Beatitudes 2 – 25 November 2008

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:7-12 [NIV]

In the second half of the Beatitudes, Jesus focuses on those who are “at the coal face”, working in their ministry for Him.  This seems to be another area where we receive God’s blessing.  For this we need him just as much as the poor do, although it may not be as apparent for those of us living in the comfortable West.

One of my spiritual heroes is John Smith, an Australian biker and Christian speaker.  He is particularly striking in his call to radical application of the Gospel.  Once I heard him say “If you haven’t been violated, had your health broken, lost everything you own, stuck in a wheelchair, you better make friends with someone who has, or you’ll never really see the Kingdom.  The poor see the Kingdom, because they have no other distractions.”

When we think of the poor we normally focus on those struggling financially, but poverty can be social, spiritual, educational, physical as well as many other areas.  Perhaps a better word is “powerless”.  Whichever group of people God calls us to, I’m sure he wants us to be people who make a difference.  I’m afraid all too often I’ve settled for something less, and by doing so I’ve missed out on the wonderful adventure and blessing God has for me.

I think it is also essential we remember God is with us in our ministry. We need Him to be effective, and if we try doing it in our own strength it is a waste of time.