Tag: blessed
Blessed in the Kingdom!
Scripture reading for October 7th: Matthew 5-7
Matthew recorded one of the longest discourses of Jesus in the Bible that is known as the “Sermon on the Mount”. The kingdom of heaven was the subject of this great teaching. God was King over the nation of Israel and they were blessed to be His loyal subjects!
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) God’s kingdom people know that they can do nothing on their own. They need God! As a result, God blesses them with the kingdom as a gift!
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:4-5) Kingdom people are meek and mourn over sin. They are humble and recognize their need of God’s mercy. God promises them comfort and a great inheritance!
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:6-8) They hunger and thirst for righteousness and are satisfied by their King, who is their righteousness. They are merciful because they have received mercy. Kingdom kids are pure in heart because they have a new heart given as a gift from their King!
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:9-10) They are peacemakers for they are sons of their Father who gives peace! These kids are blessed when they are persecuted for their righteousness because they have heavenly vision of the glory to come. They have a reward in heaven that no one can steal or destroy. (Matthew 5:7-12) They will see their King’s face one day and bask in His glory!
Kingdom kids are blessed to be the light of the world. They reflect the glory of their King everywhere they go. They are the salt of the earth! (Matthew 5:13-16) They help stop the corruption of sin and bring out God’s saving and preserving message of Gospel hope. They are a people who love God and love their neighbors from their heart! What a blessed life!
Wrestling with God’s will?
Scripture Reading for January 13th: Genesis 32-36
Have you ever felt that God has told you to do something that you knew had the potential for trouble? Our first move away from home to pastor a church in Washington was like that. We were used to being around family and a loving church. We were not sure they would like us. We wrestled about moving our daughter in her senior year of high school. We had told God we would go anywhere, but not necessarily this far!
Jacob faced a similar challenge in his move back from Paddan Aram to his homeland. God commanded him to go back but he was concerned about the brother he had left behind nearly 20 years ago who was plotting to kill him. (Genesis 31:3, 13) Jacob had taken this brother’s birthright and stolen his father’s blessing. He had also just left his father-in-law upset by leaving. Jacob sent his family across the Jabok, a tributary of the Jordan River. He stayed behind to pray.
That night “a man wrestled with him until daybreak”. (Genesis 32:22-31) This “man” touched Jacobs hip socket and put it out of joint. Jacob would not let him go until this “man” blessed him. The man asked Jacob his name–“Jacob” (cheat, supplanter). The man changed Jacob’s name to “Israel” (wrestled with God and men and have overcome.) The nation of Israel was birthed by a man wrestling with God!
Wrestling with God isn’t a bad thing if we are desperate for His blessing! God loves it when we lay hold of Him as our only hope! It’s a sure way to true blessing; but we may walk with a limp! Thankfully, our old ways of cheating, lying and manipulation are left behind. We have a “new Name” written down in Glory and are destined to overcome!
And God said to him, “I am God Almighty, be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and community of nations will come from your body. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” Genesis 36:11-12
A letter to the Saints!
Scripture reading for September 22nd: Ephesians 1:1-23
Paul wrote a wonderful letter to the church at Ephesus that is a legacy to us today. Paul describes who we are in Christ and records some classic prayers that he as a pastor prayed for the church. This book has been an encouragement to Christians of every age and time and speaks to us today from the heart of God! It’s opening address, “To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus”, can be taken personally by those who belong to Christ! A saint is one set apart for God by faith in Jesus Christ.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy ad blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will–to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us in all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:3-8)
As we read Paul’s opening call to these faithful saints to praise God, we are swept into consideration of what God, our Father, has done for us. The magnitude of our blessings–“every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”–is more than we can comprehend! We note that God initiates everything that we receive. He chose us to be in Christ before the foundation of the world. (Romans 5:8) He provided His Son, Jesus Christ, for our redemption through the shedding of His blood that we might receive forgiveness of our sins and adoption as sons. God did it all with a lavish display of His love in Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection!
“And you were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13) It is by faith, through believing in Christ, that we are included in the company of the saints. The Holy Spirit is a gift, marking us as His own! What a revelation of the love of God!
Blessed Kingdom Kids!
Scripture reading for October 5th: Matthew 5-7
Matthew records one of the longest discourses of Jesus in the Bible. It contains a rich wealth of teaching for those who are followers of the great Rabbi and teacher who is the Son of God. Today we will focus on the blessedness of those who embrace the King and His kingdom!
The kingdom of heaven was the subject of this great teaching. God, the Father, was to be King over the nation of Israel and they were to be His loyal children. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) Kingdom kids were not to be proud, boastful or self-sufficient. Their sufficiency came from their Father who gave them a rich inheritance.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) They would be satisfied by their King with a banquet of bread and wine He supplied. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Matthew 5:8) They would have a new heart given as a gift! “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9) Father gives peace that the world can’t understand! Even when persecuted for their righteousness, they have the Father’s wisdom and know that the best is yet to come! They have a reward in heaven that no one can steal or destroy. (Matthew 5:7-12) They will see their King’s face one day and bask in His glory!
Kingdom kids are blessed to be the light of the world. They reflect the glory of their King everywhere they go. They are the salt of the earth! They bring out the “God-flavors” of this world according to the Message Bible! (Matthew 5:13-16) They help stop the corruption of sin and bring out God’s saving message of Gospel hope. They are a people who love God and love their neighbors from their hearts, fulfilling God’s law.
God’s kingdom kids do not worry about tomorrow or fret over provisions. They know how to talk to God in prayer and trust Him for everything. He is their provider and protector! They are blessed with all they need. (Matthew 6:33) They have built their houses on a Rock! Storms may come but they are secure and safe in Him! We are so blessed to be “Kingdom Kids” of our amazing Father in Heaven!
Don’t quarrel on the way!
Scripture reading for January 16th: Genesis 45-47
Families and churches are sometimes prone to conflict! I know because I live in a family, have attended or pastored churches for many years. I have experienced conflict in family and church settings and sometimes been responsible for it myself! Sometimes conflict comes from misunderstanding and poor communication. Other times it comes from jealousy or envy. Sometimes it comes from sin and wrong-doing. Everybody wants to blame somebody else and arguments ensue about who is at fault!
In our reading today, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers after a series of encounters with them. The brothers still had guilt from what they did and when Joseph revealed himself to them, they were astonished, speechless, and terrified! (Genesis 45:1-7) Joseph had to reassure them that it was truly him. He understood their feelings. He had worked through these same kinds of feelings himself over the years. God gave him understanding of the greater purpose that was being worked out. Joseph shared this with his brothers to encourage them. “It was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”
As Joseph sent them away to bring Israel and the rest of the family down to Egypt to preserve them during the next 5 years of famine, he warned them not to quarrel on the way! It doesn’t appear that repentance had yet taken place. Feelings of guilt and shame are no longer able to control us when we truly repent. He forgives and forgets our sins. (Psalm 103:11-12) Blaming others never helps either. We can only take responsibility for our own sins and forgive others of theirs. When we do that, quarreling is greatly reduced and peace in the family results. God is working out his purposes in our families and homes even amidst the conflict and sin so prevalent in our lives. Often it’s hard to see the big picture.
Jesus Christ was sent before us to save us! He saw God’s big picture and died for our sins. If we confess our sins and repent of them, he will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all guilt and shame. He came to bring peace in our own hearts and he blessed peacemakers! (Matthew 5:9) May we be able to heed the ancient warning of Joseph and receive the blessing the Prince of Peace. “Don’t quarrel on the way!” (Genesis 45:24)
The Lake of Fire!
Scripture reading for December 29th: Revelation 20:1-15
Not all are part of the heavenly army of the King of Kings. The first to be dealt with was the dragon, Satan. He was bound by a great chain and thrown into the Abyss to keep him from deceiving the nations. The set time was a thousand years or what we would call a millennium. (Revelation 20:1-3)
Next John witnessed a resurrection of the souls who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus. These souls came to life and were given authority to judge on the earth and reign with Christ for a thousand years. ” (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:5-6) This is the fifth ‘blessed’ statement of Revelation. These martyrs are now rewarded with rulership with Christ on the earth for his thousand-year reign.
The ‘second death’ is a term defined in this chapter for John. At the end of the thousand years, the devil is released for a short time. He goes out and deceives the nations again and the gathers them for battle. Fire comes from heaven and devours those who are deceived and the devil is thrown into the lake of fire along with the beast (anti-Christ) and false prophet. This lake of fire and burning sulfur is the ‘second death’. (Revelation 20:14) This lake of fire has been long prepared for the devil and his angels who rebelled against God.
However, there will be multitudes of people who will also go to this horrible place of burning sulfur. John saw a great white throne and God as judge. Death and Hades were opened and a second resurrection company of those who had died in their sins were brought before the judge. Books were opened that held the record of their evil deeds and sins. Another book, the Book of Life, was examined to find their names. “If anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15) Each person answered personally to God! Is your name in His Book of Life?
A Revelation of Jesus Christ!
Scripture reading for December 9th: Revelation 1:1-20
John was imprisoned on Patmos for preaching the Gospel. Patmos was a rocky island in the Mediterranean Sea that served as a penal colony for Roman prisoners. John was probably in his 80’s or 90’s when he was sent there and maintained a strong personal devotional life and worship time. He serves as an example of a true disciple for every generation and was commanded to write this letter by Christ Himself.
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw–that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it because the time is near.” (Revelation 1:1-3) All who read and heed this letter’s truth will receive a blessing. This blessing is promised to all who by faith will receive it!
“Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the people of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen!” (Revelation 1:7) John was immersed in a vision of the coming of Jesus Christ and wrote urgently to the church concerning the need to be prepared. All the earth would see Jesus Christ but many would mourn because of Him because His return would bring judgment. Those who by faith had taken to heart the words of Jesus would be ready and joyfully meet Him!
“On the Lord’s day, I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” (Revelation 1:9-11) As John worshiped, he heard a voice speaking to him. He then looked and saw Jesus Christ in all His glory. John was so overcome that he fell down as a dead man. Jesus placed his hand on him and encouraged him not to fear, but to write about the past, present and future. This amazing ‘revelation’ of Jesus Christ is what John saw! We are blessed to read it for the time is near!
“To the Saints, faithful in Christ Jesus”
Scripture reading for September 22nd: Ephesians 1:1-23
Paul wrote a wonderful letter to the church at Ephesus that is a legacy to us today. Paul describes who we are in Christ and records some classic prayers that he as a pastor prayed for the church. This book has been an encouragement to Christians of every age and time and speaks to us today from the heart of God! It’s opening address, “To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus”, can be taken personally by those who belong to Christ! A saint is one set apart for God by faith in Jesus Christ.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy ad blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will–to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us in all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:3-8)
As we read Paul’s opening call to these faithful saints to praise God, we are swept into consideration of what God, our Father, has done for us. The magnitude of our blessings–“every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”–is more than we can comprehend! We note that God initiates everything that we receive. He chose us to be in Christ before the foundation of the world. (Romans 5:8) He provided His Son, Jesus Christ, for our redemption through the shedding of His blood that we might receive forgiveness of our sins and adoption as sons. God did it all with a lavish display of His love in Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection!
“And you were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13) It is by faith, through believing in Christ, that we are included in the company of the saints. The Holy Spirit is a gift, marking us as His own! What a revelation of the love of God!
Blessed! Happy! To be Envied
Scripture reading for January 5th: Matthew 5:1-30, Psalm 4, Proverbs 1:22-27
Jesus Christ was at heart a teacher. His teaching was with authority that many religious people of that day lacked because He clearly understood the word of God. (Matthew 7:28-29) His longest recorded teaching is these passages we will read the next few day in Matthew 5-7 called the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus climbed a mountainside or hillside to gather His disciples and teach them. Large crowds gathered to hear Him teach and marveled at what He taught them.
The introduction to this teaching is called the “beatitudes”. These short statements all begin with “blessed” and are a description of the kind of life that belongs to those who choose the kingdom of heaven revealed by Jesus. These verses all contain blessings and promises to those who meet the requirements for the blessings. According to the Amplified Bible, the term “blessed” includes in the meaning happiness and a joy and blessing that is to be envied. To be blessed is to have God’s favor and smile of pleasure. The Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24-27 comes to mind as God’s instruction to Aaron the High Priest for blessing the Israelites. God is the great King of the Kingdom and the King’s smile is a sign of His pleasure and acceptance.
Various attributes and attitudes are considered to be blessed. If you are poor in spirit, meek, or pure in heart God’s blessing is yours. If you are hungry and thirsty for righteousness or actively a peacemaker, God is smiling on you. If you are suffering persecution because of your righteousness, that also merits God’s blessing and favor. Great reward will come to each of these who exhibit these attributes and attitudes. These people will be the salt of the earth and light of the world! (Matthew 5:11-16) They must be careful to keep their salty status and let their lights shine to bring praise to God the Father in heaven!
True blessedness and joy comes from being what God created you to be. These attributes are formed in those who humbly follow Jesus and ask to be filled with His Spirit. Jesus perfectly exhibited these attributes and will form them in us as we submit to His word! Let your light shine and flavor the world with real saltiness! All glory goes to God!
Don’t Worry, Seek the Kingdom!
Scripture reading for October 7th: Matthew 5-7
There is a war going on in the hearts of men everywhere. It is a battle for man’s affection and attention. On one hand, we have “money” and its fatal attraction. Money cries out for men to seek her and when they do, they end up serving her in slavery. Money is visible, has influence, and is out to steal our heart. Money promises happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment, but rarely can deliver. It can be easily lost or stolen by others. On the other hand, God seeks the hearts of men everywhere. He wants none to be lost, but all to come and love Him. God promises to provide everything we need and more if we will love and serve Him.
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) Jesus taught his disciples about this war for affection. He warned them that it was impossible to serve both masters. It has been said that “money” makes a good servant, but a cruel master! When we love money, it is a one way relationship. The Bible states that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. (1st Timothy 6:10) God is the only true Master and Lord. We can truly love God and receive love from Him. His love always does what is best for us.
Many in America today are trying to do what God said was impossible; they are serving money during the week and then trying to serve God on Sunday’s. In the end, the lover that gets the least time becomes hated! What is God’s advice to those who struggle with this war and worry about getting ahead and meeting daily needs? “So do not worry, saying,’What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33) By putting God and His Kingdom first, all our physical needs will be provided. God is the true Lover and Master! Cast all your cares on Him and give up courting “money”!