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Sunday, March 01, 2009
Sad Aboout Sin
When Jesus says blessed are the poor in spirit who mourn… what he is literally saying is this…
Blessed are the people who feel keenly their inadequacies and their guilt and their failures and their helplessness and their unworthiness and their emptiness. Blessed are they who don't try to hide these things under a cloak of self-sufficiency, but who are honest about them and grieved and driven to the grace of God.
The big question is… do we mourn over our sin?
The Apostle Paul gives us some insight into this issue of sorrow over sin. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, we find an excellent description of the difference between Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
Do you see what Paul is saying? Godly sorrow leads to repentance. The realisation that our sin is offensive to God, unacceptable in his sight, causes the sinner to be remorseful and humble before God. Worldly sorrow on the other hand, brings death. What Paul means by that is this… Instead of a God-centred sorrow over the wickedness of sin, worldly sorrow is a self-centred sorrow over the painful consequences of sin.
Its like when your one of your children bursts into tears after being found out for doing something wrong… excepting that they are not crying because they realise the error of their ways… they are crying because they know they are about to be punished.
So again, I come back to the question… Do you mourn over your sin? Are you filled with sorrow because you realise that the way you are living your life does not bring glory to God? Hear the words of Jesus…
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
meekness is a beautiful thing
Do you recall the definition of the word blessed? The word blessed literally means fully satisfied. In the New testament, this phrase is used to describe the joy that comes from salvation. The implication is that true satisfaction only comes as a result of salvation through Jesus Christ. In other words, one is only fully satisfied, in the deepest corners of the heart, when Jesus Christ is reigning as Lord in ones life.
Who is blessed? The poor in spirit… those who recognize that in and of themselves, they are totally helpless spiritually and are totally dependant on God’s saving grace.
Who is blessed? Those who mourn… the ones who are grieved over their sin and who find comfort only in the saving grace of God.
Who is blessed? The meek… those who trust God and commit all their ways to Him, waiting patiently before God, not fretting at the wickedness they see around them.
Why are they blessed? Because they will inherit the earth… the new earth… the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Did you know that the Bible describes meekness as a beautiful thing.
1 Peter 3:3-5 gives us a wonderful insight into the beauty of meekness. Although this passage is specifically addressed to women… notice the wider implication. By the way, the Greek word translated as gentle in this passage is the same word translated as meek in Matthew 5...
3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. NIV
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
Monday, March 23, 2009
Spiritual Craving
There is an interesting verse in Ecclesiastes 3:11 which talks about mankind’s longing for spiritual things…
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Have you ever stopped to consider the reality of that truth… that God has put eternity in our hearts and that we have an indescribable longing. It is a desire that we try to satisfy with all manner of things.
Some travel endlessly trying to find the perfect place… Some people study all their life in pursuit of more knowledge… Some people go from one relationship to another looking for satisfaction… Others try to fulfill this inner desire with things like drugs, material possessions, power, position.
But it doesn’t matter what we do… or what lengths we go to… the longing remains.
C.S. Lewis once said…
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
The great tragedy for many people, is that even though it is the Spirit of God calling them to himself, they continue to turn away again and again, choosing instead to satisfy their longing with anything and everything.
As children of God, we accept God’s claim upon our lives and in return, He gives us his Holy Spirit, who works in our lives to bring about a miraculous regeneration of our heart, soul and mind. Yet Jesus clearly states that righteousness is something that we ought to long for… blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…
Have you ever been so hungry that it almost drove you to distraction? The word for hunger in verse 6 literally means to be famished… and it has the idea of craving for food. Those of you with babies… or teenage boys for that matter… will know what this is like. A baby wakes up hungry and craves for food. If you don’t feed that baby soon… you’ll certainly hear about it!
Have you ever been thirsty… I mean really thirsty? So thirsty that your tongue begins to swell and your throat burns and your head pounds. The need for water… or the lack of it… can drive you to insanity. Thats why Jesus says...
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.