Thursday, August 26, 2004
Daily Devotional
written by Dr. Gary Cox
Christ is in our Midst!
The Beatitudes are in many ways the magnificent introduction to the greatest sermon ever spoken, the Sermon on the Mount. They set the tenor for three entire chapters of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Matt. 5-7). Using His exhortations to “blessedness” as a starting point, Our Lord then goes on to summon his followers to the Christian life.
It is a startling summons. Jesus tells us first of all He comes not to destroy the Old Covenant, but to complete it (Matt. 5: 17-20). He insists that it is not enough simply to fulfill the letter of the Law---not killing, not committing adultery, not stealing---but one must also obey in spirit. It is not enough merely to avoid the overt deed; a Christian must strive to keep his thoughts in check as well, for, we are told as an example, “whoever looks a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5: 28) In every case, Jesus emphasizes over and over again that it is the human heart that must be changed, for even good deeds, like almsgiving, can be spoiled if we do them for the wrong reason (Matt. 6: 1-4).
The centerpiece of the Sermon, according to my Orthodox Study Bible, is Jesus’ discussion of prayer and fasting. Orthodoxy insists that these are the heart of the Christian life, the essential preparation for all the rest. Without prayer, a frequent, even unceasing conversation with God, and fasting---seen not as an effort to gain merit but instead as vital spiritual training (hunger should remind us of our absolute dependence on God, for example; self-denial in small things steels us to deny ourselves sinful temptations)---the rest of the Christian life, already difficult, becomes almost overwhelming.
If all this were not challenging enough, Our Lord presses on, insisting that we trust God completely (Matt. 6: 19-34), and that as we stumble, fall, and get up time after time we absolutely must not judge our brothers (Matt. 7: 1-6).
Jesus concludes with three warnings. First, he insists on the absolute necessity of prayer---we must persevere in our prayer life, no matter how weary we become (Matt. 7: 7-11). Second, he warns against false prophets---any “gospel” that departs from these teachings ought to be suspect. Finally, He reminds that there is a great difference between hearing God’s Word---and keeping It.
If ever there was a program to revolutionize the world---this is it! And yet it doesn’t require us to march, shout, argue or fight---it only requires something infinitely more difficult, and more important, taming our own hearts. Thus the great truthfulness of the modern critique of Christianity (and by extension, us who claim to be Christians): Christianity hasn’t so much failed---as never been tried.
Still, in Our Lord’s commands, we get a sense of what some have become, and of what we are called to be…and can be. Remember my favorite story from the Desert Fathers:
“Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, ‘Abba, as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?’ Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, ‘If you will, you can become all flame.’” (Sayings of the Desert Fathers, 103).
Gary
Feast of the Martyr Adrian and his wife Natalia
written by Dr. Gary Cox
Christ is in our Midst!
The Beatitudes are in many ways the magnificent introduction to the greatest sermon ever spoken, the Sermon on the Mount. They set the tenor for three entire chapters of St. Matthew’s Gospel (Matt. 5-7). Using His exhortations to “blessedness” as a starting point, Our Lord then goes on to summon his followers to the Christian life.
It is a startling summons. Jesus tells us first of all He comes not to destroy the Old Covenant, but to complete it (Matt. 5: 17-20). He insists that it is not enough simply to fulfill the letter of the Law---not killing, not committing adultery, not stealing---but one must also obey in spirit. It is not enough merely to avoid the overt deed; a Christian must strive to keep his thoughts in check as well, for, we are told as an example, “whoever looks a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5: 28) In every case, Jesus emphasizes over and over again that it is the human heart that must be changed, for even good deeds, like almsgiving, can be spoiled if we do them for the wrong reason (Matt. 6: 1-4).
The centerpiece of the Sermon, according to my Orthodox Study Bible, is Jesus’ discussion of prayer and fasting. Orthodoxy insists that these are the heart of the Christian life, the essential preparation for all the rest. Without prayer, a frequent, even unceasing conversation with God, and fasting---seen not as an effort to gain merit but instead as vital spiritual training (hunger should remind us of our absolute dependence on God, for example; self-denial in small things steels us to deny ourselves sinful temptations)---the rest of the Christian life, already difficult, becomes almost overwhelming.
If all this were not challenging enough, Our Lord presses on, insisting that we trust God completely (Matt. 6: 19-34), and that as we stumble, fall, and get up time after time we absolutely must not judge our brothers (Matt. 7: 1-6).
Jesus concludes with three warnings. First, he insists on the absolute necessity of prayer---we must persevere in our prayer life, no matter how weary we become (Matt. 7: 7-11). Second, he warns against false prophets---any “gospel” that departs from these teachings ought to be suspect. Finally, He reminds that there is a great difference between hearing God’s Word---and keeping It.
If ever there was a program to revolutionize the world---this is it! And yet it doesn’t require us to march, shout, argue or fight---it only requires something infinitely more difficult, and more important, taming our own hearts. Thus the great truthfulness of the modern critique of Christianity (and by extension, us who claim to be Christians): Christianity hasn’t so much failed---as never been tried.
Still, in Our Lord’s commands, we get a sense of what some have become, and of what we are called to be…and can be. Remember my favorite story from the Desert Fathers:
“Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, ‘Abba, as far as I can, I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace as far as I can, I purify my thoughts. What else can I do?’ Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands towards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, ‘If you will, you can become all flame.’” (Sayings of the Desert Fathers, 103).
Gary
Feast of the Martyr Adrian and his wife Natalia
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Daily Devotional
Christ be with you!
One day Abba Macarius was on his way back from his cell from the marsh, carrying palm leaves. And look! There was the devil in the road, carrying a sickle and trying to attack him. But he couldn’t and said: I am suffering a great deal of violence from you, O Macarius. I do everything you do for sure. When you fast, I do not eat and when you keep vigil, I do not sleep at all. Yet there is only one thing in which you outdo me. Then Abba Macarius asked: What is it? The devil replied: It is your humility, and because of it I am powerless against you. (Translation by Yushi Nomura from Desert Wisdom: Sayings of the Desert Fathers)
In most translations of Scripture, Matthew 5:3 is written: Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the translation found in the NIV, the New American Standard Bible, the New American Bible, The King James version, the New Jerusalem Bible. Almost all commentators read this passage as saying that the idea of being “poor in spirit” is the idea of humility. That true blessing comes not from a sense of pride, from material wealth, from friends or family or any other worldly thing but from a realization that we are a part of a community; that our needs and our ideas and our actions are part of a larger environment and that they affect this environment in many, many ways.
Pride is the belief that we are more important, smart, wise, beautiful, sacrificial, what-have-you than those around us. It is the belief that our ideas have more value than others, our needs take a higher precedence than those of others, that our experience is more valid or “true” than someone else’s, that our actions are or will be more effective than the actions of those who share in our community. Yet, over and over in the Scripture we are warned that such an attitude is not in line with what God would like for us.
In some of the more modern translations of Matthew 5:3 there is a different take on the passage. The Message reads:
You’re blessed when you are at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule.
And, one of my favorites, from the Contemporary English Translation:
God blesses those who depend only on Him, for they belong in the kingdom of Heaven.
I like this translation because it takes me to the heart of humility. If I have any wisdom, if my ideas are to have any value, if my actions are to truly bring about any good then they must begin in my total dependence on God. If Love is the heart of our faith as Christians, we know what it is only because God showed us through the sending of His Son to take our places on the cross. If I am to show hope to a world full of despair, it is only because of “a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into a heritage that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away.” (I Peter 1:3-4, New Jerusalem Bible) If I can make peace it is only because,
“…He is the peace between us, and has made the two into one entity and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, by destroying in His own person the hostility…His purpose in this was, by restoring peace, to create a single New Man out of the two of them, and through the cross, to reconcile both to God in one Body; in His own person He killed the hostility. He came to bring the good news of peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” (Eph 2:14-17, New Jerusalem Bible)
If I realize that it is through God that I might have all of these things only then can I lay down my pride. If I can, just for one moment, rely on Him and realize that all that I have that is good comes from Him then will I find humility.
Abba Macarius in the story above does not defeat the Adversary with his own strength or his own wisdom. He relies on God to see him through each day. He does what is set before him in humility and is thus invulnerable to the attacks of the devil. Today, as you work in His fields, try not to give Satan an avenue through which to attack you. Set aside your pride and rely on God. Submit yourself to His direction in who you are. Place your needs below His and set aside your wisdom for that which He supplies. Spend time looking to Him and listening for Him today and follow where He leads you.
In Him
Christ be with you!
One day Abba Macarius was on his way back from his cell from the marsh, carrying palm leaves. And look! There was the devil in the road, carrying a sickle and trying to attack him. But he couldn’t and said: I am suffering a great deal of violence from you, O Macarius. I do everything you do for sure. When you fast, I do not eat and when you keep vigil, I do not sleep at all. Yet there is only one thing in which you outdo me. Then Abba Macarius asked: What is it? The devil replied: It is your humility, and because of it I am powerless against you. (Translation by Yushi Nomura from Desert Wisdom: Sayings of the Desert Fathers)
In most translations of Scripture, Matthew 5:3 is written: Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. This is the translation found in the NIV, the New American Standard Bible, the New American Bible, The King James version, the New Jerusalem Bible. Almost all commentators read this passage as saying that the idea of being “poor in spirit” is the idea of humility. That true blessing comes not from a sense of pride, from material wealth, from friends or family or any other worldly thing but from a realization that we are a part of a community; that our needs and our ideas and our actions are part of a larger environment and that they affect this environment in many, many ways.
Pride is the belief that we are more important, smart, wise, beautiful, sacrificial, what-have-you than those around us. It is the belief that our ideas have more value than others, our needs take a higher precedence than those of others, that our experience is more valid or “true” than someone else’s, that our actions are or will be more effective than the actions of those who share in our community. Yet, over and over in the Scripture we are warned that such an attitude is not in line with what God would like for us.
In some of the more modern translations of Matthew 5:3 there is a different take on the passage. The Message reads:
You’re blessed when you are at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule.
And, one of my favorites, from the Contemporary English Translation:
God blesses those who depend only on Him, for they belong in the kingdom of Heaven.
I like this translation because it takes me to the heart of humility. If I have any wisdom, if my ideas are to have any value, if my actions are to truly bring about any good then they must begin in my total dependence on God. If Love is the heart of our faith as Christians, we know what it is only because God showed us through the sending of His Son to take our places on the cross. If I am to show hope to a world full of despair, it is only because of “a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into a heritage that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away.” (I Peter 1:3-4, New Jerusalem Bible) If I can make peace it is only because,
“…He is the peace between us, and has made the two into one entity and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, by destroying in His own person the hostility…His purpose in this was, by restoring peace, to create a single New Man out of the two of them, and through the cross, to reconcile both to God in one Body; in His own person He killed the hostility. He came to bring the good news of peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.” (Eph 2:14-17, New Jerusalem Bible)
If I realize that it is through God that I might have all of these things only then can I lay down my pride. If I can, just for one moment, rely on Him and realize that all that I have that is good comes from Him then will I find humility.
Abba Macarius in the story above does not defeat the Adversary with his own strength or his own wisdom. He relies on God to see him through each day. He does what is set before him in humility and is thus invulnerable to the attacks of the devil. Today, as you work in His fields, try not to give Satan an avenue through which to attack you. Set aside your pride and rely on God. Submit yourself to His direction in who you are. Place your needs below His and set aside your wisdom for that which He supplies. Spend time looking to Him and listening for Him today and follow where He leads you.
In Him
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Daily Devotional
Written by Dr. Gary Cox
Christ is in our Midst!
When I read and meditate on the Beatitudes, one of the first things that strikes me is just how “radical” a religion real Christianity is. I seem to have a difficult enough time with all the “thou shalt not’s,” all the things that I’m not supposed to do: the anger, greed, lust that I am to avoid. Yet as Our Lord makes clear, avoiding sin is but the starting place for the Christian life. If we are truly to follow Him, we must try to live our faith in a way that allows us to grow closer and closer to God. Indeed, the Orthodox Church would say that the entire purpose of the spiritual life is to unite ourselves with God as fully and completely as we can in this life, so that this unity might continue into eternity. Thus the Kingdom of Heaven can truly be experienced within each of us, as Our Lord describes.
Many Orthodox Fathers and saints have, in their commentaries on the Beatitudes, described them as a sort of structured, building block approach to the Christian life. One such commentary, by the 11th century bishop of Ochrid (in modern day Bulgaria) the Blessed Theophylact, explains the Beatitudes as follows (and I paraphrase here).
The “poor in spirit” refers to the virtue of humility. As we’ve noted before and doubtlessly will have occasion to remind again, the Orthodox Fathers see humility as the starting point for all the other virtues. This is the place to start, the Fathers say, in building a Christian life, and the reason Our Lord began His sermon here. If I can cultivate holy humility, it will lead directly toward all the other Beatitudes.
Thus humility begets a true appreciation of ourselves and our offenses. We will mourn, not for the things of this world, but for our own sins, as well as those of our neighbors.
Because we are to be humble and confront our own sinfulness, this ought to beget meekness in our demeanor. Aware of my faults, conscious of the many ways I offend God, how can I claim pride of place? The Bishop maintains that meekness does not mean apathy and a lack of emotions; rather true meekness is the willingness to keep these emotions under control.
Instead, we must avidly seek---“hunger and thirst” after righteousness. That is our calling---actively to seek God in our lives.
If righteousness is our goal, then we will give mercy just as we seek mercy, realizing that it is only through God’s mercy that I might be saved. Christ’s promise “…for they shall obtain mercy” is open-ended, suggesting that the merciful will receive mercy in this life, as well as the next.
To be united with God, we must be pure. Mercy, justice, almsgiving are all important. But our God is Holy, and those who wish to “see God” must likewise practice purity. As Our Lord will later emphasize, this purity is not simply in our actions, but in our thoughts as well.
In a world of war and constant strife inside our communities---one thinks of the cacophony of political advertisements right now---special blessings go to the peacemakers, those who reconcile the angry and even convert the enemies of God.
One sign of “success” may be persecution. For Our Lord suggests that those who practice righteousness will indeed face scorn and perhaps even persecution by the world. Jesus goes on to say that His followers will have “all manner of evil” said against them falsely.
But those who can follow this Way should be “exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”
If ever there was any doubt about how “radical” Christianity actually is, meditation on these positive commands should remove any doubt whatsoever. Any one of these counsels could take me a lifetime to undertake---and our Lord wants us ultimately to follow them all! Still, the Blessed Theophylact offers real hope---since each Beatitude should help foster the next. So just perhaps, if we set out on the Way, saying over and over again, “Lord have mercy!” and “Lord, as You know and as You will, have mercy!” and if we try to cultivate true humility, perhaps the Lord Himself will grow these other graces in our hearts.
“Abba Anthony said, ‘I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over all the world and I said groaning, “What can get through from such snares?” Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Humility.”’”
Feast of the Martyr Eutyches (1st cen.)
Written by Dr. Gary Cox
Christ is in our Midst!
When I read and meditate on the Beatitudes, one of the first things that strikes me is just how “radical” a religion real Christianity is. I seem to have a difficult enough time with all the “thou shalt not’s,” all the things that I’m not supposed to do: the anger, greed, lust that I am to avoid. Yet as Our Lord makes clear, avoiding sin is but the starting place for the Christian life. If we are truly to follow Him, we must try to live our faith in a way that allows us to grow closer and closer to God. Indeed, the Orthodox Church would say that the entire purpose of the spiritual life is to unite ourselves with God as fully and completely as we can in this life, so that this unity might continue into eternity. Thus the Kingdom of Heaven can truly be experienced within each of us, as Our Lord describes.
Many Orthodox Fathers and saints have, in their commentaries on the Beatitudes, described them as a sort of structured, building block approach to the Christian life. One such commentary, by the 11th century bishop of Ochrid (in modern day Bulgaria) the Blessed Theophylact, explains the Beatitudes as follows (and I paraphrase here).
The “poor in spirit” refers to the virtue of humility. As we’ve noted before and doubtlessly will have occasion to remind again, the Orthodox Fathers see humility as the starting point for all the other virtues. This is the place to start, the Fathers say, in building a Christian life, and the reason Our Lord began His sermon here. If I can cultivate holy humility, it will lead directly toward all the other Beatitudes.
Thus humility begets a true appreciation of ourselves and our offenses. We will mourn, not for the things of this world, but for our own sins, as well as those of our neighbors.
Because we are to be humble and confront our own sinfulness, this ought to beget meekness in our demeanor. Aware of my faults, conscious of the many ways I offend God, how can I claim pride of place? The Bishop maintains that meekness does not mean apathy and a lack of emotions; rather true meekness is the willingness to keep these emotions under control.
Instead, we must avidly seek---“hunger and thirst” after righteousness. That is our calling---actively to seek God in our lives.
If righteousness is our goal, then we will give mercy just as we seek mercy, realizing that it is only through God’s mercy that I might be saved. Christ’s promise “…for they shall obtain mercy” is open-ended, suggesting that the merciful will receive mercy in this life, as well as the next.
To be united with God, we must be pure. Mercy, justice, almsgiving are all important. But our God is Holy, and those who wish to “see God” must likewise practice purity. As Our Lord will later emphasize, this purity is not simply in our actions, but in our thoughts as well.
In a world of war and constant strife inside our communities---one thinks of the cacophony of political advertisements right now---special blessings go to the peacemakers, those who reconcile the angry and even convert the enemies of God.
One sign of “success” may be persecution. For Our Lord suggests that those who practice righteousness will indeed face scorn and perhaps even persecution by the world. Jesus goes on to say that His followers will have “all manner of evil” said against them falsely.
But those who can follow this Way should be “exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.”
If ever there was any doubt about how “radical” Christianity actually is, meditation on these positive commands should remove any doubt whatsoever. Any one of these counsels could take me a lifetime to undertake---and our Lord wants us ultimately to follow them all! Still, the Blessed Theophylact offers real hope---since each Beatitude should help foster the next. So just perhaps, if we set out on the Way, saying over and over again, “Lord have mercy!” and “Lord, as You know and as You will, have mercy!” and if we try to cultivate true humility, perhaps the Lord Himself will grow these other graces in our hearts.
“Abba Anthony said, ‘I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over all the world and I said groaning, “What can get through from such snares?” Then I heard a voice saying to me, “Humility.”’”
Feast of the Martyr Eutyches (1st cen.)
Monday, August 23, 2004
Daily Devotional-08/23/2004
To all,
I’d like to take a moment and wish everyone a happy academic new year. We’ve completed a week here at Gordon and I think everyone is beginning to settle in. Over the course of this next semester GCF will be looking at the interactions that Jesus had with a number of individuals around Him as a way of looking at what kind of Savior we serve. One of the definitions of discipleship that I often use is that of growing to be more Christ-like in our character. To do this we must not only look at the theological ideas found in scripture but we must understand how we are to live in relationship to those around us. Everyday we come into contact with people who are both in the body of Christ and outside of it. Whether we are aware of it or not, much of what each group learns about our Lord comes from what we do and how we treat each other and those we encounter. Given this, I think that there are few things that we can study that are more important than how Jesus interacted with the people around Him. He would meet outcasts and religious leaders, the blind and the lame, those in peril and those who came to learn. Whether they were rich or poor, high born or peasant, believing or of little faith; Jesus interacted with each person with a specific set of values and principles that sought to lift all people to His heavenly Father. Therefore, if we wish to be more like Him, this should be our goal also.
Perhaps the clearest teaching of these principles can be found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as recorded on Matthew’s account of the gospel. This set of teachings begins to define what it means to be a follower of Christ. Unlike the Old Testament law however, it does not begin with a list of things one shouldn’t do. Oftentimes our faith is characterized as a set of rules that tell people what they can not do; a religion of the negative. Yet, in the first major set of His teaching recorded in scripture, Jesus begins by telling us what we are to BE.
Blessed are those who are 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 shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.
-Matt 5:3-10
In these verses we get an idea of what we should strive to be: humble and hungry for the righteousness of God, pure and peace-loving, meek and merciful. Jesus tells us that through these things we will come into a relationship with God. This isn’t such a new idea actually. The prophet Micah, seven hundred years earlier, wrote,
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord required of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
Through this week, Dr. Cox and I will seek to suggest ways in which you might wish to view the Beatitudes so that you might put them into practice in your lives. We will offer examples of people who took these revolutionary ideas and changed the world by simply living them. We will ask to take time each day to reflect and meditate on them so as to change who you are and how you see yourself and those around you.
For today, imagine yourself on a hillside. You may have come from a village nearby or you may have traveled some distance to be here. You see others from as far south as Jerusalem and as far east as from across the Jordan River. There are those who used to suffer from seizures, severe pain or lameness that have been healed. You’ve come to see a preacher from a small town near here because He talks about how good the kingdom of heaven is. You’ve followed him up this hillside and when He stopped and turned to face you and sat down to teach His disciples you leaned in to listen and hear His words…”Blessed are…”
In Him,
Chad
To all,
I’d like to take a moment and wish everyone a happy academic new year. We’ve completed a week here at Gordon and I think everyone is beginning to settle in. Over the course of this next semester GCF will be looking at the interactions that Jesus had with a number of individuals around Him as a way of looking at what kind of Savior we serve. One of the definitions of discipleship that I often use is that of growing to be more Christ-like in our character. To do this we must not only look at the theological ideas found in scripture but we must understand how we are to live in relationship to those around us. Everyday we come into contact with people who are both in the body of Christ and outside of it. Whether we are aware of it or not, much of what each group learns about our Lord comes from what we do and how we treat each other and those we encounter. Given this, I think that there are few things that we can study that are more important than how Jesus interacted with the people around Him. He would meet outcasts and religious leaders, the blind and the lame, those in peril and those who came to learn. Whether they were rich or poor, high born or peasant, believing or of little faith; Jesus interacted with each person with a specific set of values and principles that sought to lift all people to His heavenly Father. Therefore, if we wish to be more like Him, this should be our goal also.
Perhaps the clearest teaching of these principles can be found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount as recorded on Matthew’s account of the gospel. This set of teachings begins to define what it means to be a follower of Christ. Unlike the Old Testament law however, it does not begin with a list of things one shouldn’t do. Oftentimes our faith is characterized as a set of rules that tell people what they can not do; a religion of the negative. Yet, in the first major set of His teaching recorded in scripture, Jesus begins by telling us what we are to BE.
Blessed are those who are 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 shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.
-Matt 5:3-10
In these verses we get an idea of what we should strive to be: humble and hungry for the righteousness of God, pure and peace-loving, meek and merciful. Jesus tells us that through these things we will come into a relationship with God. This isn’t such a new idea actually. The prophet Micah, seven hundred years earlier, wrote,
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord required of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
Through this week, Dr. Cox and I will seek to suggest ways in which you might wish to view the Beatitudes so that you might put them into practice in your lives. We will offer examples of people who took these revolutionary ideas and changed the world by simply living them. We will ask to take time each day to reflect and meditate on them so as to change who you are and how you see yourself and those around you.
For today, imagine yourself on a hillside. You may have come from a village nearby or you may have traveled some distance to be here. You see others from as far south as Jerusalem and as far east as from across the Jordan River. There are those who used to suffer from seizures, severe pain or lameness that have been healed. You’ve come to see a preacher from a small town near here because He talks about how good the kingdom of heaven is. You’ve followed him up this hillside and when He stopped and turned to face you and sat down to teach His disciples you leaned in to listen and hear His words…”Blessed are…”
In Him,
Chad
