Be - Attitudes (Part 1)

Shortly after Jesus began His ministry and chose His twelve closest disciples, Jesus took the 12 to a quiet place and began to teach them. You can find Jesus' full teaching in Matthew chapters 5-7. I've been kind of camping out there for a little while. Lately I have had a desire to hang out in the parts of the Bible with the red letters.

Matthew chapters 5-7 are known as the Sermon on the Mount, but tucked there in the very beginning, verses 3-12, are what is referred to as the Beatitudes. I'm not sure how these verses came to be labeled this way but I think it to be very appropriate because through them Jesus taught His disciples what the attitude of a believer should look like. Jesus taught how a person who is in a right relationship with God should conduct his or her life. It actually demonstrates a standard of righteousness for the Christian.

Although this was a teaching for the disciples, it is relevant for us as well today. I've been imagining that I'm sitting at His feet and listening. Want to join me?

Matthew 5:3-5
"Blessed are the poor in spirit...for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn... for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth."

At first glance these verses seem to contradict themselves. Are we to be happy about being poor? Are we to be happy that we are in the midst of grief? Are we to be happy about being a weakling? If that's the case I am really perplexed!

First we need to understand the word "blessed" and it certainly doesn't mean happiness. To be blessed means to enjoy the bliss of heaven, to be content no matter what the circumstance, or to have a deep inner joy. There is a world of difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is a result of your circumstances. Jesus tells us the way to find true joy - a joy that comes from the inside and has nothing to do with circumstances or personal fulfillment.

Finding ourselves with inner joy and contentment no matter what our circumstance is not an easy place to get to. Finding contentment in spite of circumstances will only come about because we are trusting that Christ has everything under control even if we don't. It means that, even though we may not know how or when we will come through the trial, we trust God that we will and His purposes will be fulfilled. There isn't any way to know what the final outcome of our trials will be but we know the One who has already been there and holds us, His loved ones, in the palm of His hand.

This place of blessedness doesn't come easy. I know it didn't come easy for me and I confess I slip backwards at times. That's why the red letters in the Bible are really important to me. We all need to sit at His feet, learn from Him. It's there we will receive hope and strength. It is where we will find joy in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Now that is the place I would rather be. How about you?

MaryAnn

MaryAnn and John Kiernan have been married for 37 years, have 2 grown/married sons and are the proud grandparents of three grandsons and one granddaughter! She serves at America's Keswick as a Biblical Counselor and also as Intake Coordinator for the Colony of Mercy. Her life verse is Romans 8:28.

DIGGING DEEPER
James 1:16-18
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.