The Be-Attitudes, Who Needs Them?
Jesus Christ came so that we could have life more abundantly. What is impossible in this world is possible with God. God’s spirit overcomes the limitations of the natural world. God’s power is super-natural.
When we were born again of God’s spirit, we had a change of ownership. When we confessed Jesus is Lord, we were no longer lord over our own lives. Upon salvation, We were given God’s gift of Holy Spirit. By God’s grace we were blessed with newness of the spirit of life in Christ.
God’s blessed attitudes are contrary to the world’s attitudes. The beatitudes are upside down from worldly attitudes. The world from God’s heavenly perspective is flipped on its head. The world does not consider the Beatitudes of Jesus Christ characteristics of a successful life.
The world despises poverty of spirit, meekness, mournfulness, hunger and thirst for righteousness, purity of heart , mercifulness, peacefulness, and persecution for Christ’s sake. However, from God’s perspective, Each of these be-attitudes is a beautiful attitude..
Many of the world’s problems are rooted in pride. A prideful heart cannot perceive God’s beautiful attitudes. Receiving God’s promises are on his terms, not the world’s terms. To receive the beatitudes starts with acknowledging that we are poor in spirit… When we with meekness realize that God knows more than we do, he allows us to approach His throne of grace with a spirit of humility.
God loved us before we could love him in return…. For in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. God gave us his grace, not because we were deserving or righteous… not because we were worthy of His love. God loved us, forgave us, and made us righteous because grace and unconditional love is God’s nature, not ours.
Jesus said, whosoever will may come. However, Matthew 13:15 says, (NIV). “For this peoples’ heart has become calloused (hard-hearted); they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”
Those who refuse God’s gracious gift have deliberately shut their ears, closed their eyes, and heartened their hearts. They have decided that they do not need God’s salvation… 2 Corinthians says, the god of this world has blinded their eyes, lest the glorious light of the gospel of truth should shine unto them.
Those whom God has chosen, choose to turn from their pride, forsaking their own self-righteousness, to receive God’s gracious gift of salvation. With a heart of humility, they realize that they cannot make it on their own. That In their own fallen flesh dwelleth no good thing.
Despite the darkness of this world and our fallen nature we inherited from Adam’s original sin, 1 John 5:4-5 says, For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?…..
To embrace the beatitudes is to allow God to transform us from within…. To give us a new-attitude. Living according to Christ’s beatitudes means that we share the gospel…. His good news of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
The devil tries to sell us his empty promise: the world and everything in it. His salesmen sell his bill-of-goods for their own commission, a percentage of the sales price. However the things of this world will come to naught…. You can’t take it with you.
As son’s of God, we are dedicated to His Mission before commission… he has given us his spirit…. The spirit of God in Christ in us the hope of glory. Our mission and our co-mission is to to give away…. For it is more blessed to give than to receive.
According to 2 Corinthians 5:19-20, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him….”
…. That together we may live in the beauty of Jesus’ beautiful attitudes…. to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael
