Published 4/11/19
Read Matthew 5:1-2
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.
Reflect
· Of the Beatitudes Jesus shares, which ones do you want to develop in your life?
· How would you describe Christ's light in your life--a flickering candle, a crackling campfire, or a blazing furnace? What can you do to stoke the fire?
· Of Christ's teachings, which ones are the hardest for you to follow?
More than two-thousand years after Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, His words still echo in our ears with power, and His teachings continue to surpass all human teachings. Here's how Dr. Henrietta C. Mears once described Christ's transformational message:
Many a person who is not a Christian claims that the Sermon on the Mount is his or her religion. How little this person understands the depth of that sermon's meaning! It is important that we don't simply praise what Jesus said as a wonderful theory but that we actually practice it in our own lives. If we let this rule operate in our lives, it will change our personal relations, heal our social wounds and solve every dispute between nations--yes, it will set the whole world in order.[1]
Jesus was a master teacher, and His words were unlike anything the crowds had ever heard. As the masses sat at His feet, they hoped to hear the plans of a political leader. Jesus gave them so much more: Lessons about how God's people are supposed to live--not by laws, but by love. Jesus shared eight Beatitudes, qualities His followers must grow and nurture in their lives.
Pray
Lord, help me identify the barriers I've erected that keep me from loving You with my whole heart. Amen. Ask Jesus to help you trust Him so that you can be freed.
[1] Dr. Henrietta C. Mears, What Jesus Is All About (Ventura, Calif.: Regal, 2004), 43.