OUR BE-ATTITUDE

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 27 October 2012

Hi all,

Today’s meditation is on the beatitudes. Matt 5:3-12. I’d love to have seen the expression on the faces of the apostles and the crowd as Jesus launched into what we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount. If people thought the Law of Moses was “tough” these went to the next level! In brief we could say the Law of Moses focused on things people did. Now Jesus implies that to think about these things is to do them. “Take a fancy for the neighbour’s wife and you’re an adulterer”. It’s a brand new level of impossibility! Don’t believe me? Try it and see!

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 27 October 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	OUR BE-ATTITUDE
It was inevitable that Jesus Christ would draw the crowds. He had received a revelation from His Father that He is the Son of God. He was either crazy, a liar, or it was true. Take your pick. I made my decision sometime in the early 1950’s. For me, it is, was, and always will be the truth. In the early days of His ministry, He was followed by the crowds to the point where He often had to hide away. How do you hide when you have the reputation as the greatest walking miracle worker ever seen? If you can do so, please tell me! Matthew 5 advises us that on one occasion, He was on a mountain-side talking with His disciples. As He did so, a great crowd gathered round Him. Then He began to speak. What the crowd was about to hear, is the greatest and most remarkable “sermon” ever given. 2000 years later, it remains unsurpassed as the simplest and most beautiful lesson on the Kingdom of God that any person before or since has ever delivered. No man or woman other than Jesus Christ Himself has ever lived up to the impossible requirements of this sermon. Indeed, it is only “Him-possible” in and through His life in us. He set the ball rolling with the beatitudes. If you boil them all down you find that there are eight of them. They might possibly be considered as the eight gold medals of our “Olympic Games” of life. Individually, it may be possible for us to achieve one or two of them. Even a dedicated and committed Christian might succeed and put four or five of them into practice in daily life. Most Christians look at them, shake their head and say, “Don’t bother; they are beyond the likes of you and me.” I’ve heard it suggested that there are 8 because if we only succeed with one per day, a week will not be long enough for any of us. What we have to remember is that Jesus was not speaking about what you and I can achieve. Forget that. It’s a pipedream. But when we live in Him, as we are meant to, we find that they produce the most wonderful lifestyle possible. One day, Christians will realise that none of us can live the Christian life. We aren’t supposed to do it anyway. The beatitudes should force us onto our knees to cry out to God for help. We can’t do it. If we could, we would have no need for Him. We could say that these beatitudes are God saying, “This is how I live. Match it if you can!” It’s a bit like the Old Testament Law. It was impossible for the Jews to keep. The beatitudes are a type of Christian equivalent. “Here is My lifestyle” says Jesus. Come to Me. Make Me your Lord and we will do it together.” This makes me tremble. Please Lord; empower me to live like that! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed." Numbers 22:6 TNIV 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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. 7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:3-12 ESV 27 As He was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, "God bless Your mother--the womb from which You came, and the breasts that nursed You!" 28 Jesus replied, "But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice." Luke 11:27-28 NLT 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Revelation 22:14 NLT	We call them the beatitudes; the attitude to be,                       When thinking of the Scripture; what it means for you and me! We wish that we could find them, but they are very rare, Very few are manifest of which we are aware. Tell me where they’re hiding; they’re difficult to spot. Life is very stressful, so most we haven’t got!                              Matt 5 We aren’t poor in spirit if we are filled with pride.                                                 3 Which means that from God’s Kingdom we run away and hide Mourners will be comforted; that’s wonderful to know.                                4 But mourning doesn’t happen, when we’re always on the go. Meekness is a quality we seldom understand.                                         5 If we lose our temper, we’ll also lose the land. Hungering and thirsting, in a quest for righteousness!                                    6 If we’d only do it, we won’t get in a mess. But if we’re committed, to putting Jesus first, We will never hunger and we will never thirst. When we’re being merciful, we will not bear a grudge.                                  7 Or take a position, from which we will not budge Jesus brought forgiveness and set the sinner free. Having a pure heart is an impossibility,                                                                        8 For normal sinful people; the likes of me and you. And though this sounds so logical it really isn’t true! By the blood of Jesus, our hearts have been made pure! We shall see the Master; that’s absolutely sure. Are you a peacemaker? Is Christ your source of peace?                            9 Take Him to your neighbours; and help them find release, From their dreadful bondages, when He becomes their Lord. We will all be sons of God when Jesus is adored! Are you persecuted? Called a “righteous freak”?                                          10 Do you hear the comment, “Don’t listen to him speak. He is just a hypocrite! So do not you waste your time. He has no authority from Jesus Christ Divine! Righteousness and heaven; what can he know of that?                                11 Tell him that it sounds as if he’s talking through his hat.” When they make such comments is when you should rejoice.                      12 Shout out “Hallelujah” in your very loudest voice. Jesus Christ has promised a reward for you on high. Everlasting glory with His prophets in the sky. Jim Strickland  Written 27 October 2012