The Persecuted Will Be Rewarded!

Matthew 5:10-12 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:10-12 You’re blessed when you’re commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. Not only that – count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens-give a cheer even!-for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble. - The Message

Luke 6:22-23 Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven.

Rejoice in persecution? Jump for joy? These scriptures don’t sound like a promise, nor do they sound “blissful” (blessed means blissful) – but they are. The truth is we can’t “enjoy” persecution unless we know Christ, are filled with his Spirit and committed to him. When we’re persecuted for righteousness sake we have joined Christ in the battle against Satan. He is with us giving us strength, perseverance and joy!

Persecution and martyrdom is happening to Christians around the world. Barclay writing about the early Christians says that the persecution of Christians occurred because “the difference in their lives was a daily rebuke to many pagans.” He also says, “Persecution only comes to the man whose life is so positive and real in its effectiveness that society regards him as a danger.” A Christian who is willing to compromise, or who is uncommitted, whose faith is shallow won’t be persecuted.

  

Father,

This passage of scripture is difficult. The thought of being persecuted is upsetting. We must lean on You. Help our lives be so true to you that we rejoice in times of trouble. Help us commit our lives totally to you. It would be an honor to be persecuted because of Your righteousness in us, because Christ lives in you and me. Help us depend on You and your Holy Spirit in the midst of trials of any kind. Your joy is our strength!

In Christ, Dottie

Red Words in Scripture

PEACEMAKERS WILL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9 You’re blessed when you can show others how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. The Message

PEACE: HARMONY, AGREEMENT, friendship, unity, order, reconciliation, tranquil, tranquility, calm, irenic

Barclay translates this: ”Blessed are those who produce right relationships in every sphere of life, for they are doing a God-like work.”

I don’t like conflict so I’m pretty good at keeping the peace. But Jesus refers to peace makers – not peace keepers. Peace keepers (myself included) avoid conflict, give in to the status quo rather than speak up when things may need to change. Peace makers must be active in facilitating peace.

Barclay in his book Plain People Look at the Beatitudes suggests we need to make peace with ourselves, with others and with God. A civil war rages inside most of us. For example Paul in Romans 7:19 tells us “The good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not I do.” Our flesh wants to run things. Integration of our two natures and true inner peace only come through surrender to Christ.

Right relationships with others means we let go of all bitterness, forgiving our enemies. Christ enables us to forgive even our worst enemy. Christ enables us to be at peace with others and to share the peace of Christ.

Right relationship with God includes our seeking him daily, surrendering daily, and enjoying his presence rather than avoiding him. The promise is that we will be sons and daughters of God. As we grow we will look more and more like Him! What a promise.

NO GOD, NO PEACE, KNOW GOD, KNOW PEACE

Peace is a theme of Jesus life and ministry. Isaiah predicted he would be the Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:6. Luke tells of angels singing at his birth “On earth, peace, good will to men.” Luke 2:4. He often told sinners to “Go in peace!” Before his crucifixion he said to his disciples: “My peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

His first word to the disciples after his resurrection was Shalom – Peace.

Father,

I’ve been at war with myself in the past but have out grown much of this by learning of You, and dying to self gradually. (I'm still a work in progress, or course.) I’m generally a peacekeeper in all my relationships. Now I’m learning to be a peacemaker. I’m learning to keep the peace without compromising my right to be respected and heard. I’m also actively reaching out to help, cooperate and share your peace with others. Fill me with your peace and guide me in sharing it. Thank you for Your peace in my heart.

Blessings, Dottie

The Red Words in Scripture

THE PURE IN HEART WILL SEE GOD!

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Matthew 5:8 You’re blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. The Message

Matthew 13:16-17 Blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. NASB

Luke 10:23-24 Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things you hear and did not hear them. NASB

What does it mean to have a pure heart? It’s difficult to imagine having a heart without sin, without self-centeredness, without pride. We can’t achieve a pure heart without Christ’s blood covering our sin. As we daily surrender to him we become more like him. We give up our mixed motives and become single minded – surrendered to Christ. We no longer have mixed motives. A pure heart is single minded. A person with a pure heart sees people with both discernment and empathy.

The Psalmist refers to the need for a pure heart. 

“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Psalm 24:3-4 ESV

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10 RSV

Father,

You have been purifying my heart for the last twenty-four years! I thank you and praise you for this. I am far from pure but on my way. Search me, O God, and know my heart, I pray. Your Word promises we will see God! I have seen you in friends and pastors you have sent to teach me and in the many ways you are active in my life. I do know you in part and I know my knowledge of you will continue to grow. How awesome. We will see you face to face in your Kingdom!

Blessings, Dottie

The Red Words in Scripture

 THE MERCIFUL WILL BE SHOWN MERCY.

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:7 You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being care-full, you find yourselves cared for. The Message

What is merciful? It’s not a word we use much today but it occurs many times in the Bible. Lloyd Ogilvie says merciful is his favorite word to describe God’s nature. There are so many synonyms for merciful. They include: compassionate, forgiving, kindly, gentle, gracious, sympathetic, unselfish. These are all aspects of God’s nature. Think about this: God became mercy incarnate to show us his loving heart. Do we get this? Psalm 103 gives quite a description of God’s mercy. Here’s a section of it.

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, all my inmost being praise his holy being, praise the Lord O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103:1-5

Barclay says the practice of mercy unites us with God; the failure of mercy separates us from God. So the ending of this beatitude is both a promise and a warning. Wow!

THE MERCIFUL WILL BE SHOWN MERCY.

Father,

You are a God of mercy. You’re not remote or aloof. You know us, love us and care for us. Your compassion knows no bounds. Your mercy is unending. From the beginning of time we have disobeyed you, ignored you and abandoned you over and over again. Then you came to earth as Mercy Incarnate. You came and lived with us and died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. You showed us the merciful heart of God.

Even so I walked away from you for decades – yet you were merciful and forgiving and welcomed me back. I don’t deserve forgiveness. I don’t deserve your favor. Yet you shower me with it. Your mercy, forgiveness and grace inspire me to be merciful to others. Show me any area where I am not compassionate or forgiving. Help me see others as you do and be merciful.

Blessings, Dottie

THE HUNGRY AND THIRSTY WILL BE SATISFIED

The Red Words in Scripture

I'm continuing my study of the promises of Jesus recorded in Scripture. These will continue every three or four weeks. 

Study notes in a couple of my bibles say that todays promise that the hungry and thirsty will be satisfied is not to be taken literally in a physical sense. There are many Christians today who are poor and lack food or who live in famine starved regions of the world or don’t have adequate water. In fact, Jesus was speaking at a time when food and water were scarce. Starvation and extreme thirst often plagued people then. Those who hungered and thirsted physically did so with desperate need. We are to hunger and thirst for righteousness, for Him, with a similar awareness of our desperate need for Him. When we hunger and thirst passionately we will be satisfied. We are to invite Jesus into every aspect of our lives, feed on him and drink of him. Not only will we be filled to over flowing but we will also have eternal life! Here are the passages about this.

Matt. 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matt. 5:6 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. The Message

Luke 6:21 Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

John 4:13-14 Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

John 6:35 I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6:48-51 I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate manna in the dessert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6:54-58 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that comes down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.

John 7:37 If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.

Jesus certainly said a lot about hungering and thirsting for him. The Psalmist did also: Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water so, I long for you O God. I thirst for God, the living God. NLT

Psalm 63:1 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. NLT

THE HUNGRY AND THIRSTY WILL BE SATISFIED

Father,

Thank you for this promise that if we hunger and thirst for righteousness, for Truth, for You, we will be satisfied. Do I hunger and thirst for you with all my heart? Am I passionately seeking you daily? Forgive me, Lord. Many days I don’t do this. Help me, Lord. Help me consistently and urgently seek you in silence, in prayer and in your Word. I know that you fill all my empty, hungry places inside and you quench my thirst when I turn to you. Increase my desire to feed on you and to drink from your water. I thank you that streams of living water flow from within me when I listen to and obey your Spirit. Help me seek you with a consuming passion. 

Blessings, Dottie

The Meek Will Inherit the Earth!

Matthew 5:5  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5 God blesses those who are gentle and lowly, for the whole earth will belong to them. NLT

I want to be gentle – it sounds so kind and loving. But do I want to be lowly or meek? These qualities are not considered desirable by our culture. Is meek the same as weak? No, it is not. So what is meekness? “Showing mildness or quietness of nature” says my on line dictionary. Here are two quotes from Lloyd Ogilvie who defines meekness in reference to this scripture.

“Gentleness [meekness] is neither recklessness nor cowardice, neither brashness nor lack of boldness. It is the perfectly timed, appropriately expressed, consistently reliable quality of those who do not go off in all directions but are under the guiding control of truth.”

“The inner sign of meekness is profound quietness that waits on God. The outer manifestation is freedom from destructive anger and debilitating wrath.”

Studying this makes me realize there is quiet strength in meekness.

The Meek Will Inherit the Earth!

Father,

Meekness and humility don’t come naturally. Teach me to be gentle and humble. Teach me not to think too highly of myself. I’m a work in progress in all of this. I know when I listen to you I am much more at peace. I pray for “the profound silence that waits on God” and that I will be “under the guiding control of truth.” You are the way, the truth and the life. Those who wait on you will receive the blessings of the kingdom on earth. And we’re ready for that Kingdom to come! We’re your adopted sons and daughters - your heirs. What a promise!

Blessings, Dottie

The Red Words in Scripture

YOUR GRIEF WILL TURN TO JOY!

Matthew 5:4  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4 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. The Message

Luke 6:21 Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

John 16:20 You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve but your grief will turn to joy.

John 16:22 Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice and no one will take away your joy.

YOUR GRIEF WILL TURN TO JOY!

Dear Father,

Thank you, Lord for giving comfort to me in times of grief. It’s hard to believe we’re blessed when we weep! We are so forlorn and lost then. I know tears help us face inner pain – yet I resist the pain of crying. Weeping has helped me resolve hurts from the past - layers and layers of inner hurt. Shedding tears also helps me face my sins and deceit and come to you and repent. Your forgiveness comforts me.

You have been with me as I grieved over many losses especially lost loved ones. Knowing you has changed my grieving. Life makes sense with You. I know my grief will turn to joy! What a promise. I thank you that I have the present experience of living with joy in this world as well as the future promise of living joyfully with you eternally. I thank you for the promise of Your comfort.

Blessings, Dottie

The Promises of Jesus

THE POOR IN SPIRIT ARE PROMISED THE KINGDOM!

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3 God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them. NLT

Matthew 5:3 You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. The Message

Matthew 18:4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 6:20 Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

Luke 6:20 God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is given to you. NLT

THE POOR IN SPIRIT ARE PROMISED THE KINGDOM!

This is Jesus’ first promise in the bible. It’s also the beginning of the Beatitudes from

the gospel of Matthew. The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes and summarizes Jesus’ teachings. All eight beatitudes characterize followers of Christ. The first four are about our relationship with God. The second four are about our relationship with others. We are to display all these qualities and we will as we surrender to Christ. We don’t do it. He does it.

The word blessed means bliss! Blissfulness is a heavenly condition! Some translate it happiness but the root of happiness is hap which means chance or luck. What Jesus promises does not happen by chance but rather by God’s purpose and plan. We often say we’re lucky – we need to realize deep inside that we are blessed. There’s a huge difference.

Father,

Your way of life turns our ideas of happiness (blessedness) upside down. Your Word doesn’t say blessed are the self-confident – so admired by the world. Instead it says blessed are the poor in spirit, the humble, uncertain, weak people; those who recognize their flaws and sins and inability to love as you do. Those who recognize they are lost without you - are promised the kingdom of heaven!  What a gift! Forgive our self-satisfaction. Teach us to humble ourselves before you daily. I thank you that your kingdom, your rule of grace, is available and is promised. Come, Lord Jesus, rule in my life now, right here. You are my Lord and Master. You are my God.

                                                                                                               

Blessings, Dottie

Vocation and the Beatitudes

Webster’s defines vocation as a strong feeling of being destined or called to undertake a specific type of work, especially a sense of being chosen by God. I wrote this adaptation of the beatitudes when I was in my twenties. I discovered it on my computer and thought others would find this of interest.

Blessed is the one who chooses his vocation wisely, for he shall help build the Kingdom of God.

Blessed is the one who chooses his vocation in terms of the needs of the world rather than the money it pays, for he shall find joy in serving.

Blessed is the one who evaluates his abilities and talents before choosing his vocation for he shall be well suited to his job.

Blessed is the one who adequately prepares himself for his life work for he shall do a more competent job.

Blessed is the one whose work is a joy and a delight for he shall be truly happy.

Blessed is the one who, having made a mistake in choosing his life work has the courage to find his vocation for he shall be satisfied.

Blessed is the one who seeks to discover the will of God for his life work, for he shall know the meaning of vocation.

Blessed are you when you carefully and prayerfully evaluate your capacities and interests before choosing your life work; when you diligently and purposefully prepare yourself for your chosen vocation; when you throw yourself unreservedly into your chosen work – to meet the challenges and the needs presented as best you can.

Rejoice and be exceeding glad for your life will be a meaningful adventure.  

Blessings, Dottie

"Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed." Proverbs 16:3