Discipling the Undisciplined no. 3

“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. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:3-12 NRSV-CI).

Where can I find God? He is with those poor in spirit. He is with those who are mourning. He is with the meek. He is with those that pursue righteousness. He is with the merciful. He is with the pure in heart. He is with the peacemakers. He is with the persecuted. He is with those neglected by the ways of this world, the ones in opposition to the way this world operates. He isn’t found in the arrogant, the powerful, the rich, the unjust, the warmakers, and the praised of this world. His Kingdom is one in opposition to the ways we think things are supposed to work. 

Blessed are those that work to stop injustice and spread the righteousness of His Kingdom. Blessed are those that look after the folks that our world casts aside. Blessed are those that want an end to violence and oppression. Blessed are those that take up the cause of justice. Blessed are those that end up being ridiculed and marginalized for taking up the heart of service at the center of Jesus’s teaching. 

It’s not a blessing for “telling it like it is”. Jesus does not say that the Good News is prosperity and wealth. Jesus does not bless large congregations and extravagant buildings. Jesus does not lay blessings out for bringing on the end times. Jesus does not bless building walls, denying services, or transplanting people. Jesus blesses those among us that are doing the work of His Kingdom or suffering from the results of His Kingdom not being fully embraced. 

When we work on Kingdom things, our perspective changes. That is what repentance is all about. Repenting is changing our perspective from that of the world to that of His Kingdom. And even though we live in the world, to live out His Kingdom here and now. That is the blessing. The blessing is in serving His Kingdom, loving our neighbor, and all this through loving and obeying Him. Too often the Sermon on the Mount is marginalized as impossible and impractical BUT there are plenty of folks past, present, and future that see it as the most practical, most important way to live like Jesus. Is Jesus really who He says He is? Is what He says in this sermon applicable to then and now and forever? How does this sermon change my perspective on how I am living? What repentance do I still need in my life in light of what Jesus teaches? Do I really believe what He says about the Kingdom?  

#DisciplingTheUndisciplined #ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #SeekFirstTheKingdom #ServeOneAnotherInLove #NotMyWayYHWH

Discipling the Undisciplined no. 2

“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. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:3-12 NRSV-CI).

Blessings are ours for being faithful to God. For our faithfulness to His teachings, we get the Kingdom. And we get the Kingdom now, not later. God is giving us the opportunity today to take part in His Kingdom. Not later, not after death, right now is the time for living in the Kingdom. I only need to follow His lead.

There are a lot of folks waiting and praying for things to get better or even those waiting and praying for things to get worse. We don’t have to wait BUT certainly should be praying for the Kingdom right now. To be part of His Kingdom is to be part of His community. Community with Him and with the world. Far too often folks want to separate from the creation, from the world, from other people, BUT God is all about inclusion. He came to earth as Jesus to make sure we were all included in His Kingdom. He could have stayed away. He could have held us at a distance BUT He didn’t. He became one of us after creating us. He showed us the way to live this life through His words and deeds as Jesus. He showed us how to live out His Kingdom. He gave us the example to follow and model.

Rejoice and be glad that God cares enough about each of us to get involved in our lives, our world, and our salvation. We are blessed to have a creator that truly cares and is involved with us. A savior, a king, a father, a friend, a creator, a counselor, and everything . . . That’s my Jesus. How blessed are you? 

#DisciplingTheUndisciplined #ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #SeekFirstTheKingdom #ServeOneAnotherIn Love #NotMyWayYHWH