Am I blessed like this?

Am I blessed like this?

 

“Blessed are …” (Matthew 5:3-11).

 

When we first read the statements of Jesus, they seem wonderfully simple and unstartling, and they sink unnoticed into our subconscious minds. For instance, the Beatitudes initially seem to be merely soothing and beautiful precepts for overly spiritual and seemingly useless people, but of very little practical use in the rigid, fast-paced workdays of the world in which we live. We soon find, however, that the Beatitudes contain the “dynamite” of the Holy Spirit. And they “explode” when the circumstances of our lives cause them to do so. When the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance one of the Beatitudes, we say, “What a startling statement that is!” Then we must decide whether or not we will accept the tremendous spiritual upheaval that will be produced in our circumstances if we obey His words. That is the way the Spirit of God works. We do not need to be born again to apply the Sermon on the Mount literally. The literal interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount is as easy as child’s play. But the interpretation by the Spirit of God as He applies our Lord’s statements to our circumstances is the strict and difficult work of a saint.

 

             The teachings of Jesus are all out of proportion when compared to our natural way of looking at things, and they come to us initially with astonishing discomfort. We gradually have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules and regulations-it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us.

 

 

 

Oswald Chambers

 

 

 

3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope.

 

With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

 

 4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you.

 

Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

 

 5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less.

 

That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

 

 6"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God.

 

He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

 

 7"You're blessed when you care.

 

At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

 

 8"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right.

 

Then you can see God in the outside world.

 

9"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight.

 

 That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

 

 10"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.

 

The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.