What do we want, if we could be given the best gifts in the universe?
We want to possess the kingdom of heaven, to have it be ours. We want comfort. And in addition to possessing heaven, we would actually like to own earth too. We want both. We want to be satisfied, for all our longings and needs to be met fully. We want mercy, kindness to be extended to us. We would love to see God! How thrilling that would be! We want to be called by everyone, "children of God," and to be shown as His children by receiving vast rewards in heaven. We'd frankly like to have all that right now.
Jesus tells us how to have all these blessings:
Be poor (or crushed, or small) in spirit, be in mourning become you're in grief, be gentle, and hunger and thirst for righteousness (do we, ever?). Be merciful to others, pure in our hearts, and be peacemakers. Be very glad when we are reviled, persecuted, insulted, and ill-treated for Jesus's sake; this is the supreme blessing!
For months now, we've been reciting the Beatitudes each Sunday during worship. I've pondered them. They're like a burr that gets under your skin, and you must address it. Each time, Adam asks us pointedly, "Christians, how are we blessed of God?" And we reply in unison, "When we are poor in spirit, when we mourn, when we are gentle," and on and on. Each Sunday is is a little harder to say.
I want the rewards, but I'm reluctant to be the kind of person who gets such rewards, to do the suffering, the self-examination, and the changing.
We often, in our studies of Christianity, find that Jesus's religion that He's presenting to us, is radical, extremely radical. It tells us a message that no other voice is willing to say. The Beatitudes is certainly one of those messages.
"When you mourn, you are blessed." Try telling that to people!
2 comments:
Praying that all who mourn in these dark days will be blessed abundantly, and immediately, and eternally.
Ouch! Pinch!! Not more suffering! Please!!!
I too often sound like that.
When what I really should say is I love You! I need You! You are Mine! You are enough! You love me!
Recently I have been nudged yet again to just tough it out, not what I wanted to hear but what I believe He needed to say so I would hush for a spell. Cooling my heels for over four years has not endured my angish to me over this baggage I am forced to drag around I can tell you. But long before this mess of wickedness that has latched onto my life started I made through a very old devotional the same stance as the writer did, in my heart, God is good and what He does is good because He is, and because He is God He has the right to work in anyway He sees fit. It has helped me to push on through this ongoing situation, I don't have to comprehend His reasons or agree with the work He does but I do need, daily, to acknowledge that He is Who He said He was, and He still is even now. It has helped me not sink into the abyss of the walking unbelieving uncircumsized philistine world. Thankfully I settled all that before this avalanche of misery attached itself to me. When it did come, so hurtfully I survived and can still say, Thank you for loving me and paying my price You are my God & my King, my Master & my Friend. I am blessed to be Yours even on the wearisome days I am still astounded by Your love and sacrifice for me, I am blessed, Yea Lord, I am.
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