Beattitudes & Woes

[Matthew 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-26]

Verse one of Matthew 5 sets up the scene for probably the greatest mind-boggling speech in history. Jesus saw the crowd, recognized their desire to learn, and more importantly, saw the need to correct. One of the characteristics I love about Jesus is how He was able to see things so very differently from us. He saw the world from God’s perspective. This wasn’t only because He is the Son of God. It was His prayer life that brought Him this viewpoint.

Prayer gave Jesus the assurance that when He was poor in spirit, mourning, hungering/thirsting for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, making peace, and persecuted, He was indeed blessed. It also gave Him the assurance that when anyone else felt any of the above, he too was blessed. Jesus saw trials as testimonies in the making, as a way to bless others and in process be blessed Himself.

Luke shows us the other side of the story. Woes to the “haves” because they will lose what they have. Woe to those who trust in anything besides God(emotions, materialism, popularity), because they will be sorely disappointed. This is certainly not what the world teaches us. Pursuing our own happiness leaves us temporarily on a high, as opposed to the pure, unadulterated joy that comes ONLY from fellowship with the Creator. Prayer helps encourage that fellowship, as does reading the Bible and doing His will daily. Spend time today with God and see things from His vantage point.

God bless,
Alisha