Abiding and the Beatitudes

Aug24

I have been slowly reading and digesting the Beatitudes. I love that they contain  so many wonderful nuggets of God’s wisdom. These nuggets were given to us from Jesus Himself and therefore we know they are to be treasured. When you read them, you can’t help but notice the contrast to “natural” behaviors or responses. It is impossible to live the beatitudes without abiding in Christ and that is how we are to live.   As it says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV 9  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ”  As we  yield our areas of  weakness and character to Christ

and allow Him to move in and through us, we are able to be the people He has called us to be. When we move  in our own strength we fail miserably and soon get discouraged at just how unloving we can be!

The Beatitudes are a reminder that it is impossible to live a truly happy and satisfying life that is pleasing to God without yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing God’s love to guide us in our walk. The meaning of “blessed” when used in the Beatitudes refers to “happy.”  Not just a surface happy but a deep soul happy.

Matthew 5:1-12 NIV 5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.   He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,  for they will see God. 
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,  for they will be called children of God. 
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

It is impossible to be “happy” in the above situations if we are NOT abiding in Christ. They require a selflessness that the flesh just won’t succumb to . However, when we are walking closely with the “lover of our soul” we long to be as He is.

Lord give us a hunger to be more like you. To love as you love and walk in sweet communion with you so that we too may be truly happy! Amen

Sermon On The Mount

Sermon On The Mount

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4 thoughts on “Abiding and the Beatitudes”

  2. So true! I enjoyed your post, and God always tries to remind me of this nugget. We can’t have joy and peace in all situations without abiding in Christ. We can’t fake if our fellowship with Christ is lacking when times are tough. Our attitude will def. reflect our natural human nature, but if we are receiving the peace only Christ can give us it is a different story.

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  3. Pingback: The Beatitudes Matthew 5:3-11 « bummyla

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