This week I have been reading through the Sermon on the Mount. My Bible entitles this section as "The Authoritative Message of the Messiah: Kingdom Life for His Disciples." Here Jesus expounds the reality of discipleship lived in the presence and power of the kingdom of God but within the everyday world. These teachings form a challenging but practical ethic that Jesus expects His followers to live by in this present age (taken from the ESV study Bible). Before I even opened up the text to read, I was already beginning to feel conviction from the Holy Spirit. I know that these things are not true of me each day. But that is what I want and I desire more than anything. I want to be blessed in the spiritual sense. I want to soak in Jesus' words here and get as much out of them as possible. So I have decided to spend a few weeks reading through the Sermon on the Mount... meditate on it and soak it in and let it saturate my heart. And this will only happen in the Lord so graciously sends His Spirit to bring it into effect in my heart. I know I cannot do it on my own. But it is my desire and I am earnestly seeking to live completely and fully for Him. So here it goes Matthew 5:1-16.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
The first word that hit me in Matthew 5:3 was poor. The Greek root is the word ptÅchos, meaning reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms; destitute of wealth, influence, position, honour. This hits me...my need, my utter dependence on Jesus and destitution without Him... that should be my boast every single day. He says the one who is poor in spirit is blessed and He goes even further saying "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Not just blessed in this life, but the life to come. When we realize our need for Jesus and see the Gospel for the good news it is, repent and follow Him, we have an inheritance in Him. My finite mind cannot even begin to grasp the reality of how huge this is.
Julie, Thank you for being so sensitive to what God is showing you in His word. I have been in great need for some spiritual sustinance in my life. To see once again that I am nothing without God's loving power to save my sinful soul. I look forward to following your blog as it continues to spread God's word through you. Your writing is so very moving!
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