"And when he saw the crowds he went up on a mountain side and sat down and began to teach them." Matthew 5:1
Father, may I see the people you want me to sit down with...those you want to teach through my life hidden "in Christ Jesus."
First, I know I must see the need in their lives to know you. Forgive me for running around working, speaking, teaching for you and not taking time to sit with others in their loneliness or grief or confusion.
When others, whom I care about, don't have time for me I know how it hurts (even though they are working for you.) Maybe you feel the same way about us.
I thank you for the many times you sat alone with me and for always being there when life overwhelms me. thank you for sharing the joy of our relationship over and over again.
Thank you first of all for being my savior...then my teacher. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who takes your teaching and applies them to the circumstances where you place me.
I want to confess wanting to sit alone with you rather than with others. Maybe I should just invite you to express yourself through me as I sit with them. I invite you to love and encourage them through me.
Thank you that through Jesus I am your child; through the Holy Spirit I am lead as a child. Thank you for being my Father. Amen...So be it.
There is a description of clothing store found in Matthew 5:7-12. The name of the clothing store is not Sassy Styles. It is called the Believer’s Beatitudes Boutique or (just for men) Believer’s Bargain Basement.
Let’s just walk into the clothing stores and look first of all at the inner garments in the Believer’s Beatitudes Boutique. Do I need to remind you our goal is to clothe ourselves so we can function as that believer we were created to be?
The first garment is labeled POOR IN SPIRIT. It is to be worn by believers who know they need God and are totally dependent upon Him. When we have this garment on, we never STRUT into God’s presence.
Yet, we are courageous, for courage is fear that has said this one prayer, “I need you, Lord.” All other garments of a believer in Christ Jesus unfold on this first garment of dependency on God. The first word of our first prayer spoken the first moment of every day should be, “I need you, Lord.”
The second garment is ours is the garment worn by those who MOURN for they shall be comforted. I’m not suggesting this garment’s colors should be dark and gray befitting a pity-party. We are experts in planning and throwing this party with our clenched teeth, pathetic looks and sagging shoulders. We do this quite well. Only problem, nobody shows up at our pity-parties.
We should wear a mourning garment because of the way we have treated the Great Designer. This mourning should be because of our sins and wrong doings. Have you noticed how noble we feel when we forgive others their awful mistakes; yet, we become paralyzed with guilt and shame when we realize God has caught us in our worst moment? How hard it is to let us claim and own our mistakes and wear the garment of mourning.
The third garment I want to show you is vital because we make our lives so complicated. Yet, there is another way. It is blessed are the MEEK for they shall inherit the earth. I know you are thinking, “No, thank you.” I will pass on this one. I’m not letting people walk all over me.
Let me explain this by the use of a picture. Will you picture a broken wild stallion, yet it still has all of its power, all its speed and all its strength? These are now simply under control of a higher power. Here we can see a picture of a meek man or woman in Christ Jesus. They have permitted them selves to be under the control of a higher power by saying, “God, I surrender the exercise of my power to force circumstances into compliance with my wishes.” This is not a defeated attitude. It is a TAA-DUMM attitude.
If we clothe ourselves in these inner garments labeled NEED what will be the results? We will look good. But to what audience...to the world? Not necessarily so. We play our lives to the wrong audience, don’t we? We should play our lives to God so as to look good to Him.
I have scriptural basis for what I just shared. This garment is none other than the 4th beatitude. "Blessed are those (men and women in Christ Jesus) who hunger and thurst after righteousness (the right Godly fit) for they shall be filled. (Look good and be of use to God and His service.)"
Quickly, let’s move on to the outer garments our designer made for us. Do you understand why these outer garments don’t fit and don’t feel good on us? Let’s identify them. They are the garments of mercy, purity of heart and peacemaking. These outer garments don’t fit because we haven’t put on the inner garments. We spotlight the outer garment of MERCY.
There is a warning here. If there has been no need of mercy in our lives, then we can’t be merciful or have compassion and love for others. To be honest, we need to put on this garment and boldly walk out there where it is needed in our hurting world filled with people dressed in so many needs.
The next outer garment has the label PURE IN HEART attached to it. The fabric of this garment has all the impurities removed. It is unmixed and undivided. A pure heart is undivided and has the right perspective of things. Is your heart divided? As believers who have great responsibilities, we have a terrible time just living in the moment God has given us.
Is this garment costly? Yes, it will cost you your priceless possession of time spent in God’s word fleshing it out. This time, spent in praying with the focus on God and His Holy Spirit as your prayer partner will be rewarded.
I would have you look closely at the label on this last garment. Some manufactories choose labels closely resemble the real thing. Don’t get mixed up on this label. It should read PEACEMAKER and not Peacelover.
At times I want to wear this counterfeit garment of Peacelover because I don’t like conflict. I get this mindset I can control or manipulate people and situations when I have this peacelover garment on. People may even like me when I wear it.
But being a peacelover does not make me a peacemaker. A peacemaker goes beyond wanting an atmosphere void of conflict. Peacemakers may have to become a bridge. There is a secular song I love that says what I am trying to express. “Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down.”
That means I recognize, first of all, the waters ARE troubled. Then I become involved in a positive way to bring the two sides together. Actually that is what Christ did when he died on the cross. He became the bridge for us to establish a relationship with God.
The final picture we see in our mirror tonight is a picture of a believer, in Christ Jesus, who can rejoice and be glad for great is their reward.
Our reward is an awareness that our lives aren’t set in stone. We like trees, can continue to unfold if we are planted in Christ Jesus.
We are also women who are free to use every color in the box and even color out side the lines at times.
Can you see and feel yourself ripening and coloring as believers in Christ Jesus to the point the only excuse for your life is Jesus Christ?
That, my friend, is the reason for our celebration. This is the why I write to make one great announcement. Every true leader in the early Christian movement penned this statemnet in each New Testament book. Let the celebration begin and end with this banner, “I give you Jesus, the one who clothes us in the garments of the beatitudes.”
She wrote: Good Morning Billie,
Daily Thoughts for Disciples was for me this morning. I know the path is there and have seen it ever so dimly, but right now itis dark. Talk to me about today's devotion. I need to hear your thoughts. I need you to pray for me.
I answered: You wrote, "I am in the dark." that is okay because He is there with you...but you are trying to do something in this darkness He does not ask you to do. Remember He said, "this is the way, walk ye in it." He did not tell you to strut or run or march in it; that is probably why you can't see the light. Neither did he say to stumble, limp of wonder around by yourself. Maybe this is where you are today.
Bro. Oswald reminded us Jesus brings the light by showing His own characteristics through us. May I tell you what He hasshown me of Himself through you? I have seen His love, His goodness, His gentleness, His meekness, His faithfulness as you struggle at times to stay in step with Him.
Don't let Satan take away the assurance of who you are in Christ Jesus. Remember he attacks us at our strong points, never our weakness.
As I try to run that Royal Ribbon through scripture, I looked on tomorrow's reading in "Daily Thoughts for Disciples" by Chamber, and found this statement: "How did Jesus do it? By maintaining the ONE relationship , and it is the one relationship He insists on in His disciples today. This is what He prayed for us in the garden, "Father may they be one even as we re one." John 17:21
The scripture in Eccl. 4:12 has become my anchor..."A three-fold chord is not easily broken(quickly, or snapped)."
I see this three-fold oneness in all I read now. It begins with the three fold of God's reality.. the Father , the Son, the Holy Spirit.
The next three fold chord is to learn to pray with His mind, motives, and His moving us to higher ground. Or our head and heart and where we are headed in oneness with Him.
The first part on that scripture in Eccl. 4 12 may really speak to us today. It says, "By yourself you are unprotected. With afriend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third?" This is from the "Message."
I wrote recently about this verse as He spoke to my head and heart about the three-fold thoughts in this entire verse...The yourself is my face-to face personal, real relationship with Him. The first "friend " mentioned in the verse reminded me of the great old hymn..."What a Friend we have in Jesus." Then the question, "Can you round up another? Seems to me He has rounded up you and me for each other today. Remember this three-fold chord cannot be broken, I have that on good authority...His word.
