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Thursday
Reading: John 15 v 1 – 17
Over the course of the next few days I would like to share with you five reasons
why the Beatitudes are important.
The first thing is that living a “beatitudinal” lifestyle leads to blessing. That’s
why every verse begins with that subject in mind. There is not one believer out
there who does not want to enjoy the “blessing of God”. The trouble is our carnal
nature suggests that in order to be blessed of God we need to work harder to be
better Christians. Now, I am into hard work, but I do at the same time believe
that you can have the best intentions in the world and work as hard as you like
to live a Christian lifestyle, but that isn’t a guarantee that you know Christ at all.
The Christian lifestyle has, for some people, an attraction. Who wouldn’t want to
be kind, merciful and peaceful? I think that is an ideal that has been planted in
our psyche from the day that we were born, but hard work does not bring
blessedness. This blessedness comes as a result of our relationship with Jesus
and it is out of the beauty of this relationship that the beatitudes are lived out
and what makes it even more intriguing is that it happens naturally. It is like a
fruit bearing tree; there is nothing more natural then for a tree to bear fruit. So
too with a Christian; as much as a tree will never stress and strain, push and
shove, beat itself up over “fruit-bearing” so too, every believer should
experience the same. The end result of this relationship with Jesus is one that
brings incredible joy and personal satisfaction along with enhanced emotional
wellness (won’t you go back and read the devotion from Monday to reinforce
this truth to yourself). Although the Christian life has many challenges and there
are many choices that need to be made, choices that only you can make, God will
never make these choices on your behalf. When we make the appropriate
choices, the blessing of God becomes as natural as breathing air and bearing
fruit.
Remember too how that this teaching almost appears counter-intuitive. It goes
in the face of worldly teaching which suggests the complete opposite. The world
suggests that you’re blessed when you get; Jesus suggests that you’re blessed
when you give. The world suggests that you are blessed when you are full of
yourself; Jesus suggests you are blessed when you empty yourself. The world