the poor in spirit . . . the meek . . . . those who hunger and thirst for righteousness . . .
the merciful . . . the pure in heart . . . the peacemakers . . . . those who are persecuted
because of righteousness . . . .you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely
say all kinds of evil against you because of me.Rejoice and be glad . . .!
Matthew 5:3-12 (NIV)
So, what do you think? Do you like the beatitudes? Obviously somebody does because they are so famous! I can’t say that I have really liked them.
Someone
recently put it very well,
“I’m
not poor (Luke’s version in 6:20), I’m not hungry, and I’m not
particularly sad. I’ve hardly experienced any meaningful rejection or scorn or
persecution because of my Christian faith. Moreover, I don’t want to be or
experience any of these things if I can help it!
“I
can try to take some refuge in Matthew’s version: “Sure, I’m not poor,”
I tell myself, “but I can still be spiritually poor in spite of my
wealth.” Except I’m not even that hungry for righteousness? Please! I’m
not meek. I’m not much of a peacemaker. Forget purity of heart.
“Does
the fact that I strike out on all these Beatitudes make me a horrible Christian?
Does at least feeling guilty about my failure
make me slightly better? Is there still a place for me in God’s kingdom?
“Is
Jesus really saying that if you are this way, or you do
these things, then all these good things will happen to
you—including heaven when you die, as in ‘I earn my to heaven’? Or, as in
Luke’s version, if you aren’t and you don’t,
you’re in trouble?”
Do
you remember the qualifications for who got healed?
That’s right, NONE!. Those
who asked, got. Do you
remember the qualification for being part of God’s New World after death?
That’s right NONE! John
3:16, 17 and 14:6 (the cross is door for everyone whether they know it or not) tell
us his death opened the door for ANYONE!!!!
Check
out Revelation 3:20. The doors to
the Kingdom are locked only by you from
the inside. The Kingdom of
God is available to you. Unlock
the door, swallow your pride, face your fear, and enter.
Yes it will hurt for a while, (what
good and ultimate thing isn’t hard) but slowly and surely you’ll
be shaped into a person who sees blessing everywhere and one day you’ll see
them so vividly that those blessings will overwhelm you with an overflow of
excruciatingly good Goodness, Happiness, Freedom, Wellness, Wholeness, Joy, and
Purpose.
Grace
is good.
For more:
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