ST. MATTHEW 5:1-3
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2007
THE BEATITUDES - PART 1
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain,
and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His
mouth and taught them, saying: 3 " Blessed are the poor in
spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ST. MATTHEW 5:1-3 (NKJV)
This begins a series of Devotions on the Beatitudes as recorded by St.
Matthew. It is my hope that these familiar words can find a renewed
place in your faith and in your heart.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit" are the keywords to understand.
Unfortunately, many people read "Blessed are the poor" and stop. When
this happens the meaning is lost and the discussion turns to why the
rich cannot receive the kingdom of heaven.
There is a major difference between "poor" and "poor in spirit." If you
are "poor in spirit" you can be rich or poor or anywhere in between. You
can be famous or known only to those around you.
To be "poor in spirit" you must be humble and be dependent upon God to
fulfill your every need such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. But even
more than that, you recognize your sinfulness and know that only in
Jesus can those sins be lifted from you. In the eyes of the world and
those who do not know Jesus as their Savior, if you are "poor in
spirit," you are among the poorest of the poor. In the eyes of Jesus,
you are the richest of the rich because God has granted you the Blessing
that no money can buy, for yours is the kingdom of heaven.
We are Blessed because we know that we are dependent on God to supply
our every need and that the greatest Blessing of all is ours: to know
that we will be received into the Everlasting Joys of Eternity.
WE PRAY THROUGH A HYMN:
I知 but a stranger here, Heav地 is my home;
Earth is a desert drear, Heav地 is my home.
Danger and sorrow stand round me on every hand;
Heav地 is my fatherland, Heav地 is my home.
What though the tempest rage, Heav地 is my home;
Short is my pilgrimage, Heav地 is my home;
Time痴 cold and wild wintry blast soon shall be over past;
I shall reach home at last, Heav地 is my home.
There at my Savior痴 side Heav地 is my home;
I shall be glorified, Heav地 is my home.
There are the good and blest, those I loved most and best;
There, too, I soon shall rest, Heav地 is my home.
Therefore I murmur not, Heav地 is my home;
Whate弾r my earthly lot, Heav地 is my home;
And I shall surely stand there at my Lord痴 right hand.
Heav地 is my fatherland, Heav地 is my home.
I樽 BUT A STRANGER HERE (HEAVEN IS MY HOME) cyberhymnal.org
A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION
Select a canned, frozen or packaged item that you buy at the grocery
store. Look at the listing of everything that is an ingredient.
Determine where each ingredient originated. Be sure to let children and
others understand that we are dependent upon God to provide all the
ingredients so that a person could produce the product.