Prayer-Soldier Newbie
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 6:24 pm Post subject: Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit |
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Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit
Scripture:
Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, you that have wrought his judgment: seek the just, seek the meek: if by any means you may be hid in the day of the indignation of the Lord.
And I will leave in the midst of you a poor and needy people: and they shall hope in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed, and shall lie down, and there shall be none to make them afraid. (Zephaniah 2:3, 3:12-13)
For see your vocation, brethren, that there are not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble: But the foolish things of the world has God chosen, that he may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world has God chosen, that he may confound the strong. And the base things of the world, and the things that are contemptible, has God chosen, and things that are not, that he might bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his sight. But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption: That, as it is written: He that glories, may glory in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set down, his disciples came unto him. And opening his mouth, he taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for for the sake of justice: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. (Matthew 5:1-12A)
Reflection:
As we wake to approach our day, we find there is much against which we seem to have no power. Decisions are made for us by governments, businesses, pundits, the corrupt, and various figures who claim they have the right to define the morality and values by which we are measured. Though we may see injustice, we feel powerless in setting right that which is wrong. A dark morality of the world is forced upon us by those who claim to see, but they fail to observe their blindness as to what is truly right and just. (John 9:41) Twisted words and lies are used to define us in terms deemed to be unlovable, even though we seek to live by the commandments of the One whose truth is defined by love. We are conditioned by the institutions of the world that if we are to avoid defamation and persecution, we must accept and live by the standards of the political winds.
We might wonder, how is it we seem to be so defenseless? How is it God allows the evil and immorality which surrounds us? We see the strife before us, but we do not see what our hands may do to make a difference. We do not see the value of lifting up our voice. We are tempted to ask, who will be the champion of the defenseless, for we lack confidence that our voice might matter, that our efforts could possibly prevail against the powers of the world, which always appear to be so much stronger than we. What we fail to see is the power which God offers to each of us; the power of mercy, forgiveness, and love. It is by these virtues in which we may take courage in what we do.
We need not see our choices as only those which are offered to us by the world, rather, we should look to what is offered to us by God. Though we may have concern over those who judge us, we should remember the judgment which the world renders will pass away. Our concern, then, must be for the one judge who will determine our eternity. No matter the pain inflicted upon us by the world, it will one day be taken away if we choose to turn it over to the One sent for our salvation.
There are those who seek to set themselves upon pedestals above us. They may profess superiority over us by the power of intellect, the power of worldly treasure, or the power of might. Whatever power they claim within the world can only intimidate us for the moment, but the day will come where the world shall no longer matter. We may take pleasure in our preparations for our days within the world, but our greater concern should be for what will come for the days of our eternity. In this, the power is truly ours, for it is our choice to accept what God desires for us rather than what the world seeks to impose upon us.
Blessed are we that our Lord came to us to reveal a more excellent way, (1 Corinthians 12:31) not only that we may experience a better world, but also that we might find the path to His kingdom. It is not a path which may be found through the riches of the world, rather, it may only be found through the wealth of the heart that is rooted in love. It is through love we find the blessings of humility, civility, and charity. It is through love we find the blessings of mercy, forgiveness, and peace. It is through love by which we may find the path to the holy kingdom of God where love is shared by all; therefore, let us not define our wealth by the ways of the world, but by the ways of the love of the Lord.
Questions for further reflection:
What are the blessings of humility?
How does God use the meek and the lowly?
How may we become clean of heart?
May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier
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