This time of the year it seems as if a lot of Christians turn super spiritual or something over the idea of how a Christian should celebrate Christmas. What I mean is you begin to hear how it is so sinful to have parties, have Christmas lights, put up a Christmas tree, believe in Santa Claus, etc. They sight the fact that many of the roots of these Christmas practices stem from the pagan traditions ofChristmas. It seems as if you always have a well-known pastor speak out against the evil of celebrating certain Christmas traditions and you can get into heated arguments with other believers in your life that tell you how sinful some traditional practices are. We hear the words secular more in the month of December than we do the rest of year. People cry, don’t make Christmas secular, don’t say Happy Holidays, don’t bring Santa into it, don’t make it about the presents, it’s become so secular. I wonder why we don’t have this same attitude the rest of the year. 11 months out of the year most of these people speaking out against these evil, sinful and secular Christmas practices fill their lives with all kinds of secular and sinful practices. For example I wonder if being in the practice of watching a show lets says like, Desperate Housewives, a show filled with woman and men having as much sex with anyone they can as much as possible is that practice somehow not evil, sinful and secular as lets say telling your kids there is a Santa Claus. It seems to me as if people think two ways, #1 you can do only what the Bible commands. Or #2 you can do anything but what the Bible forbids. It seems to me that many people choose number 2 for the most part of thier lives and but when they want to make an arguemnt against some Christian freedom such as some of the fun things of Christmas they begin to say you can only do what the Bible commands. So I think if you are against Santa, against gift giving, against the parties, against the secular traditions that have come to be associated with Christmas that is your choice. I also believe that if a Christian wants to practice those things that they can do so without it being sinful and that to argue against it makes Christ look foolish. With all that in mind, the point of this time of year(also the othr 11 months) is for us to point to Jesus. Behind it all is the great celebration of the birth of a baby names Jesus that would grow to become a man and go to the cross and become the Savior of the world. The way we make Christmas sinful is the way we make any aspect of our life sinful, not to make Jesus the center. Some will say how do you have Santa, the presents, the parties, the decorations and still have Jesus center? For me and my family that’s easy we do what we do the 11 other months of the year. Nothing changes except we add the fun, excitement, joy, awe, magical moments that come with this season. Our family has Christ in the center the rest of year so there is not much of anything we change to make him the center of Christmas. If that wasn’t much of a help here are some helpful tips from Mark Driscoll, pastor at Mars Hill Church. These are directed toward dads.
A dad needs …
… a plan for the holidays to ensure his family is loved and memories are made. Dad, what’s your plan?
… to ensure his family is giving generously during the holidays. Dad, who in need is your family going to adopt, bless, and serve?
… to carve out time for sacred events and experiences to build family traditions that are fun and point to Jesus. Dad, is you calendar ready for December?
… to not let the stress of the holidays, including money, cause him to be grumpy with Mom or the kids. Dad, how’s your joy?
… to make memories and not just give gifts. Dad, what special memories can you make this holiday season?
… to manage the extended family and friends during the holidays. Dad, who or what do you need to say “no” to?
… to schedule a big Christmas date with his daughter(s). Dad, what’s your big plan for the fancy Daddy-daughter date?
… to schedule guy time with his son(s). Dad, what are you and your son(s) going to do that is active, outdoors, and fun?
… to help get the house decorated. Dad, are you really a big help to Mom with getting things ready?
… to ensure there are some holiday smells and sounds. Dad, is Christmas music on the iPod, is the tree up, can you smell cookies and cider?
… to snuggle up and watch fun shows with the kids. Dad, is the DVR set to record old classics and holiday shows?
… to connect with Mom during the holidays. Dad, do you have some fun date nights or getaways planned for you and your wife?
… to help Mom get the kids’ rooms decorated. Dad, do they get lights or a small tree in their room?
… to read about Jesus with and pray over his kids. Dad, how’s your pastoral work going with each of your kids?
… to repent of being lazy, selfish, grumpy, or just dumping the holidays on Mom. Dad, are you a servant like Jesus to your family?
Merry Christmas! Hope you have a great season filled with awe, making memories that your children will remember forever, and most of celebrating the birth of a baby that has changed many lives including mine.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Blessed According To Jesus Part 2
1. Blessed are those who forgive and have compassion v7“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Being merciful is being forgiving and showing compassion. It is so important for us to be this way because it is who God is. God is a God of mercy, compassion and forgiveness. Being merciful is being like God. “For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. Deut 4:31. If God is a God of mercy then we should be a people of mercy. It seems that some of the most unforgiving people are those who are in church. It should not be this way. We should forgive much and often. Jesus told us a great parable in Matthew 18:23-35 that speaks to us about being merciful and forgiving. Hopefully we are more like the king than the servant. But I must admit many times I initially react like the servant more than the king. I want people to forgive me without forgiving people. Mercy involves patience. In this parable the king calls for all his debt to be paid to him. This one slave comes and can’t pay his debt and ask for patience. The king was patient. Actually he was more than patient. We need to be a patient with people. We must realize people will fail us and people will hurt us, but we need to have patience with them just as God has patience with us. Mercy involves being compassionate. The king had mercy on this slave. It was patience that prodcued compassion. We need to be compassionate toward people and show them mercy and have pity also. Mercy involves restoration, or forgiveness. The king had pity on this slave and forgave him his debt. That is what God does with us over and over. His forgives us our debt and restores us. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.” 2 Chronicles 30:9. We should also be the same way. Listen if you don’t show mercy, don’t expect any in return. The king forgave this slave all his debt but as soon as he saw a fellow slave that owed him money what did he do, he choked him and demanded his money and when he could not pay he had him put in jail. The king heard about this and brought the slave before him again and basically said since you did not show mercy I will not give you any and he threw him in jail. Jesus then said that God will do this also to any person that does not forgive from the heart.
An unforgiving Christian is an oxymoron. An unforgiving Christians is a illusion, it doesn’t exist. A person who has received the forgiveness that Christ offers on the cross will not habitually be a person who can’t forgive. It is impossible. Who do you need to forgive. What relationship do you need to restore?
2. Blessed are those who care more about the inside rather than the outside v8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Are you a Pharisee or tax collector? Luke 18:10-14 The Pharisee went before God and was bragging about how grateful he was that he wasn’t like the tax collector and then went on to pray to God about all the good stuff he did. The tax collector wouldn’t even approach God and humbly admitted his sinfulness and Jesus said that the tax collector is the one that left justified. Why? Because for the Pharisee it was all about the outside and the tax collector it was about the inside. The pure in heart are those who care more about what God thinks than what people think and they are focused on being clean on the inside more than the outside. The pure in heart are alive to God spiritually. What comes out is an indication of the pureness of your hear. Jesus taught us that in Matthew 15:10, 17-20. Jesus tells us something here about how we can judge the pureness of our heart. And it’s very simple. Whatever came out of your mouth and life indicates what came out of your heart. A spring doesn’t produce salt water. Likewise one who is pure will produce pureness from their heart.
3. You are blessed when you are a fixer instead of a breaker. V9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Is Making peace really a sign of salvation? Jesus said that peacemaker will be called sons of God. Wow. This means if you are into making trouble, stirring up the pot you are the opposite of a son of God. That is scary to me and makes me want to make peace as much as I can. We can’t control anyone and we don’t need to-There is only one condition that needs to be met for you to make peace and that is a willingness on your part. How do you think when it comes to making peace? Do you put conditions on it? I will make peace when this happens or when that happens, when some things get changed around, when the sun stops rising. The bible says 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, llive peaceably with all. Romans 12:18. Quit making a stink and strive for the common good. The message puts verse 9 like this, “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”As Christians we should all be striving to make God glorious. I think sometimes we need to ask two questions when it comes to whether or not to confront and in confronting not making peace. -Does this involve sin? And Am I taking away from another’s person freedom they have in Christ? If the answer to those questions are no and yes then its not time to confront it is at time to be a peacemaker. Clearly one of the things that gets in the way of us making peace and being at peace is that we don’t zip our lips at time when we should.
4. You are blessed when you suffer and are made fun of for doing what is right
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. I encourage you to go to this link http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2010/11/time-for-action-on-behalf-of-the-persecuted-church.htmland read about this man who is suffering for his faith in Christ and then ask if you would be willing to follow Jesus if it meant you would face the same thing’s. Jesus said you are blessed when you suffer for me.
Being merciful is being forgiving and showing compassion. It is so important for us to be this way because it is who God is. God is a God of mercy, compassion and forgiveness. Being merciful is being like God. “For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. Deut 4:31. If God is a God of mercy then we should be a people of mercy. It seems that some of the most unforgiving people are those who are in church. It should not be this way. We should forgive much and often. Jesus told us a great parable in Matthew 18:23-35 that speaks to us about being merciful and forgiving. Hopefully we are more like the king than the servant. But I must admit many times I initially react like the servant more than the king. I want people to forgive me without forgiving people. Mercy involves patience. In this parable the king calls for all his debt to be paid to him. This one slave comes and can’t pay his debt and ask for patience. The king was patient. Actually he was more than patient. We need to be a patient with people. We must realize people will fail us and people will hurt us, but we need to have patience with them just as God has patience with us. Mercy involves being compassionate. The king had mercy on this slave. It was patience that prodcued compassion. We need to be compassionate toward people and show them mercy and have pity also. Mercy involves restoration, or forgiveness. The king had pity on this slave and forgave him his debt. That is what God does with us over and over. His forgives us our debt and restores us. For if you return to the Lord, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.” 2 Chronicles 30:9. We should also be the same way. Listen if you don’t show mercy, don’t expect any in return. The king forgave this slave all his debt but as soon as he saw a fellow slave that owed him money what did he do, he choked him and demanded his money and when he could not pay he had him put in jail. The king heard about this and brought the slave before him again and basically said since you did not show mercy I will not give you any and he threw him in jail. Jesus then said that God will do this also to any person that does not forgive from the heart.
An unforgiving Christian is an oxymoron. An unforgiving Christians is a illusion, it doesn’t exist. A person who has received the forgiveness that Christ offers on the cross will not habitually be a person who can’t forgive. It is impossible. Who do you need to forgive. What relationship do you need to restore?
2. Blessed are those who care more about the inside rather than the outside v8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Are you a Pharisee or tax collector? Luke 18:10-14 The Pharisee went before God and was bragging about how grateful he was that he wasn’t like the tax collector and then went on to pray to God about all the good stuff he did. The tax collector wouldn’t even approach God and humbly admitted his sinfulness and Jesus said that the tax collector is the one that left justified. Why? Because for the Pharisee it was all about the outside and the tax collector it was about the inside. The pure in heart are those who care more about what God thinks than what people think and they are focused on being clean on the inside more than the outside. The pure in heart are alive to God spiritually. What comes out is an indication of the pureness of your hear. Jesus taught us that in Matthew 15:10, 17-20. Jesus tells us something here about how we can judge the pureness of our heart. And it’s very simple. Whatever came out of your mouth and life indicates what came out of your heart. A spring doesn’t produce salt water. Likewise one who is pure will produce pureness from their heart.
3. You are blessed when you are a fixer instead of a breaker. V9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Is Making peace really a sign of salvation? Jesus said that peacemaker will be called sons of God. Wow. This means if you are into making trouble, stirring up the pot you are the opposite of a son of God. That is scary to me and makes me want to make peace as much as I can. We can’t control anyone and we don’t need to-There is only one condition that needs to be met for you to make peace and that is a willingness on your part. How do you think when it comes to making peace? Do you put conditions on it? I will make peace when this happens or when that happens, when some things get changed around, when the sun stops rising. The bible says 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, llive peaceably with all. Romans 12:18. Quit making a stink and strive for the common good. The message puts verse 9 like this, “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.”As Christians we should all be striving to make God glorious. I think sometimes we need to ask two questions when it comes to whether or not to confront and in confronting not making peace. -Does this involve sin? And Am I taking away from another’s person freedom they have in Christ? If the answer to those questions are no and yes then its not time to confront it is at time to be a peacemaker. Clearly one of the things that gets in the way of us making peace and being at peace is that we don’t zip our lips at time when we should.
4. You are blessed when you suffer and are made fun of for doing what is right
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. I encourage you to go to this link http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2010/11/time-for-action-on-behalf-of-the-persecuted-church.htmland read about this man who is suffering for his faith in Christ and then ask if you would be willing to follow Jesus if it meant you would face the same thing’s. Jesus said you are blessed when you suffer for me.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Blessed According To Jesus
Being Blessed According To Jesus Part 1
As thanksgiving approaches I had some question come to mind? What does it mean to be blessed? Who is blessed? When are we blessed? If I had to objectively look at what the bible says about being blessed would it match with what I believe and the way I live? I want you to consider filling in this question: I am most happiest when____________________________ ! Now I wonder if you had a friend or your spouse or parents fill it in for you would your reality and their reality match or even come close? As I was thinking about this Matthew 5 came to mind and when we think of Matthew 5 and the beatitudes we normally don’t think about them in the light of how to be blessed. I think they do and I think Jesus was giving us a clear picture of how and what and when we should think about being blessed!
Some things God pressed in my heart
1. You are blessed when you realize your broken sinful nature
“They are blessed who realize their spiritual poverty, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. V3 NCV. We should consider it a blessing to realize our spiritual brokenness and sinfulness according to Jesus. Part of the why is this: Spiritual poverty leads to spiritual BIRTH. This is why it is a blessing when we realize we are poor spiritually, that we are sinners in need of Jesus. When we do, it makes us run to the cross and we are born again and inherent the kingdom of Heaven.
2. You are blessed when you suffer hardship and loss v4
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” V 4 Msg. Consider it a blessing when you have trials, experience pain and hurt and have death come into your life. These are times in which we are told that we are blessed. Count your trials as a BLESSING-so contrary to the way we live and what we are taught
James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1: 2-3. I am comforted by the fact that Jesus wants me to know it’s a blessing to mourn because I am going to receive comfort. We must realize that the pain, the hurt, the trial, the cancer, the death is not the blessing, but if we mourn as though we are blessed comfort comes. The blessing of mourning is the comfort God gives. As times we act as if God s a genie in a bottle. We are so wishy-washy. God is so good and great and we want Him to be in and apart of our lives when things are going good. For many though the minute things become hard, or the minute a trial begins to brew in our lives we react as if God is a bum, or the cause, or the bad guy and we blame Him. This is why many people do not see mourning as blessings because they are not receiving comfort because they are blaming God instead of relying on Him.
3. Blessed are people who give up control of their lives v5
Jesus said “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” When I first read this I have to admit I had no clue what the word meek meant. Honestly I have not used very much in my life and I have not heard it used it much. So I looked it up in a dictionary (yes they still make those). Meek defined is “humbly patient or docile or overly submissive or compliant.” Now I know why people don’t use the word meek more often. Could it be because it does not describe traits that are very highly esteemed in America? We are told to be anything but meek yet here Jesus tells be meek and you are blessed. Be submissive and you will be blessed. The message puts it this way 5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. Now doesn’t that go against the self help growth in America? How many self-improvement books have you read? Here we see the Word of God says, be content with who you are, no more or no less. The last thing many people need is self improvement, they just need to submit their lives to the authority of God and His word. Meekness helps us receive the promises of God into our lives while here on earth. When we submit ourselves over to God and His will for our lives we begin to practice an aspect of being meek. When we do that we allow God’s plan to unfold into our lives here on earth. When we are living according to Gods plan, there will be no need for self help books in your life. God says, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare2 and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. There is a great promise. God has a plan for you and this plan is for the good. Part of how we get in on God plans is when we are meek toward God. We say God I am going to be content for what you have for my life. Lord I am going to live according to your plans for my life. Lord I am giving you my life take and use it as you want. Lord I am being meek, I am going to submit my life to your authority. Listen when we do this God says we will inherit the earth. I believe this means we will inherit all the promises that God promised to give us while we were here on earth serving Him. If you read your Bible and begin to look at it from the view of seeing what God has promised, you will be amazed. We can get in on those promises when we submit our lives to Him.
4. People who seek righteousness will be blessed v6
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and xthirst yfor righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. God needs now more than ever a generation to rise up and say, “We are hungry and thirsty for what is right. We want to live our life based upon what God tells us to live on.” Being thirsty and hungry for righteousness means that we are going to call sin what it is. It means we are not going to comprise what the bible says about lifestyles. It means we are not going to ignore what the bible says about the fruit Christians should produce in their life as a believer. It means as a believer I am going to make all out war against the things that God despises and hates. When we do this we are promised to be satisfied. We need to remove the log from our eye to receive this blessing. We are really good at seeing our neighbor’s sins. We are really good at knowing what is wrong with our friend’s life and how they are sinning. But for us to receive this blessing we need to be good at seeing our sin so that we thirst and hunger for what is right. Listen this has to be based off what Gods word says. You do not thirst and hunger for righteousness based upon the rights and wrongs you want to make up and believe. People have stopped wanting to live and know what is right according to God and His Word and this is why many people are not satisfied. Here is what Jesus said. Live your life in a way in which you admit and confess your sin, make war against your sin and make it your all consuming desire to live your life according the principles laid out in the Bible and you will be satisfied. Far too many Christians want to have a foot in the world while having a foot in the church. We want to know we are going to Heaven while we live like hell here on earth. It doesn’t work that way. You want the best of both worlds and so you are miserable. You are constantly seeking that next thing or that next person that going to make you fulfilled. The American dream is a lie from satan. Americans mind set of how to be fulfilled, how to be satisfied goes something like this. As soon as I get that newer bigger house my life will be better, as soon as I get that new car I am going to feel great, as soon as a I get that new outfit I will feel good, as soon as I get that new man or woman, as soon as I get divorced and get me a new spouse then l will be satisfied, as soon as I reach retirement life is going to be great, and the list goes on and on. The things of this world will ever do is leave us helpless and hopeless, always seeking the next “thing”. This is why so many Americans need to drink, need to do drugs, need to look at porn, need to go to buffets(guilty but making war), need to have affairs, need prescription drugs, need to be in a relationship even if it is with a dirt bag, etc, etc, etc. The very thing we need is more of the Word. The fact is you and I both could stand a little more of God in our lives. We all could use a little more of living according to what is right. Jesus made is clear for us. Give me all or give me nothing. There is no room in Christian faith for half commitment; there is no room in Christian faith for wanting the world and Jesus. We all need to choose. Do we want the world or do we want Jesus? Jesus said when you get to that point of wanting me and my rightness then you will be satisfied. I don’t know about you but I am choosing satisfaction. I am choosing to go all in for Christ. Join me it’s really not hard. All it involves is giving Him EVERYTHING. All it involves is giving UP everything. All it involves is being in a constant FIGHT with your sin. All it involves is that you daily DIE to yourself and live to Christ. All it involves is total, radical commitment. That is not the picture many people are told when they are asked to become a Christian yet it what Jesus tells us. Will you be blessed according to Jesus?
As thanksgiving approaches I had some question come to mind? What does it mean to be blessed? Who is blessed? When are we blessed? If I had to objectively look at what the bible says about being blessed would it match with what I believe and the way I live? I want you to consider filling in this question: I am most happiest when____________________________ ! Now I wonder if you had a friend or your spouse or parents fill it in for you would your reality and their reality match or even come close? As I was thinking about this Matthew 5 came to mind and when we think of Matthew 5 and the beatitudes we normally don’t think about them in the light of how to be blessed. I think they do and I think Jesus was giving us a clear picture of how and what and when we should think about being blessed!
Some things God pressed in my heart
1. You are blessed when you realize your broken sinful nature
“They are blessed who realize their spiritual poverty, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. V3 NCV. We should consider it a blessing to realize our spiritual brokenness and sinfulness according to Jesus. Part of the why is this: Spiritual poverty leads to spiritual BIRTH. This is why it is a blessing when we realize we are poor spiritually, that we are sinners in need of Jesus. When we do, it makes us run to the cross and we are born again and inherent the kingdom of Heaven.
2. You are blessed when you suffer hardship and loss v4
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” V 4 Msg. Consider it a blessing when you have trials, experience pain and hurt and have death come into your life. These are times in which we are told that we are blessed. Count your trials as a BLESSING-so contrary to the way we live and what we are taught
James says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1: 2-3. I am comforted by the fact that Jesus wants me to know it’s a blessing to mourn because I am going to receive comfort. We must realize that the pain, the hurt, the trial, the cancer, the death is not the blessing, but if we mourn as though we are blessed comfort comes. The blessing of mourning is the comfort God gives. As times we act as if God s a genie in a bottle. We are so wishy-washy. God is so good and great and we want Him to be in and apart of our lives when things are going good. For many though the minute things become hard, or the minute a trial begins to brew in our lives we react as if God is a bum, or the cause, or the bad guy and we blame Him. This is why many people do not see mourning as blessings because they are not receiving comfort because they are blaming God instead of relying on Him.
3. Blessed are people who give up control of their lives v5
Jesus said “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” When I first read this I have to admit I had no clue what the word meek meant. Honestly I have not used very much in my life and I have not heard it used it much. So I looked it up in a dictionary (yes they still make those). Meek defined is “humbly patient or docile or overly submissive or compliant.” Now I know why people don’t use the word meek more often. Could it be because it does not describe traits that are very highly esteemed in America? We are told to be anything but meek yet here Jesus tells be meek and you are blessed. Be submissive and you will be blessed. The message puts it this way 5 “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. Now doesn’t that go against the self help growth in America? How many self-improvement books have you read? Here we see the Word of God says, be content with who you are, no more or no less. The last thing many people need is self improvement, they just need to submit their lives to the authority of God and His word. Meekness helps us receive the promises of God into our lives while here on earth. When we submit ourselves over to God and His will for our lives we begin to practice an aspect of being meek. When we do that we allow God’s plan to unfold into our lives here on earth. When we are living according to Gods plan, there will be no need for self help books in your life. God says, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare2 and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. There is a great promise. God has a plan for you and this plan is for the good. Part of how we get in on God plans is when we are meek toward God. We say God I am going to be content for what you have for my life. Lord I am going to live according to your plans for my life. Lord I am giving you my life take and use it as you want. Lord I am being meek, I am going to submit my life to your authority. Listen when we do this God says we will inherit the earth. I believe this means we will inherit all the promises that God promised to give us while we were here on earth serving Him. If you read your Bible and begin to look at it from the view of seeing what God has promised, you will be amazed. We can get in on those promises when we submit our lives to Him.
4. People who seek righteousness will be blessed v6
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and xthirst yfor righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. God needs now more than ever a generation to rise up and say, “We are hungry and thirsty for what is right. We want to live our life based upon what God tells us to live on.” Being thirsty and hungry for righteousness means that we are going to call sin what it is. It means we are not going to comprise what the bible says about lifestyles. It means we are not going to ignore what the bible says about the fruit Christians should produce in their life as a believer. It means as a believer I am going to make all out war against the things that God despises and hates. When we do this we are promised to be satisfied. We need to remove the log from our eye to receive this blessing. We are really good at seeing our neighbor’s sins. We are really good at knowing what is wrong with our friend’s life and how they are sinning. But for us to receive this blessing we need to be good at seeing our sin so that we thirst and hunger for what is right. Listen this has to be based off what Gods word says. You do not thirst and hunger for righteousness based upon the rights and wrongs you want to make up and believe. People have stopped wanting to live and know what is right according to God and His Word and this is why many people are not satisfied. Here is what Jesus said. Live your life in a way in which you admit and confess your sin, make war against your sin and make it your all consuming desire to live your life according the principles laid out in the Bible and you will be satisfied. Far too many Christians want to have a foot in the world while having a foot in the church. We want to know we are going to Heaven while we live like hell here on earth. It doesn’t work that way. You want the best of both worlds and so you are miserable. You are constantly seeking that next thing or that next person that going to make you fulfilled. The American dream is a lie from satan. Americans mind set of how to be fulfilled, how to be satisfied goes something like this. As soon as I get that newer bigger house my life will be better, as soon as I get that new car I am going to feel great, as soon as a I get that new outfit I will feel good, as soon as I get that new man or woman, as soon as I get divorced and get me a new spouse then l will be satisfied, as soon as I reach retirement life is going to be great, and the list goes on and on. The things of this world will ever do is leave us helpless and hopeless, always seeking the next “thing”. This is why so many Americans need to drink, need to do drugs, need to look at porn, need to go to buffets(guilty but making war), need to have affairs, need prescription drugs, need to be in a relationship even if it is with a dirt bag, etc, etc, etc. The very thing we need is more of the Word. The fact is you and I both could stand a little more of God in our lives. We all could use a little more of living according to what is right. Jesus made is clear for us. Give me all or give me nothing. There is no room in Christian faith for half commitment; there is no room in Christian faith for wanting the world and Jesus. We all need to choose. Do we want the world or do we want Jesus? Jesus said when you get to that point of wanting me and my rightness then you will be satisfied. I don’t know about you but I am choosing satisfaction. I am choosing to go all in for Christ. Join me it’s really not hard. All it involves is giving Him EVERYTHING. All it involves is giving UP everything. All it involves is being in a constant FIGHT with your sin. All it involves is that you daily DIE to yourself and live to Christ. All it involves is total, radical commitment. That is not the picture many people are told when they are asked to become a Christian yet it what Jesus tells us. Will you be blessed according to Jesus?
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