Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Oh the Mount that I am trying to stand on!

So in the past two weeks I have been pondering what it looks like to hunger and thirst after righteousness and what it looks like to possess mercy. What I realize is that the only time I grasp any part of the Beatitudes is when I am actually studying them. Then they flit away. Let me tell you the beatitudes I have studied and what I have learned thus far.
Blessed are the 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 shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

How many times have I read those beatitudes and not paid any attention because as simple as they sound, really what the crap do they mean. This is me being real here. I love scriputre and there is so much that we really don't understand.
Ok so I am going to share with you what I know so far about these verses.

Blessed = Approved by God. As we strive in our relationship with Him and with others he is approving of us and he desires to reward us.
Poor in Spirit=Finally realizing that we are sinners and we all have fallen short. When we are broken in Spirit we realize that there is nothing that we can do to make us approved before God outside of Christ. (this is really easy for us Christians to say, but I really don't think we understand this.) We can not gossip, we can have great atttitudes, we can cheat or not cheat, but the only way that we can and will be approved by God is if we accept Jesus Christ as the Savior of our sins....Moving on. So we accept Jesus, we realize we are sinners and then we become broken by them.
Mourn=This really doesn't have to do with death and dying of relatives. I know that this verse is stated at funerals but from what I have been studying I don't think that it relates. To mourn as Christ was talking about here is to mourn for our sin to understand that we are sinners and Jesus is the only fixer of that.
Meek=This is a natural response to our mournfulness. Being meek is being humble and realizing out need for the Lord's power. Being meek is not abusing the power you think you have. It is finally coming to the conclusion that the only effective power in your life comes from the Lord.
Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness=This usually ties in with desiring the Lords power in your life. As I catch glimpses of my meekness (is that a word?) I desire more and more for the Lord to make me righteous. NOT self-righteous but for the Lord to make me right with him. I deisre to be the woman the Lord wants me to be. This is where knowing Him and being in His scripture becomes an addiction for me. I crave it. I crave Him!
Mercy=Still pondering this so work with me here. But mercy is an attitude not necessarily and act. Some CEO of a big business can show mercy on an employee after he has screwed up repeatedly by letting him keep his job. However there is no mercy when he complains about the employee and continues to make him fearful of losing his job. Mercy is realizing where people are in their inadequacies and trying to understand them. The proper way for this boss to show mercy would be to let the employee keep his job and then spend time training and equipping the employee to do his job properly. For me right now showing mercy is understanding people with extreme patience. I don't generally have that much power over anyone in my life so showing mercy is not something that I have to do on a daily basis. However today the Lord showed me that I continually have to show mercy to a person who has hurt me deeply. I have a very hard time forgiving this person and I want to live in my dislike for her. What I learned today that my attitude about her needs to change. I need to remind myself that she behaves and responds based on the hurt that exists in her life. So my mercy for her would be to live my life daily as though I have forgiven her and I no longer operate in the hurt. I don't encounter this person anymore so there is no reason to hold on to hurt other that to dislike her. So unnecessary!!
Well...did any of that make sense. Please comment with questions, things you take issue with things you agree with or things you just don't understand.

2 comments:

  1. I've read this one through a few times, but have not yet commented. I appreciated the depth you're seeking. I like the fact that there is some real insight to be gained from this passage. It seems to me that one can seek the deeper message, but also gain comfort and encouragement from the simpler, more literal interpretation as well. I love that the Word can be peeld like the layers of an onion. There is more life in it than we can completely take in during one lifetime. Your personal application is also appreciated. Thanks for asking "how does this apply" and then sharing it.

    I got the text on Thursday. Thanks. Hope you're having a good weekend.

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  2. I am so glad that you are continuing to learn about these verses in Scripture. You are slowly digesting these verses, which I think is great!

    It's so wonderful to learn new things!

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