October 12 - Mark3:7-19 | Luke 6:12-16 | Matthew 5:1-12 | Luke 6:17-26 | Matthew 5:13-48 | Luke 6:27-36 | Matthew 6:1-4

Good morning everyone,

Our reading today takes us to some very familiar text, the Beatitudes. Beatitude, literally “beatus” in Latin, means “happy.” Jesus teaches us in the beatitudes about how somebody who believes that the kingdom is at hand, and who is staking his life on the kingdom of God, should live their life. The end result being happiness and isn’t that what we all really want? 

The beatitudes are so packed with wisdom, each one, in and of itself, could be a devotional, but to sum it all up; There are eight or nine beatitudes, depending on how you group them. Most commentators read verses ten and eleven as one beatitude making the number eight which can be grouped into two sets of four. The first set is addressing the way we rely on the Lord while the second set focuses more on our relationship to other people as a result of our reliance on the Lord. In reading them too, you will find that each verse pairs up with another corresponding verse. Looking like this: Blessed are the poor in spirit … Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are mournful … Blessed are the pure in heart. Blessed are the meek … Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness … Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.

The Beatitudes seem to sum up the whole gospel message, showing on the one hand our desperate need of God, yet on the other hand the amazing promises that will be ours once we have acknowledged all that God has done for us in Christ. As humans, will still fall, fail, and flounder, but the Beatitudes will define our lives, passion, and commitment to live out God’s purpose in us. They will keep us strong and spiritually sound, prepared to rightly handle life’s challenges, and enable us to live life to the fullest with our God. 

I loved being reminded today of what a humble servant looks like, and what my ultimate goals are. Sometimes life will drag us a little off plum and we don’t even know it until impatience or selfish raises its ugly head and we have been called out on it or hurt someone’s feelings. It is very good to keep a short line on your thoughts and words, claim them and confess them often …. for some of us, REAL often somedays. Right? 

Dear Jesus, my Lord, my Savior, I pray, you will help me to live out the life of an ideal disciple, that you would cause me to remember to be meek, merciful, and humble. I pray Lord you would continue to cleanse my heart, create in me pure heart, O Lord. It is only by Your love and grace Abba that I am here to ask, so I fall to my knees and and beg that you use me where you see fit, that you would protect me from the enemy for too often I echo Paul’s words, Father God, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” Abba, give me, give us all, the discipline and the obedience to live out the “blessed” life. Let your light shine through us, Lord, so the whole world will see and want what we have in You. I love you my dear heavenly Father and thank you in advance for your daily blessings. Amen.

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all …..