This week Michael writes: Jesus Christ came so that we could have life and that life more abundantly. What is impossible in this world is possible with Almighty God. God’s Spirit overcomes the limitations of the natural world. God’s infinite power is super-natural. When we were born-again of God’s Spirit, we had a change of ownership. When we confessed Jesus is Lord, we were no longer lord over our own lives. Upon salvation, We were given God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and sin reigned no more. By God’s grace we were blessed with newness of the Spirit of life in Christ.
Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 5:3-12, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” These are known as the Beatitudes.
God’s blessed attitudes are contrary to the world’s attitudes. The beatitudes are upside down from secular worldly attitudes. The world from God’s heavenly perspective is flipped on its head. The world does not consider the Beatitudes of Jesus Christ characteristics of a successful life. The world despises poverty of spirit, meekness, mournfulness, hunger and thirst for righteousness, purity of heart , mercifulness, peacefulness, and persecution for Christ’s sake. However, from God’s perspective, each of these be-attitudes is a beautiful attitude of the right-life.
Many of the world’s problems are rooted in pride. A prideful heart cannot perceive God’s beautiful attitudes. Receiving God’s promises are on His terms, not the humanistic world’s terms. To receive the beatitudes starts with acknowledging that we are poor in spirit. When we, with meekness realize that God knows more than we do, the Lord allows us to approach His throne of grace with a spirit of humility. God loved us before we could love Him in return ... For in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. God gave us His grace, not because we were deserving or righteous, and certainly not because we were worthy of His love. God loved us, forgave us of our sins, and made us righteous because grace and unconditional love is God’s nature, not ours.
Let's continue Michael's messages on the Beatitudes in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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