Abiding at the Feet of Jesus | A Look at the BeatitudesSýnishorn

I want to say thank you for investing your time in this devotion. I pray that God has used this to open your heart to deeper revelation and experience in Him. There is a lot to be learned in these lessons, but the principles are lifelong and transformative. The Beatitudes point the way into that intimate place with a pure and holy God. 

Religion keeps you on the outside, but these axioms with which Jesus began His ministry are drawing you into the heart of the Father. Isn’t it amazing when you really look at the heart of the Beatitudes that they are a combination of who you are, what you do, and what happens to you? Taken all together, the Beatitudes encompass the fullness of your life.

At the end of His sermon we read the following: when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. —Matthew 7:28–29 

What was so different about Jesus that astonished the crowds? It was that He had authority that the scribes did not have. The scribes had the authority to copy the written words of the Torah, oral traditions, and other Jewish writings in that day. That seems like authority to me. Why was it different with Jesus? The scribes had the written word and religion. 

Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a key ingredient to authority. When you are abiding in Christ, the Holy Spirit is given to you, and you are empowered to live with authority, power, grace, spiritual gifts, and fruit. Walking through the Beatitudes is a way to tap in to that authority in your personal life. 

The same unspoken question Christ put to them is now put to you. What will your response to His message be? The Word of God is living and active. You can learn the Word, be astonished by the Word, and yet choose not to allow it to change your life. Just hearing is not going to produce lasting fruit in your life. Abiding with Jesus means living a life of faith in obedience to His Word.

You have the choice to either believe or reject God’s Word. If you choose to act on the words of God in faith, it will produce a harvest in your life. If you choose to be a hearer only, you miss the true purpose and blessing, and you will not reap the benefits that come from obeying God’s Word. What type of hearer are you going to be?

When you abide in Christ, you learn to become intimate with Christ, and He guides and directs your steps and satisfies your heart’s desires. Many of the complicated topics are made clear through understanding and spiritual growth as you abide in Christ. In some cases, your questions may not receive an answer this side of heaven—instead they may require you to walk in faith, trusting God to be true to His Word. 

This progression of living in the Beatitudes opens wide the doorway to an intimate abiding relationship with Christ. As we truly embrace each of the Beatitudes, we will unlock the secrets of abiding in the Lord, and we will never be the same. Discipleship is not about arriving, but about abiding in Christ.

God loves you with an everlasting love. He wants to intimately know you, and have you know Him, before He ever wants you to do anything for Him. He wants to be loved by you without condition. All of this only happens in an abiding relationship.

Questions to Journal: 

1. What was different about the way Jesus taught versus the teachings of the Pharisees and scribes? How can a follower of Jesus also have spiritual authority?

2. What is the difference between doing Christian things and abiding in Christ? Which one characterizes your life? How can the same action (e.g., reading the Bible) be a religious ritual or the fruit of an abiding relationship?