It Is Painful, It Is Wonderful
It is painful to have our iniquities exposed, our imperfections pointed out and our inabilities made known to us. No one loves to be labeled a sinner. But we can’t get well until we are aware of and acknowledge our sickness, and then go to the Great Physician of Grace to heal us. It is humbling to do so, but God does not belittle us when we come to Him in confession and repentance. Instead… He lifts us up. He makes us whole. He spurs us on. It is wonderful to have Jesus forgive us for our sin, free us from our sin and favor us in spite of our sin. Oh, how we love to be labeled “Redeemed!” Go to Him now. There is grace for you.
Not As They Are, But As They Will Be
Remember this as you follow Jesus in faith: it’s not what happens to us that is of greatest importance, but rather the result of what happens to us. Things often won’t go as we plan, things often won’t work out like we hope, and things often won’t be as simple or easy or comfy as we would like. But in the hands and plans of God, our struggles are not setbacks. They are stepping stones to the good result He has in mind. So… Don’t stop believing. Don’t stop proceeding. Something good is coming even if you don’t yet see it. Take heart! Things would look much better if we could see them not as they are, but as they will be.
Changes
One of the ways that God changes us to become like Jesus is through hardships. We struggle to find answers on our own, we worry and doubt and fear often, we fall short over and over again, and we feel like many tasks in front of us are impossible. But, in time we learn to turn to and trust in the wisdom, strength, and grace of God as He transforms us into people of faith through our struggles. Learn this: sometimes God will change the situation; sometimes God will use the situation to change us.
Blessed Are The Merciful
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” – Matthew 5:6
When we are moved by the mercy of God shown to us in Christ, we will move to show it to others. The merciful extend forgiveness for sin and kindness in suffering to the people around them because they have experienced it themselves. They have soft hearts, not hard ones. They have reaching hands, not folded ones. They have loving mouths, not condemning ones. This is only possible when the God of mercy takes our natural inclination to be intolerant or indifferent and supernaturally infuses us with His delight to do good to those who don’t deserve it. Today, let us ask Him to help us deal with others the way He deals with us.
Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righte …
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” – Matthew 5:6
Humans are on a never-ending search to find real satisfaction in this world. But the satisfaction we are looking for and longing for cannot be found in this world for it comes only from God. Apart from Him we will continue snacking on and sipping from what we think will bring contentment, and we will never be filled. We will always find ourselves wanting something more or something else. But if we hunger and thirst to find our way to God and follow the ways of God, we will be satisfied. When we search for contentment in Him, He can be found. When we find Him, our search for contentment can be over.
Blessed Are The Meek
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” – Matthew 5:5
Meekness comes from possessing God’s power and using it for God’s purpose as we trust in God’s providence. We are not weak; we are strong. We are not prideful; we are humble. We are not frantic; we are patient. How is this possible? Because of our faith in Jesus, we have the help of God to do all things that He wills as good, and hope in God to work all things out for good. The more we trust in and submit to His will, the less we will feel the need and desire to force our own as we deal rightly with the people and problems in our lives. After all, we have God’s assurance for what is waiting ahead for us.
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” – Matthew 5:4
We should not glamorize sin. We should normalize sin. We should not trivialize sin. Instead, we should agonize over sin because of its offensiveness to God and the brokenness that it causes for us. Sin is always a big deal because it immediately displeases a big God and eventually leads to big problems for us. Our society doesn’t lament sin; it laughs if off. But God takes sin so seriously that He sent Jesus to be crushed on the cross to conquer it so we could be comforted in spite of it. When we see and treat sin like God intends, something wonderful happens: He turns our tears of sadness over sin into tears of gladness over grace.
Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:3
The most rewarding thing we can ever do is admit our lostness, helplessness and unworthiness to enter God’s kingdom, and depend completely on His mercy and grace. When we acknowledge our need for God and turn to Him in faith, we are given access to His kingdom and all of its benefits for us in Christ. The kingdom of heaven has a King … and it’s not you or me. It’s an infinitely wiser, stronger, kinder King who rules over the lives of His people for their good and unleashes so many blessings on them that it will take an eternity to experience them all. We get a foretaste for now and a feast forever … The poor in spirit become rich in the kingdom.
Those Who…
“The… Those who…” – Matthew 5:3a-11a
What you do is defined by who you are. The lives of those who are blessed to be in the kingdom of God are marked by a set of countercultural characteristics. We have been transferred out of the domain of darkness into His marvelous light, and we are being transformed into who we were made to be so we can do what we were made to do. Namely, to… Live for God, not ourselves. Live for purpose, not in vain. Live for real joy, not a substitute. Live for heaven, not this world. We will not practice this perfectly, but we will trust in the Perfect One who gives us grace until He perfects His work in us. It’s who we are. It’s what we do.
Theirs Is… They Shall…
“Theirs is… They shall…” – Matthew 5:3b,4b
The world often portrays being blessed as the measure of how good we are or how good we have it. We are blessed because of what we do, what we get to do and what we get from our doing. But being blessed in the Kingdom of God is more than that. It doesn’t necessarily mean that all is well on the outside, but that all is well on the inside. It doesn’t necessarily mean that all is well in the everyday matters of life, but that all is well in what matters most. It doesn’t necessarily mean that all is well now, but that all will be well forever. Know this: Real blessing comes in things that can never be taken from us.
