Journal 12-8-09
Scripture
The Beatitudes
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth 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 shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Observation
At first glance, this passage sounds so vain because God’s loves pain. He seems to only bless the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and hunger. God seems not to bless those who are okay. He seem to wants us to suffer because he did.
During my bible studies on Thursdays, one of my favourite studies was the Beattitudes where we actually spent 12 sessions on the Sermon on the Mount. We actually see that these verses actually show how God corresponds to our current state. We need to recognize that God carries us through when we are poor, are mourning and so on. There is also a progressive condition of our spirit.
When we are poor in spirit, we mourn,
When we are mourn, we become meek,
When we are meek, we hunger and thirst for righteousness,
When we are hunger and thirst for righteousness, we become pure in heart,
When we are pure in heart, we become peacemakers,
When we are called sons of god, we are ready to face persecution.
When we face persecution, we are to be glad and we will be rewarded in heaven.
Application
I must continuously progress in my spiritual life. I must recognize where I am and move forward, not backward.
I know that my God will be with me in all my dire conditions.
I must be glad in the times of my persecution
Response
God, I thank you for carrying me through this far. I pray that I continue to be humble before you. Teach me to continuously move forward and not backward in my spiritual life. Thank you for being with me during the toughest moments in my life. When I am persecuted, help my to have the joy of the Lord in my life. Amen.
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