Matthew 5:1-12: 1And when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2And opening His mouth He began to teach them, saying,
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. 12“Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Today’s devotional is simple… Read over the Beatitudes and think over them… What do they mean to you. I am not feeling so well today… Tomorrow, I will begin to break each of these down.
To me they are simply beautiful. They are written on my heart. I want to do them justice.. so I will rest today, and tomorrow. I will begin with the first one. I am debating on doing the entire Sermon on the Mount…
Today’s Question:
Are these written on your heart?
Ever in God’s Love,
Mary Elizabeth Todd
November 11, 2024
Matthew 5:1-3: 1And when He saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2And opening His mouth He began to teach them, saying,
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus was in Galilee healing the sick. People began to come to follow him from Syria, Decapolis, Galilee, Jerusalem, Judah, and beyond the Jordan river came with their sick. He saw all those people following Him, and went up a mountain and sat down. The people began to sit down. Their souls were hungry, and without microphones or anything like that, Jesus began to speak. I imagine he had a strong voice, but Jesus was not yelling at the people. They had to be quiet to hear His words… much like we have to be quiet to hear Him speak to us in our hearts.
He began to speak what we call the Beatitudes. There is beauty and poetry in these words. They are simple yet have the depth of the deepest ocean. He is telling them how to be blessed.
Jesus begins, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
What does that mean? I understand poverty or living on tight means. It means that I can’t buy just anything I want because I want it. It has meant that I have been very cold in winter and very hot in summer. It means that some of my clothes are over twenty years old. It has also meant that at times I have been hungry for something more than a peanut butter sandwich.
But Jesus is talking about our spirit, the part of us that is our light. If we are poor in spirit does that mean that our light is dull so that there is not a beacon to guide us? Does it mean that we are hungry for things we don’t realize that we are hungering to have? Does it mean that we are lost? I think it means all those things.
Jesus said those of us who are poor, hunger and lost are blessed. Why?
It is because unlike others we are searching to find that beacon that will guide us, food to fill us, and a way not to be lost anymore. Those that realize they are poor in spirit are blessed because from that point a person will search to have those needs to be met. If you don’t feel the loss of those things, you will not search.
Jesus then says the reason they will be blessed, “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus is telling all those people and us that if you search for God, you will find God, and because you searched and had faith you will be a part of the kingdom of heaven. This is a promise.
It is very simple. We searched for God, and He found us. We had faith in Jesus and the salvation he gave to all of us, and we are given a door to the gate of the kingdom of heaven. It all begins with us searching. We search because we are poor in spirit. We want something more in our lives.
Jesus talks about searching when He speaks of the good shepherd going to find that one lost sheep. Each of us that find Jesus are that one lost sheep. I believe that God wants us to understand the meaning of His word, and that takes study. Study feeds our hunger.
But what about all those we know who do not search? Are they to remain lost? They could. I know of a man who was a good man. He was loved by many people. He would give people the shirt off his back if he felt they needed it. But he did not follow Jesus. His aunt prayed for him every day. She loved her nephew and knew that this good man could become a powerful witness to people if only he found Jesus. She died, and I have no doubt that she still prayed for him in heaven. A minister came to just talk with him and continued to talk to him as one good person to another good person. This man began to search, and when he began to search, Jesus came and found him. All that goodness that was who he was became even more for now he was doing these things for the Lord. He blessed many people with his life. I have no doubt that his aunt’s faithful prayers for him is the reason that he found his way to stand before Jesus and say forgive me for I have sinned.
He was rich in friends, and other things, but he was poor in spirit. It was when he began to search that he found the Lord, and the kingdom of heaven was his.
We can pray for people we love that they might realize that they are poor in spirit and will search to find that poverty to be filled. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He will fill their lives in ways they cannot imagine.
Today’s Question:
Do you know someone that you should commit yourself to pray for them to search for God?
Ever in God’s Love,
Mary Elizabeth Todd
November 12, 2024
Ruhamah United Methodist Church Bible Verses 