The Beatitude Attitude, Part 3
(NRSV) Matt 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
The Amplified Bible says:
“Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied.”
I think the beatitude regarding righteousness is my favorite. In the strictest sense of the word, righteousness means right standing before God. Warren Wiersbe in “Live Like A King” says, “There is no shortcut to holiness. We must begin with hunger–a hunger for holiness, a deep desire to be more like Christ.”
I truly believe God desires for us to seek after Him with reckless abandon. I believe He wants us to become desperate to get to the Word of God and open it and immerse ourselves in it.
Remember the prodigal son? You know, the one who ran away, not the one who stayed home. (That’s another story.) When the prodigal son began to hunger and thirst for material possessions, life as he had known it was over. He lost everything, and when he was hungry, he fed with the swine. But when he was starving, he returned to his father, and he was made whole.
Wiersbe goes on to say when we hunger and thirst after righteousness we are causing the inner man to function as God made him to function. You see, because of original sin there is a struggle between good and evil. We cannot win the struggle over sin without the Holy Spirit.
We tend to think in terms of right and wrong, but those are subjective measures that change with time and culture. God speaks in terms of good and evil which are everlasting. God gives us choices. There is good and evil–God says choose good. There is life and death–God says choose life. There is sin and there is holiness–God says ‘Be holy as I am holy.’
Psalm 27:4 says: “One thing I have required of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”
Psalm 42:1—“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul longs for you, O God.”
Hungering and thirsting after righteousness brings us into a new relationship with God. We leave the ordinary and reach for the divine, which is only possible through God and with God. And then we will be filled.
There is an old song whose lyrics include “I’m drinking from my saucer ‘cause my cup has overflowed.” The sentiment comes from Psalm 23:5 where the table is set and the cup is so full of blessings that it overflows.
So today I pray that as you hunger for righteousness your cup will overflow to the point where you are drinking from the saucer.
In the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
Changing our Attitude Part 2
(NRSV) Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Our previous devotional looked at the first two beatitudes, blessed are the poor in spirit and blessed are they who mourn. Today, we look at the blessedness of being meek.
Generally, we define meek as being patient and gentle. But in Matt 5:5 we find a deeper meaning. The Greek word for meek in this verse means power under control.
Think of a horse whose power is brought under control by the rider by use of a bridle, a bit and the reins. The horse may not want to submit to someone else’s control, and neither do we.
Yet, when we submit to God we see some wonderful results. We would rather forgive than avenge.We are not easily offended, but we are easily pacified.
Our power is under God’s control.
We submit to the Word of God and receive it gladly into our heart.
Our response to a brother’s sin is sorrow and pity and desire to help him be restored.
Our response to division within the church is not to take sides, but to restore unity. We do not use the Bible as a club to beat down lost souls, but instead as a life raft to save them.
So, what is our reward for being meek? Jesus says the meek will inherit the earth. Do you believe that, or is what you have seen in the world just the opposite?
Charles Swindoll says inheriting the earth means that, spiritually speaking, all our needs will be met. As we trust the Lord to provide, we gain our inheritance.
Warren Wiersbe says, “to ‘inherit the earth’ means to reign as king over yourself and your circumstances through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
If we truly know that Jehovah-Jireh is our provider, He is our source, then we will stop our fretting and trust in Him. If we know that Jehovah-Nissi is our banner, and He goes before us in battle, then we will cease our fighting and acknowledge that the battle is not ours, but the Lord’s. If we can see that our inheritance depends not on what we do, but on what God does through us, then we can become meek, and then happiness will happen.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Swindoll, Charles R., Simple Faith, Word Publishing, 1991, p. 34
Wiersbe, Warren, Live Like a King, Moody Press, Chicago, 1976, pp. 135-146
Changing our Attitude
(NRSV) Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Don’t you love the fifth chapter of Matthew? I always say that John is my favorite gospel, but then there is Matthew 5. Where else can we find such an abundance of kingdom understanding? So, over the next few days I thought I would delve into these particular lessons for the comfort found there.
I love, love, love the beatitudes. The way Jesus uses the first blessing as the foundation for all that follows is brilliant. The fact that we must recognize the poverty of our own spirit before we can draw close to God encourages us to put our faith under a microscope, and by doing so we can then, and only then, begin our spiritual journey toward salvation and, ultimately, holiness.
Years ago my brother and I shared an apartment. He was in college and I was in a low paying job. We went grocery shopping and I carefully selected the items needed, knowing how little I had in my checking account. To my surprise and dismay, the total was more than I had.
Just before we started putting things back, I asked the lady at the cash register to recheck the groceries. She was annoyed, but upon doing so she found she had charged $10 more for the milk than the actual price.
Although we were able to buy our groceries, the knowledge that I was so low on funds was like a punch in the stomach. It almost took my breath away. Likewise, when we realize how close to poverty our spiritual account is, we should be brought to the same reaction.
In Isaac Watt’s song “At the Cross” the first stanza reads:
”Alas! and did my Saviour bleed, And did my Sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred Head For such a worm as I?”
The lyrics penned by Isaac Watts in 1707 reveals a stark change in the way we think of our self worth. The phrase “for such a worm as I” has become so abhorrent that it was replaced with “sinners such as I” and then revised again to read “someone such as I.”
Really? Have we become so proud that we are blind to our sin nature? The idea that God would not only allow His Son to die for sinful mankind, but indeed, that was God’s plan from the foundation of the world, is almost incomprehensible, yet that is exactly what happened.
And what is our reward when confronted with our poverty in spirit? Jesus does not promise that the kingdom of heaven will be our future reward. No, He says the kingdom of heaven is ours now. Praise God!
When we finally comprehend that we are completely bankrupt in our spirit, that knowledge should necessarily turn into mourning, a deep anguish that only God can heal. We will then be in a position to repent of our sins and turn toward Jesus. Then we will receive the supernatural comfort that only comes from God.
So, be blessed, be happy, receive now the kingdom promised by Jesus.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Difference Between Being Sorry and Being Sorrowful
(NRSV) Matt 19:16 Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Some things we need to understand about “The Rich Young ruler.”
—Probably inherited his wealth and his status since he had both at a young age.
—Sought Jesus but then did not know how to respond.
—Had followed the law as he understood it but unwilling to live in the freedom of Christ.
—Was not willing to humble himself so that Jesus would be lifted up.
—Was sorry over his inability to do as Jesus asked but not sorrowful.
—Could not reach out to others with open hands because he held on too tightly to his status and possessions.
—Grieved not because salvation was out of his reach (because it wasn’t) but because he was unwilling to forfeit his possessions to receive eternal life.
—It is not that someone with status and wealth cannot receive salvation. The problem was that Jesus saw the young man’s heart and knew he loved those things more than God.
(NRSV) Luke 19:1 He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
Some things we need to understand about Zaccheus.
—Rich by means of his job as chief tax collector.
—Considered a traitor to his people.
—Stole from his people.
—Sought Jesus with all of his being.
—Ran ahead and climbed a tree. Both actions would have been considered undignified for a grown man in his culture.
—Climbed a tree not to elevate himself but to see Jesus more clearly.
—Had a deep sorrow that moved him to true repentance.
—His repentance moved him to action.
We are told in Eph 2:8-9 that salvation is a free gift from God, not of ourselves lest anyone would boast. Yet, Jesus paid a great price to purchase our salvation.
Zaccheus got it! He was not trying to buy his salvation. Instead, he understood the meaning of the value of restitution and true repentance and was willing to turn from sin and toward God.
May each of us today be more closely aligned with the “wee little man” than with the rich, young ruler.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Hope In the Lord
(NRSV) Lam 3:22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
If you have known me long, you realize that hope is a recurring theme in my writing. So why would I read Lamentations if I am seeking hope?
I read Lamentations because it is one of the sixty six books of the Bible and, as Paul said in his letter to Timothy (NRSV) 2 Tim 3:16 “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Therefore, I include all of the Bible in my studies.
Lamentations is not an easy book to read. We find the prophet Jeremiah walking through the remains of his beloved Jerusalem, once a vibrant city, but now desolate and in ruins.
In the book of Jeremiah we see a young man called by God to proclaim His word to a people who had turned their backs on God. Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet” because the message he had to deliver was truly almost more than he could bear.
During Jeremiah’s formative years, he was in training to be a priest having been born into the tribe of Levi. When God called him to be a prophet instead, Jeremiah protested, but ultimately acquiesced. It is during Jeremiah’s lament over Jerusalem that he acknowledges God’s love and faithfulness.
I am thankful for the words of the prophet who spent so much of his life literally weeping over the separation of his people from God, but who could also proclaim that God’s love was steadfast and new every morning.
On this, another cold day in Arkansas where more freezing rain has been predicted, I encourage each of you to take a moment to find your hope in the God whose “mercies are new every morning.”
In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Seeking Holiness 