt or other “non-salt” pieces in it.
So, “pure in heart” essentially means to be “pure in will,” to have a will, in other words, that is wholly focused on God and His will. It is to be pure in your motivations for serving God and simply doing so according to His will.
Someone whose clear life focus is, by faith, to do the will of God is spiritually prosperous, and that one is going to see God.
Father, May our hearts be wholly devoted to You and Your will this and each day. Amen.
So, how pure? How pure in heart do you have to be to be blessed so that you get to see God? Only a western mind would ask such a question. The question is actually irrelevant.
Let’s see if we can unpack this.
First, think about “heart.” The physical heart is nowhere in Jesus’ mind here. The heart described in the Bible refers to what is at the center of a human life. It is the center of thought, emotion, and personality, the place in us where the “person” we are resides. It is the core of our being. And most importantly, it is the place where the human will is found. In fact, the word “heart” can sometimes even be translated as “will.”
To be pure is to be free from pollutants. Salt is pure if it has no sand or dirt or other “non-salt” pieces in it.
So, “pure in heart” essentially means to be “pure in will,” to have a will, in other words, that is wholly focused on God and His will. It is to be pure in your motivations for serving God and simply doing so according to His will.
Someone whose clear life focus is, by faith, to do the will of God is spiritually prosperous, and that one is going to see God.
Father, May our hearts be wholly devoted to You and Your will this and each day. Amen.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Merciful Goodness
“Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
Mercy is the decision or act of relenting when there is cause for judgment, punishment, or retribution against someone who has injured you or someone else. Beyond that, mercy not only relents but even extends aid to the one who does not deserve it. Mercy overlaps with several other concepts, including: grace, forgiveness, and love. To be merciful is thus to be full of these attributes.
Our God is a God who is merciful. He is mercy in perfection. He extended mercy to us through the crucifixion and resurrection of His Son. To the degree that we understand and appreciate what He did for us and practice toward others what Jesus did for us, we demonstrate mercy.
We practice mercy because we have received it. And we receive even more mercy because we practice it.
Lord, You have expressed mercy toward us. Help us in turn to be merciful toward others. Amen.
Mercy is the decision or act of relenting when there is cause for judgment, punishment, or retribution against someone who has injured you or someone else. Beyond that, mercy not only relents but even extends aid to the one who does not deserve it. Mercy overlaps with several other concepts, including: grace, forgiveness, and love. To be merciful is thus to be full of these attributes.
Our God is a God who is merciful. He is mercy in perfection. He extended mercy to us through the crucifixion and resurrection of His Son. To the degree that we understand and appreciate what He did for us and practice toward others what Jesus did for us, we demonstrate mercy.
We practice mercy because we have received it. And we receive even more mercy because we practice it.
Lord, You have expressed mercy toward us. Help us in turn to be merciful toward others. Amen.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hungry and Thirsty
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, because they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)
The source of unrighteousness is a life separated from God, a heart turned away from Him. When self-centeredness reigns, so does all manner of evil. Self-centeredness is a breeding ground for the parasite called “sin.” Where the focus is on loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself reigns, there is peace and freedom. Such life is an antiseptic for sin. When love reigns, when life is filled with it, people are genuinely happy. Relationships are right. Life itself is right. Everything is right.
The person who hungers and thirsts after a life like this, who sees this as an absolute foundation for life, fundamental in every respect, will find it, and he will be filled with it. Living life this way will make someone spiritually prosperous.
Lord, A great desire in our hearts is to be filled with Your righteousness, so that we will know the spiritual prosperity that frees us to live this life with joy. Amen.
The source of unrighteousness is a life separated from God, a heart turned away from Him. When self-centeredness reigns, so does all manner of evil. Self-centeredness is a breeding ground for the parasite called “sin.” Where the focus is on loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself reigns, there is peace and freedom. Such life is an antiseptic for sin. When love reigns, when life is filled with it, people are genuinely happy. Relationships are right. Life itself is right. Everything is right.
The person who hungers and thirsts after a life like this, who sees this as an absolute foundation for life, fundamental in every respect, will find it, and he will be filled with it. Living life this way will make someone spiritually prosperous.
Lord, A great desire in our hearts is to be filled with Your righteousness, so that we will know the spiritual prosperity that frees us to live this life with joy. Amen.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The Gentle Paradox
“Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)
The word we see in most translations is: “Blessed are the meek.” The word “meek” apparently has a bad rap. It rhymes with “weak,” for one reason, and that is generally the idea that comes to most people’s minds when they hear it. They think of someone who is cowardly, who has no spine, no courage, and not much of anything else either. So some use the word “gentle” in newer translations to try to overcome these preconceptions.
The underlying idea of this word is teachability. It describes someone who has a teachable spirit, who is interested in learning, someone who is not so caught up in her or her own ego that they cannot listen to what someone else has to say. It takes a lot of personal security and confidence to be a learner. Learners become leaders, and leaders know how to take care of things, like the earth. They are trustworthy because they listen.
Moses was described as “the meekest man on earth.” A leader like that is anything but weak. His leadership was powerful because he listened to God. The power of his life came from the power of the One he served. It was because he listened to God that God anointed him as one of the premier leaders of all time. That is what gentle is.
Father, Reveal in our hearts the reality of what real strength is all about. Amen.
The word we see in most translations is: “Blessed are the meek.” The word “meek” apparently has a bad rap. It rhymes with “weak,” for one reason, and that is generally the idea that comes to most people’s minds when they hear it. They think of someone who is cowardly, who has no spine, no courage, and not much of anything else either. So some use the word “gentle” in newer translations to try to overcome these preconceptions.
The underlying idea of this word is teachability. It describes someone who has a teachable spirit, who is interested in learning, someone who is not so caught up in her or her own ego that they cannot listen to what someone else has to say. It takes a lot of personal security and confidence to be a learner. Learners become leaders, and leaders know how to take care of things, like the earth. They are trustworthy because they listen.
Moses was described as “the meekest man on earth.” A leader like that is anything but weak. His leadership was powerful because he listened to God. The power of his life came from the power of the One he served. It was because he listened to God that God anointed him as one of the premier leaders of all time. That is what gentle is.
Father, Reveal in our hearts the reality of what real strength is all about. Amen.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Happy Mourning
“Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 HCSB)
The second beatitude can be as puzzling as the first. Those who first heard these words uttered would likely have found it so. Why would those who mourn be spiritually prosperous, or blessed, or happy? Everybody mourns sooner or later, because everyone experiences loss. Some may mourn the loss of property from a devastating storm or flood, for example. Or, a loved one may die. Eventually, people work through such events and their mourning dissipates. At least some measure of comfort returns. So how does this make someone blessed?
The meaning of this beatitude is derived from the first one. Those who come to realize their spiritual poverty because of their separation from God and who then turn to God will be blessed. In that same vein, those who mourn because of their previous life of separation from God, who are filled with sorrow because of how they once lived, are spiritually prosperous because the Holy Spirit is going to replace that sorrow with comfort, the comfort of forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, and restoration.
Lord, We thank You for redemption and restoration You have given us through the cross and resurrection. We thank You for the power of the life we now live. We thank You that You have turned our mourning into comfort through Your Spirit within. Amen.
The second beatitude can be as puzzling as the first. Those who first heard these words uttered would likely have found it so. Why would those who mourn be spiritually prosperous, or blessed, or happy? Everybody mourns sooner or later, because everyone experiences loss. Some may mourn the loss of property from a devastating storm or flood, for example. Or, a loved one may die. Eventually, people work through such events and their mourning dissipates. At least some measure of comfort returns. So how does this make someone blessed?
The meaning of this beatitude is derived from the first one. Those who come to realize their spiritual poverty because of their separation from God and who then turn to God will be blessed. In that same vein, those who mourn because of their previous life of separation from God, who are filled with sorrow because of how they once lived, are spiritually prosperous because the Holy Spirit is going to replace that sorrow with comfort, the comfort of forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption, and restoration.
Lord, We thank You for redemption and restoration You have given us through the cross and resurrection. We thank You for the power of the life we now live. We thank You that You have turned our mourning into comfort through Your Spirit within. Amen.
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