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02-03-2008, 01:40 PM
Meditation
Matthew 5:1-12
Readings
How deeply God wants to fill us! He wants us to overflow with his life so that people around us would see how different we are and begin to thirst for the life that we have. The Beatitudes describe what that life in Christ looks like, and they all speak of what happens in us as we are emptied of sin and filled with the glory of God.
Considering our present state, the goal described by the Beatitudes may seem impossible. But Jesus is never far off. These few verses assure us that as we humble ourselves before the Lord every day, laying our lives at his altar and allowing him to form obedience in us, we will be blessed. They call us not to strive to live the Christian life on our own power but to come to Jesus for guidance and strength and to ask him to reveal himself to us more and more powerfully.
If the poor in spirit are guaranteed the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3), then we can be assured that if we turn to Jesus and acknowledge our poverty, he will enable us to reject the evils of this world and remain in his light. As Jesus forms his humility, emptiness, and obedience in us, we can all do serious damage to the devil’s work. As we learn—often through hard experiences—to empty ourselves before God, we become equipped to fight in the spiritual realm. By contrast, those who are full of themselves have no room for God. His power cannot flow through them.
This day—today—is the day the Lord has made, a cause for rejoicing and celebration (Psalm 118:24)! Regardless of whether the experiences before us will be joyful or sorrowful, a perfect blessing is in store for us if we choose to remain close to Jesus. He is not only the true model of the Beatitudes; he is the one who fills us with himself and enables us to have the happiness of becoming like him.
“Heavenly Father, I trust solely in you. I want to become a blessing to others. Cleanse my heart and mind. Never let me be separated from your presence throughout this day.”
Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; Psalm 146:6-10; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Online Christian Devotion
Matthew 5:1-12
Readings
How deeply God wants to fill us! He wants us to overflow with his life so that people around us would see how different we are and begin to thirst for the life that we have. The Beatitudes describe what that life in Christ looks like, and they all speak of what happens in us as we are emptied of sin and filled with the glory of God.
Considering our present state, the goal described by the Beatitudes may seem impossible. But Jesus is never far off. These few verses assure us that as we humble ourselves before the Lord every day, laying our lives at his altar and allowing him to form obedience in us, we will be blessed. They call us not to strive to live the Christian life on our own power but to come to Jesus for guidance and strength and to ask him to reveal himself to us more and more powerfully.
If the poor in spirit are guaranteed the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3), then we can be assured that if we turn to Jesus and acknowledge our poverty, he will enable us to reject the evils of this world and remain in his light. As Jesus forms his humility, emptiness, and obedience in us, we can all do serious damage to the devil’s work. As we learn—often through hard experiences—to empty ourselves before God, we become equipped to fight in the spiritual realm. By contrast, those who are full of themselves have no room for God. His power cannot flow through them.
This day—today—is the day the Lord has made, a cause for rejoicing and celebration (Psalm 118:24)! Regardless of whether the experiences before us will be joyful or sorrowful, a perfect blessing is in store for us if we choose to remain close to Jesus. He is not only the true model of the Beatitudes; he is the one who fills us with himself and enables us to have the happiness of becoming like him.
“Heavenly Father, I trust solely in you. I want to become a blessing to others. Cleanse my heart and mind. Never let me be separated from your presence throughout this day.”
Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13; Psalm 146:6-10; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Online Christian Devotion