Tonight at The Commons, we were "dragging the hook of the kingdom" through Matthew 5:1-10, more commonly known as The Beatitudes. Corey, who was leading the conversation, did an excellent job of helping us gain a more clear understanding of what each of the statements means,
Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who recognize their own poverty of spirit and need for a Savior
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, they get to live in the present reality and future hope of God's reign.
Blessed are those who mourn, those who grieve over their sin and how it grieves the heart of God
for they will be comforted, they will know that God's grace is deeper than their sin.
Blessed are the meek, those who have a humble disposition before the Lord
for they will inherit the earth, they will be lifted up in due time.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who seek God for relationship's sake rather than their own glory
for they will be filled, they will have as much of Him as they desire.
Blessed are the merciful, those who demonstrate toward others
for the will be shown mercy, they will see understand with greater clarity the mercy they've been shown.
Blessed are the pure in heart, those whose heart intentions and actions are aligned with their desire to please God
for they will see God, they will recognize God at work in and around them and experience an increased intimacy with Him
Blessed are the peacemakers, those who actively strive to convey the message of reconciliation between God and man
for they will be called sons of God, they will be known as God's children carrying out His message.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, those who suffer for choosing to live rightly set apart as unto the Lord
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven, they live - both now and in eternity - under the blessed rule and reign of Christ.
The most profound thing that occurred to me tonight as we looked at this very familiar passage came toward the end of our conversation. I'd been jotting down notes, and all of a sudden, I looked down the list of " "beatitudes" and noticed a pattern. I believe there may very well be a progression as you move through the list.
Those who recognize their poverty of spirit, mourn over their sin, and therefore, adopt a disposition of humility before God. The humbled and aware of their need, they hunger and thirst for right relationship with God. Having been granted the the gift of that righteousness that is not their own but the gift of God, they freely demonstrate mercy toward others in need of the same gift. Their righteousness allows them to approach God with purity of heart and mind and to commit themselves to proclaiming the message of peace with God (reconciliation) for which they are persecuted, yet able to rejoice having inherited an eternal reward.
I don't know if this makes sense to anyone else, but it really resonated with me. As we looked over the list and began discussing which ones we were "good" at or "bad" at, I began to think about my own life and realize that until I truly understood "poor in Spirit" and my need for a Savior, I never stood a chance at understanding or developing anything else on the list. I couldn't mourn over my sin apart from that understanding. I couldn't be humble before the Lord as long as I was still clinging to pride. I couldn't hunger and thirst for Christ's righteousness until I understood that I had none of my own. I couldn't show mercy to others until I understood how much mercy I'd been shown. I couldn't align my heart with my actions in a pure way before the Lord until I understood that obedience was about a desire to please Him not impress Him or others. I couldn't actively proclaim the message of peace until I'd experienced genuine peace with God. And, I'd never rejoice through persecution if I didn't consider the rule and reign of my precious Savior to be the utmost reward.
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