Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them (Matthew 5:1).
Our Father, through the life and teaching of Jesus, You show us the perspective of heaven. In the midst of a shallow, superficial world preoccupied with the external, Jesus revealed the internal qualities esteemed by our wise and compassionate Father in heaven.
O Lord whose ways are so unlike our ways, thank You for Your perfect and extraordinary standards. Thank You for Your promise of blessings and rewards for qualities disparaged by the world, but beautiful in the sight of God.
You have promised the kingdom of heaven to those who are poor in spirit. Oh Father, help us to be poor in spirit, humble and contrite—open to Your leading, submitted to Your will.
You have promised the blessing of comfort to those who mourn—thank You Father of compassion, and the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3). Heal our broken hearts and our wounded spirits; deliver us from the grief and despair that threatens to overwhelm us. We look forward to the day when [‘God] will wipe every tear from [our] eyes." We look forward to Your promise that "there will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
You have promised the blessing of inheritance to the meek—teach us to be meek after the example of Jesus—not in the skewed understanding of the world that scorns meekness as weakness, humility as foolishness.
You have promised the blessing of being filled to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. O teach our soul to hunger after You, to long for You with all our being, to seek You with all heart.
You have promised the blessing of mercy to the merciful—teach us to forgive as we have been forgiven.
You have promised the blessing of seeing God to the pure in heart. Give us clean hands and pure hearts, so that we may ascend the mountain of the Lord and stand in His holy place (Psalm 24:3-4).
You have promised the blessing of being called children of God to the peacemakers. Fill us with the wisdom that comes from heaven [that] is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Help us to be peacemakers who sow in peace [and] reap a harvest of righteousness (James 3:17-18).
You have promised the blessing of the kingdom of heaven to those who are persecuted because of righteousness. Give us courage and resolve, strength and endurance. Teach us to rejoice in the face of insult, persecution, slander and evil.
Teach us the Spirit-directed responses You gave to Stephen, and to Your apostles, being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat (1 Corinthians 4:14 NKJV). Speak Your words of encouragement into our spirit, reminding us that to this [we] were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that [we] should follow His steps...who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously… (1 Peter 2:21, 23).
Lord, we are grateful for this "list" of sound instructions, so radically different from the ways of the world! Help us to practice and teach these commands [so we] will be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19).
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