Matthew 5:3-10
I love when Jesus preaches and his message fits together with our lives perfectly. It simply solidifies that there is a greater purpose and that we aren't in control. Jesus preached great sermons, and one I like to talk about is his message of the beatitudes.
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.
There are a lot of life-changing blessings in this short passage-- but I'd like to focus on one in particular, verse 8.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
I feel like once Jesus graced the world with His presence, things changed dramatically for the better. People realized their impurities and turned to Jesus who offered hope. Most world religions make followers aware of their imperfections, but require sacrifices and rituals to make up for them. When Jesus came, He brought an incredible sense of peace and hope for a brighter future.
It has recently occurred to me how broken our modern world is, and how far we've strayed from the original revolution that came with Christ. People put Jesus on a shelf now, and turn to him only when they feel necessary. They ask Him to do miracles when convenient, and shun Him when it's not convenient.
I don't necessarily think that people have gotten "eviler" since the days of Jesus, or more sinful, even. But the society is much different. Everyone is preaching something different, and very rarely are we reminded of God on our own. Back then you couldn't take a step without hearing the name of Jesus, and His Name is now replaced with questionable theories and ways of life. Times have gotten more complex and more complicated, in my opinion.
But one thing that is never changing is the Word of God. I believe that the beatitudes we just read are still very relevant, as there are still poor, persecuted, and pure-hearted people in the world. I want to focus on one that has been brought to my attention-- the one about people that are pure in heart.
My past few posts have been about God not being my priority, as He is blocked by sin and hardships. Jesus says that if we are pure in our hearts that we will be able to see God, and I don't know about you, but I think we all need a little more "God vision."
Dear God,
We fall short of Your glory every second of our being. We understand that we are sinners and aren't pure in any sense of the word.
However, Jesus, we know that You are so powerful and mighty that You can wash away even the darkest of stains, to make them as white as snow. Thank You , Jesus, for loving us even though we mess up. Thank You for sending Your Son so that we can be forgiven for anything.
Jesus, we pray that You will not only forgive us of our impurities but would help us become better, that You would help us work toward being what You ask of us, to be "pure in heart." Help us, God, because we want to be able to see You.
Amen.
I love when Jesus preaches and his message fits together with our lives perfectly. It simply solidifies that there is a greater purpose and that we aren't in control. Jesus preached great sermons, and one I like to talk about is his message of the beatitudes.
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.
There are a lot of life-changing blessings in this short passage-- but I'd like to focus on one in particular, verse 8.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
I feel like once Jesus graced the world with His presence, things changed dramatically for the better. People realized their impurities and turned to Jesus who offered hope. Most world religions make followers aware of their imperfections, but require sacrifices and rituals to make up for them. When Jesus came, He brought an incredible sense of peace and hope for a brighter future.
It has recently occurred to me how broken our modern world is, and how far we've strayed from the original revolution that came with Christ. People put Jesus on a shelf now, and turn to him only when they feel necessary. They ask Him to do miracles when convenient, and shun Him when it's not convenient.
I don't necessarily think that people have gotten "eviler" since the days of Jesus, or more sinful, even. But the society is much different. Everyone is preaching something different, and very rarely are we reminded of God on our own. Back then you couldn't take a step without hearing the name of Jesus, and His Name is now replaced with questionable theories and ways of life. Times have gotten more complex and more complicated, in my opinion.
But one thing that is never changing is the Word of God. I believe that the beatitudes we just read are still very relevant, as there are still poor, persecuted, and pure-hearted people in the world. I want to focus on one that has been brought to my attention-- the one about people that are pure in heart.
My past few posts have been about God not being my priority, as He is blocked by sin and hardships. Jesus says that if we are pure in our hearts that we will be able to see God, and I don't know about you, but I think we all need a little more "God vision."
Dear God,
We fall short of Your glory every second of our being. We understand that we are sinners and aren't pure in any sense of the word.
However, Jesus, we know that You are so powerful and mighty that You can wash away even the darkest of stains, to make them as white as snow. Thank You , Jesus, for loving us even though we mess up. Thank You for sending Your Son so that we can be forgiven for anything.
Jesus, we pray that You will not only forgive us of our impurities but would help us become better, that You would help us work toward being what You ask of us, to be "pure in heart." Help us, God, because we want to be able to see You.
Amen.
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