I sincerely hope your week as been a blessed one! Let me ask you a question. To you personally, what is the most transformative and profound passage of scripture? If were to ask everyone at church, we would all have different responses because our life experiences have been different. The other day I found myself in the midst of one of the most profound and transformative passages in all of Scripture - the Beatitudes - found in Matthew 5. These statements spoken by Jesus Christ offer a unique glimpse into His heart and mind, revealing a path to true happiness and fulfillment that runs counter to the world's understanding.
If you don’t know them from the top of your head, allow me to summarise them for you in a more modern way…
- You’re blessed when you hit rock bottom: Because then you can rely on God to go to work for you.
- You’re blessed when you mourn: That means you feel compassion and empathy for others. You begin to understand that we are all one.
- You’re blessed when you are humble and authentic: That is worth way more than fleeting power and material possessions.
- You’re blessed when you hunger and thirst after spiritual things instead of worldly things: You will feel full instead of empty.
- You’re blessed when you express kindness: You will receive kindness in return.
- You’re blessed when you allow God’s presence and goodness to fill your mind, heart and soul: Then you will see God in the outside world.
- You are blessed if you live in peace and create peace: Then you will understand what it means to be a child of God. You are fulfilling God’s dream for us to have inner peace.
- You’re blessed when people make fun of you or ridicule you for my sake: That means you struck a nerve. Well done! Many of my followers have experienced this. You are in good company.
- You’re blessed if you are persecuted because of your relationship with God: God knows and sees everything. God will reward you for your faithfulness.
The Beatitudes teach us to live out our Christian faith by: recognising our spiritual poverty and dependence on God; embracing suffering with trust in His comfort; cultivating humility and gentle strength; pursuing righteousness; showing mercy to others while seeking God's mercy for ourselves; living a pure and single-minded life focused on God; persevering in faith despite persecution; and responding to opposition with joy and rejoicing in the reward that awaits us in heaven.
I encourage you to make the Word of God personal and ask God to make it transformative!
With love, David Peñate
