The Beatitudes are found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Here we find Jesus teaching on a mountainside. Matthew 5:1-2 tells us He was teaching his disciples, but it seems there were crowds of others listening in, because at the end of the sermon it says in Matthew 7:28, “When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching.” Many were there that day to glean from Jesus’ wisdom and I can’t imagine what it must have been like to sit at His feet. It makes me wonder how intently I would have listened if I could have been there. Would I have been too preoccupied with my own problems to grasp what He was saying? Would I have spent my time thinking His words were meant for someone else and not for me?
If any of the first paragraph sounds familiar, it’s because those are the words with which I began our study of the beatitudes back in January. Since then, we have spent considerable time diving into everything that Jesus shared that day on the mountainside. Each beatitude that He spoke of was a building block for us to be like Him. Each of them contained the attitudes, qualities and characteristics, which produce in us a Christ-like lifestyle.
I read Romans 12:9-21 in The Message the other day and it struck me how much these verses went along with what we have learned from the beatitudes. Paul wrote, “Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. ‘I’ll do the judging,’ says God. ‘I’ll take care of it.’
Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.”
Just like the beatitudes, Paul’s words, if taken seriously, will produce in us a Christ-like lifestyle. We need to remember that if we really want to look and act like our Jesus, then we need to make the decision to live every single day completely sold out to Him, no matter the cost. It isn’t just a way we behave on Sunday and then do as we please the rest of the week. We must be committed to make our goal every day to do what is pleasing to Him.
As we wrap up our study of the beatitudes, I think each of us needs to decide if we are willing to let Jesus have complete control of our life. It’s so easy to fall into Satan’s trap of thinking that we know best and that we will have to give up too much to serve Christ. That couldn’t be further from the truth. He can do so much with our surrendered life; way more than we can even imagine. And don’t ever forget, Jesus promises for those who follow Him:
The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs
They will be comforted
They will inherit the whole earth
They will be satisfied
They will be shown mercy
They will see God
They will be called the children of God
The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Wow…I would say He makes it so worthwhile to let Him have control of us every.single.day. So, I’ll end this study asking the same questions of which I started, but I’ll update them to today:
How intently am I listening when I’m in the presence of Jesus?
Am I too preoccupied with my own problems to grasp what He was saying?
Do I spend my time thinking His words are meant for someone else and not for me?
I think I’ll need to spend some time this week answering those questions. How about you?
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