There are times when my pastor will say something off-hand during a message that will be just what God wants me to hear at that moment. It might not be something in his sermon notes or something he had planned to say, but rather it is a spur-of-the-moment thought that he quickly delivers before moving on to his next point. He was preaching recently about Peter and his betrayal of Jesus and compared it to our fighting the good fight. Somewhere in the middle of these great points, he casually mentioned the Beatitudes. This registered as the “Be” Attitudes for me and spurred a study of Matthew 5.
Merriam-Webster defines beatitude as “a state of utmost bliss.” As I pondered the famous verses often labeled as the Beatitudes, I realized that each one can be used as a guide for our attitudes.
Prompting this attitude adjustment, I first was struck by the audience in Matthew 5. All my life I have considered the Sermon on the Mount to be a message that was delivered to the multitudes. This time, when reading this passage and looking in Matthew 4 for a reference point, I realized that the message was actually delivered to the disciples alone! Matthew 5:1-2 states, And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Now I can picture this to be a management staff meeting rather than a marketing message! With that in mind, the Beatitudes take on a whole new meaning for me.
Matthew 5:3 says, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven. As disciples, we will face times of poor spirits. There will come a day or a situation that causes us to be downtrodden and feel beaten. Our usual, happy spirits may be tucked away and buried under stress or daily pressures. Jesus told His disciples (and thus me) not to focus on the situations that cause our spirits to be down but rather to focus on Whose we are! The kingdom of Heaven is ours because we are children of the King! In spite of what we face today that may dampen our spirits, we must focus on our status as God’s children in order to be grateful!
Matthew 5:4 says, Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. We immediately think of mourning the loss of a loved one. If we live long enough, none of us will be sheltered from this type of mourning. We could be mourning something else, though: the loss of a job, lack of acknowledgement, family or loved ones not doing right, our best friends turning out to be hollow, and the list continues. We are reminded in Philippians 4:4, Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. I am not saying that we should throw confetti when we have lost someone or something precious. I am saying that, while we may be facing a loss, we should be assured.
Matthew 5:5 says, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Merriam-Webster defines meek as “enduring injury with patience and without resentment.” This does not mean we are to be pushovers. It actually reflects a deeper character of endurance. Anyone can fly off the handle and react dramatically to a perceived wrong done to him. It takes a strong character and effort to calmly let the issue pass and even stronger character to do so without resentment! Ouch—that hits home! Jesus tells us that justice will be served. Respond calmly, if at all, to that “snake in the grass” who took credit for all the work. They may be on topside today, but eventually we will …inherit the earth. Just be patient.
Matthew 5:6 says, Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. I do not know what others crave, but there are times when I crave foods that are bad for me. I know they are bad for me, yet I eat my fill. Not long afterward, I find myself hungry again, or worse—miserable from the gluttony. The same can hold true for my pastimes. I can give in to the temporary craving for junk food (FakeBook, Instaregret, etc.) or I can feed myself with more fulfilling efforts (prayer, encouragement, fellowship, etc.). The former activities are forgotten almost as fast as we partake. The latter activities fill us with a lasting sense of accomplishment that will not fade.
At work, there are activities that we can complete because they are fast or easy (such as clearing out junk email). Completing this type of task will provide a temporary sense of accomplishment. I mean, who likes to see 600 emails piled up in a day? If that is all that gets our focus, we will not be successful nor fulfilled in our careers. It is important to find the meaningful work. Do those things that will make a difference. Ask, “Will it matter to someone in five years?” If it will, then that is where our efforts should be invested. Whatever the pursuit, be virtuous.
Matthew 5:7 says, Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. The often-quoted “golden rule” says, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” It is so easy to judge someone based on what is seen, but God wants us to show mercy instead. Why? We, too, will need mercy. This lesson struck me hardest when I went through my divorce. Until that time, I can recall agreeing with people when they stated, “She just didn’t try hard enough,” or “There’s always a way to make it work.” I learned that it does not matter how hard one tries if the other person does not want to try. I learned that the only way to make it work was to let it go. I needed mercy and not judgment. Until we have walked someone’s exact path (and no two ever do), be forgiving.
Matthew 5:8 says, Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. A few years ago, I had the privilege of participating in the dissection of a pig heart. There were two hearts at our table, and it turned out that one was diseased and the other was healthy. The stark contrast was incredible. The function of the heart is to pump blood and oxygen throughout the body. The diseased heart was so clogged that there was little room for blood to flow. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. If we are to keep our hearts pure physically, we need to make sure that our eating habits are not clogging it up and that our stress levels are not causing damage. Obviously, there are spiritual applications to this verse, but the natural application cannot be ignored. The heart is a critical organ, meaning we cannot live without it. God wants us to keep our hearts pure, or clean, so the blood can flow as designed. Whichever perspective (spiritual or physical) we choose to apply to this verse, Jesus clearly wants us to be healthy.
Matthew 5:9 says, Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. When trying to reconcile two opposing parties, how can we bring about peace? We do so by showing credibility and objectivity to both parties. In the workplace, a person who is known to be a gossip or a meddler will find that their efforts to mediate peace between two or more conflicting parties are fruitless. Furthermore, we cannot share the Good News of the Gospel and be taken seriously unless we are living a life that mirrors the grace of God. In a world where good is fighting evil more than ever, we must be credible in all our dealings.
Matthew 5:10-11 says, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. One thing I love about these verses is that Jesus tells us we will be persecuted, hated, and falsely accused, yet He already knows about it! When taking a stand on the right side, we will be attacked; therefore, He once again reminds us to take our focus off the negative (the persecution) and see the positive (Heaven is our end result). In the face of adversity, be calm because God has everything under control!
by Melissa Caperton
