Reading With the People of God #11 Blessedනියැදිය

Focus of the month: (The Beatitudes)

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

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. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

- Matthew 5:3-12

The Flip Side

Imagine a moment when you actually could be a “fly on the wall” in Solomon’s palace during the time of 1 Kings 4, when you could see all the riches and read all the wisdom in his writings. If you didn’t know the account of Solomon, what would you conclude about his relationship with the Lord God? Likely, you would say that God has surely blessed him. Look at all this wealth. Listen to all his wisdom. What would you predict his future in the Lord would be? It would probably seem like it would be pretty good. Solomon will fare very well…Right? Not so much. The end of Solomon’s life was filled with worldly and ungodly things. Many wives and foreign deities were introduced into Israel. Not a good result of such a blessed life.

On the flip side, we read in Matthew 5 we see just the opposite of the opulence of 1 Kings 4. “Blessed” people in Matthew 5:10-12 are persecuted and reviled! Jesus has flipped the value of what it means to be blessed. The blessing comes not from material wealth or emotional well-being but in relationship to a Savior who rewards eternally those who are faithful to Him. The ways of the world, good or bad, wealth or reviling, matters not to the Christian who puts Jesus first. Jesus says later, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 Solomon missed it because his treasure wasn’t in the Lord. Matthew 5 teaches that those who treasure the Lord will be blessed, truly blessed, forever.

*Primer Devotional contributed by Doug Drainville, Pastor of Care, Cornerstone Church of Chowchilla