A Devotional Thought for God’s Family – 1
To begin with…how does it feel to be poor? Maybe you have never thought of yourself as poor, however the premise of the passage we call “The Beatitudes” is the acceptance of our poverty.
Well, good morning to you too!
Maybe, you are more comfortable with the word…needy. Every topic that Jesus touches on is spoken from His heart to the one who seems to feel that they are without what they need.
That is why I introduced poverty. I need and God supplies.
You have always needed and you will always need. As a matter of fact, the currency of the kingdom of God is need, the same way the dollar is the currency of the USA. To become a citizen in God’s kingdom you must need a Savior. God indeed made you a needy being –
Matthew 7:7–8 (ESV): Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
Why would Jesus tell you to ask if you didn’t need to ask? Jesus knows full well that the Father made you insufficient in yourself. You are not self-sufficient. You are not capable of taking care of your own needs.
As much as we would like to not need Him and others, to believe that we are self-sufficient will leave us destitute and alone.
The Beatitudes are an important reminder to everyone. God made us needy and desperate for Him and others. By design, we are to seek out and ask for those things that will keep us alive, and cause us to flourish.
Let’s stop here this morning and ask the Lord to help us grow in our understanding of His bountiful provision and reward, for all who embrace their original design.
Remember, your neediness didn’t show up because sin came into the world. Before sin showed up in this world you were made… wait for it…I am going to mess with your head…
Perfectly needy.
Yep, God made you perfectly needy.
Let’s take some days to understand this through the eyes of Jesus.
Please read Matthew 5:1-12 to familiarize yourself with the pavers for our journey over the next week or so.
God, this world teaches me to not be needy and to take care of myself, and to trust no one. Lord, what do You have to say about all of that? Please teach me to hear Your voice through these devotionals and to live according to my original design, so that I will glorify You and honor Your intentions for me.
A Devotional Thought for God’s Family – 2
Matthew 5:1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
Let’s be clear here. Jesus saw the crowd, and in this situation He climbed a mountain (hill) to get away from them. His heart was to teach, but not the masses – His heart was to teach the mountain climbers.
There are those who will always want something for nothing, they go with the crowd. The crowd wants low cost and high return. I give you little and you give back a lot.
Jesus climbed the hill and those committed to him climbed right behind. Jesus doesn’t think the way the crowd does, you see He offers much and requires much, that is if you want His heart. The crowd doesn’t want the heart of Christ. They want what Jesus can provide – healing, peace, satisfaction, contentment. Hill climbers want Him.
That’s why to most people the Beatitudes seem more like poetry then truth. The Beatitudes are for climbers, those who are following after Jesus. At first glance you would think that the “tudes” are a description of the weak, those who can’t cut it.
Not so –
Jesus had a message to share in that moment and He purposely shrank His platform. The Holy Spirit led Jesus to shrink the number of people who would hear. Do you wonder why? I do.
Because the Beatitudes are a revelation of the heart of Christ – not simply rules to live by. Jesus is a climber, and He is speaking climberese. Those who would follow Him up the hill are going to get more.
So, this is a good place for us to stop and have a little chat – Are you a climber, or are you in the crowd wondering why Jesus is going up the side of the hill, away from you? After all, there are a lot of people here, why doesn’t He turn around and address the masses?
[God, why are you doing this to the church? Why are you allowing the gov’t to tell us we can’t meet? Why have You changed things, I want to go back to what is normal!]
There are times when Jesus does address the crowd, there are times as well, when He speaks one-on-one. Those one-on-one times are for those who follow Him, climbers. (Re 3:20-21)
How about you put your walking/climbing shoes on, and let’s begin a journey up the hill to follow Him.
Jeremiah 29:13–14 (ESV): “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord…”
Ok, for the deeper thinkers – the hill Jesus is climbing… is you. He is further along in climbing your heart than you are. He is further along in taming your mind than you are. If you can climb with Him in you – you are closer to having revealed to you who you truly are. Mind bomb!
A Devotional Thought for God’s Family – 3
Matthew 5:2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
This seems like a trivial thing, doesn’t it? Well, maybe we should scoot the chair in a bit further this morning and break this trivial little verse open to see its significance.
Let’s try to understand the way that God has chosen to relate to us. God has chosen to give to us His Word.
He speaks.
There is nothing and no one like God, never has been and never will be. He is full, whole and complete. There is nothing for God to learn, study or grow into. Because God is full, He pours out. In doing so, He pours out only one thing and that one thing is perfect, Himself.
He made you to receive what He pours out. He pours Himself into you. That’s what we are looking at in the Beatitudes. Jesus is transferring from the Father into whom the Father loves, those willing to receive from God the Father.
God is patient in His pouring out. Jesus is patient in His teaching. Sometimes it requires a lifetime for us to learn the most basic concepts of God. Again, let me say, God is not a battery that needs to recharge. God does not draw from another source to sustain life. He is eternal in Himself and in that internally sustained power He chose to pour out creation for His glory.
It is to His glory that He made you to receive what He pours out.
We are glimpsing that slow process by which God gets glory as Jesus begins to teach. Jesus is teaching what comes from inside God. Nothing exists that is pure and holy that didn’t come from God. And only what is from God will remain forever.
Are you getting the idea of how awesome and powerful God is? (Go ahead you can nod your head – yes)
God is the one who stoops down and puts into man’s language and man’s process the internal awesomeness of His being. And here we have a picture of those bite size morsels being distributed to man, that’s you and me.
Jesus spoke what the Father told Him to for those who climbed that hill after Him and He spoke those words for you today. That’s how powerful the Father is, powerfully timeless. When you and I speak, most people forget what we have said the moment they have another thought. But when God speaks it is eternally true. It remains true forever. Every word and every utterance.
And he opened his mouth…
This is no small thing – prepare for God is going to speak to you! Sure He speaks to us, but He is going to speak to you – personal, heart crafted for your circumstance.
Father, I do not want to miss anything because my lips are flapping. I still my mind to hear from You. What You have to say is true, right and eternal. I am to be filled and You are the one to fill. Teach me how to be still. Show me how to carry the truth I hear from You.
A Devotional Thought for God’s Family – 4
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The Father looks out over the inhabitants of heaven past, present and future and speaks what He sees and knows so that your heart will be encouraged.
Privileged is the beggar
Happy is the dependent
Fortunate is the have not
Highly favored in heaven is the one who doesn’t have much on earth. Those who recognize that heaven is their home are going to have a great home in heaven. That comes from God’s heart.
It is important to realize that this thought does not originate from earth in a hope that what is said will be a reality. This thought and promise has its origin in the Father as He looks out and sees what is already accomplished.
Let’s think about another important phrase mentioned by Jesus. The phrase in spirit is interesting because it indicates the seat of emotional faculty in a person. Jesus could have said blessed are the poor and it would have not had the same meaning.
Blessed are the soul poor. Blessed are those who are without and they see they are without. Blessed are those who are in need and they recognize they are in need.
Have you seen a person who is bankrupt in their soul and they think they are perfect? Like a venom filled snake they slither through life biting others and they think that others have the problem, and if the world would think the way they do everything in the world would align.
That person is poor, but they don’t know it or are afraid to admit it.
The poor in spirit recognize they are bankrupt – what sweet humility. What sweet simplicity. What peace.
We can approach heaven with all confidence when we need heaven. Because we were made to receive. The only platform we have, the only standing we have with God is to declare with all our might our need. You will certainly gain His ear because that is precisely why He made you.
Imagine standing before God and He asks, “What right do you have to stand before me? Why should I let you into my heaven?” And at the top of your passion you say, “Because I need!”
Hebrews 4:16 (ESV): Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Those who declare their personal benefit and power are deceived. Don’t be deceived. Blessed are those who need, because we will need forever. What comes from the inside of God will be our food forever, and it will be good.
Matthew 4:4 (ESV): “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Father, I am in need. I live according to what comes from inside of You. Even the food I eat comes from You. Everything good has its origin in You. I receive from You today with a glad heart. And for all eternity I will depend on You with joy and in sweet fellowship. I am poor in spirit and the Kingdom of heaven is mine, through Your kindness. Thank You Lord.
A Devotional Thought for God’s Family – 5
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
You have to wonder how many times Jesus was met by people who had lost loved ones, or maybe were working through significant loss due to the Roman occupation. Or, what about their children sold into slavery and the family unit dissolved because they couldn’t pay their bills. War, famine, pestilence, so many reasons for people to mourn, not to mention the internal struggles of regret and guilt.
The Devil doesn’t take a vacation, does he? The old serpent is always looking for a way to mess with you. Some believe that his only goal is to make you sin. Really, whatever discomfort, pain or sorrow he can manifest in your life, his motto is, “The more the better!” Sin happens to be the easiest and most productive for his purposes.
It is important to understand that going through life we are going to come face-to-face with the manifestations of the enemy. And with his team working diligently to create sorrow and pain, walking unaware or in denial is not a healthy thing for us to do.
God knows what we are facing and He calls Himself the God of all comfort. In 2 Corinthians 1:3 (Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…) For our understanding, that means that all comfort comes from God. He may choose to encourage others to act on His behalf to comfort us, and often He does.
There are times too, when we feel the presence of the Lord and we hear from scripture His powerful voice that speaks into the center of our sorrow, and He touches us there. You see all comfort is from God. It is a gift to this world. Even the lost can experience the comfort of the Lord with no thought of where it truly came from. That is because God is good and He loves all people.
What about the times when I make mistakes, or I sin in a big way, and now I believe I deserve the pain and sorrow I am in? Friend, if you love Jesus, and you have been saved, you need to listen closely to me.
Your sins were drowned in Christ’s blood. That means the penalty of my sin along with the sin and whatever benefit I felt I would get from sinning. All is defeated at the cross. So, today if you are mourning and regretting something you have done to the point that you still hold it against yourself, stop it. Just…stop it.
Do you truly believe that your sin is stronger than Jesus is pure? Are you trying to live out the lie that Jesus doesn’t have enough to cover you? Or perhaps you feel like you want to help the Holy Spirit keep your behavior in check by heaping hot coals of self bitterness on yourself. No matter how you look at it, there is no healthy rationale to holding onto guilt and regret in our mourning. You can release to Jesus your sin and truly mourn.
Mourn in such a way that the regret doesn’t come back.
Is there an old sin that keeps coming back to haunt you? If so, there is some unfinished business between you and the Lord. How exciting for you! Now is the time for full redemption to happen in your soul. Please tell the Lord how you feel. And confess that you have been holding onto the guilt and regret. Release that to Jesus right now, it is His, He owns every bit of it.
Be comforted by the Lord. Be blessed as the grace of God washes over you. Be filled with joy, because He is more than able. Be excited because there is nothing that God can’t do in restoring your soul. Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.
God, my heart is resting in You right now because I have received your comfort. I am satisfied in your love for me. You know me and have made a way for me. Why do I run from You? Lord, teach me to seek You when I am in trouble. You are my very best friend, thank You.
A Devotional Thought for God’s Family – 6
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.“
The meek inherit the earth because Jesus inherits the earth and He does so through a meek demeanor.
What is your demeanor like?
What would those around you say about your demeanor? Perhaps I shouldn’t ask you, what would your downline or direct report say about your demeanor, or your children and/or spouse?
It is difficult to understand that God is so powerful and meek at the same time. He is exalted to the highest and gentle. In this world, in most cases, when a person obtains power, abuses are soon to follow. Don’t you long for someone to rule who is powerful without an ego that won’t fit through the door?
I do, that is why I love Jesus. He is the perfect leader, He is the righteous ruler.
What God could have done when Jesus came to earth to authenticate His Son! God could have displayed power beyond our understanding, He could have torn flesh from bone to send a message to mankind. He could have waged war His first day here. But that is not His nature or His demeanor. He allowed flesh to be torn from bone in Himself, because that is who He is.
When He says that the meek will inherit the earth He is saying, “Those of you who are like me will reign with me.”
How do I become meek? Great question, the answer is to get to know Jesus. The real Jesus! Not the Jesus that you want Him to be, man do we see this all the time, and it is so often sad – and ends in disappointment.
Get to know the Jesus who is meek and gentle, and become like Him. Get to know the humble and generous Jesus, and become like Him.
You will have to love Him more than anything else in your life. You will have to sacrifice everything, being willing for all you have to be sold, so you can have the pearl of great price, the demeanor of Jesus.
Is the mind of Christ really that important to you? I mean, can’t you get along just fine by being you? Do you really need to go this far in being sanctified? After all, didn’t God make you just the way you are? Why would God require that I become more like Him in my personality?
If the meek inherit the earth, what is your plan to become meek? Besides being born that way, which I am sure you believe is how you acquired your great meekness, right? (I once saw a T-shirt that read, “It’s hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way.”)
Becoming meek is a rub. Its winning a battle that few see in you, only the results of the battle are seen. The battle is the true war over self. Will I care more for others than myself? Will I demonstrate love more for others than myself? Will I choose to adopt a lifestyle that honors the intent of Christ and the mind of Christ in regard to others?
The meekness of Jesus is on display and the formula is revealed like a hidden family recipe as you look closely to Philippians 2.
Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV): Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Yes, the meek do inherit the earth, and they are counted amongst those who are almost indistinguishable from Jesus. They feel, look and sound like Him. Because they want to. They have given their lives over to becoming like Him and in the end, they are.
Lord Jesus make me like You. Change my personality to match Yours. Keep in me the parts that You want and discard the parts that are refuse. Lord, lead me, I submit to Your shaping process. I truly desire to be humble and gentle, just like You. Thank You for revealing Yourself so that I can see what needs to change in me. I confess that I am powerless to change, would You help me please?
Blessings
Pastor D
