Unexpected Message

Matthew 5:4-6
4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

 Jesus continues His discourse on what it means to live in the kingdom of God with more unexpected admonishments. Everything outside of God demands that you take care of yourself first. The wants and needs of the individual take on way more importance in the secular world than they do in the Kingdom of God. For the follower of Christ, the opposite is true. The needs of others outweigh your own desires. Since we are trusting in God to care for us, we are able to reach outward rather than in to the self.

 Each of these phrases can be thought of alone, and certainly are worthy of singular mediation. So that Matthew doesn't take several years to accomplish, we will look at them in small groupings. In verse 4, Jesus says that those who mourn will be comforted. That mourning covers more than being sad over circumstances such as the death of a loved one or illness. This mourning also includes mourning over your own sinfulness. That is indeed worth your emotional energy and hopefully leads to repentance. In our culture, meekness is not considered an admirable trait. But meekness means to live humbly before God and others. This is always attractive. That does not mean you live as a doormat for others. Jesus does not teach us to line up for abuse. But a truly humble person is rare but amazing. 

 Those who hunger for righteousness are truly soft clay in the hands of an almighty God. If your spirit is willing to allow God to work on you, it is much easier than if you go along kicking and screaming. Sometimes, we are so attached to our sin that we refuse to allow our fingers to be pried open so that sin can be released. That means we are truly not interested in righteousness. But those who are willing to be molded by God can experience His work in their lives. The Kingdom of God is designed for those who are malleable in God's hands.

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