The Beautitudes

Beloved1 Devotional

Matthew 5:3 You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you, there is more of God and His rule.

Have you ever been to a point where you feel like you can’t keep going? Sometimes that is the point where God wants to meet us and help us even more. Because of sin, we can do nothing to save ourselves.
So how does being at the end of our rope lead us to more of who God is? It starts by recognizing our shortcomings, which leads to recognizing the need for God’s grace.


Because He loves us, God gave us the gift of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus. The kingdom of heaven” refers to salvation and eternity in heaven with God. To receive this gift, we must recognize that we can do nothing to make ourselves worthy of it. We must accept that we can’t do anything alone but must rely on God.

How do you need God’s grace today?

Matthew 5:4 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.

This second verse builds on the first. When we recognize we can’t do it all, it can fill us with sadness.
When we face evil, that can also fill us with sorrow. It doesn’t matter where that evil comes from, ourselves, others, or anywhere else. In those moments when evil fills us with grief, God sees our sadness and brings comfort with the knowledge that things won’t always be this way. There is forgiveness to be had from God and those around us.

If we make a mistake with the people around us, it can be tempting to try to sweep our mistakes under the rug and hide them. But our sorrow instead can push us to admit our mistakes and ask for forgiveness. While it’s easy to expect the worst, people often surprise us with their willingness to forgive. When they choose to forgive, then our relationship with them becomes stronger.
Even when you feel like you have lost everything, you will never lose God. God is with you always.

Is there anything you need/want to bring to God in prayer?

Matthew 5:5 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.

Being content is one of the most valuable things that you can have. It teaches you the importance of what you have. It also helps you to reflect on what you have been through, and what God has brought you through. What are the things that you can be grateful for? 

Matthew 5:6 You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

Working up an appetite isn’t literal but means living  in right relationships, both with the people around you and with God. Instead of your actions only being about you, you choose to serve those around you and do what is best for them. 

Are you working for the right relationships—with God, your co-workers, your family, and your community?

We are hungry for good relationships if we want others in our life for them and not just to satisfy our needs. When there are good relationships in our lies, it becomes easier to see the wrongs around us and desire change.  

Matthew 5:7 You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

Care is simply treating others better than they deserve. Forgiveness is caring, and so is helping someone we don’t need to, or not taking advantage of someone else’s weakness. 

Care is the driving force behind Jesus’s sacrifice on the the cross. He forgave our sins and allows us to receive the Holy Spirit. 

Care is the simplest way to show love and honor to those around us. When you help someone you might not like, and who might have even hurt you in the past, you are showing care. Care may cost you a temporary advantage, but in the long term, it helps build better relationships with the people in your life. 

Matthew 5:8 You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

Getting your mind and heart requires integrity, devotion, and loyalty to the Lord. You can’t do this by trying to be perfect but by accepting God’s grace. By asking for God’s help and loving Him, you will be able to see the world with the beauty that God does. 

When was the last time you tried to see things like God would, with love? 

What matters more to you, getting ahead for yourself or doing what is right? Do you do what is right only when it is easy?

Matthew 5:9 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.

Cooperating with others goes back to right relationships and conflict resolution. When the people around us are stirring up drama and causing problems, we must step into situations and bring harmony. Restoring right relationships is possible because of characteristics Jesus mentions in the beatitudes: mourning and repentance of sin. 

Do You Know Jesus?

Jesus is the Son of God, and He came to earth to save all of us from the things that we do that would separate us from God. He loves you so much that He died on the cross for our sins, and then He rose again three days later. Jesus wants to be your safe place, your peace, and He wants to lead and guide your life.

He also wants a relationship with you!

If you want a relationship with Jesus, the Bible says that you have to admit that Jesus is Lord, that He died on the cross and rose again to save you from your sins. Ask Him to come into your life, and I promise He will change your life.

IF YOU DECLARE WITH YOUR MOUTH, “JESUS IS LORD,”

AND BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM

FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED.

– ROMANS 10:19

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Human dignity is precious

The feeling of having dignity is in many ways, a constant variable to our sense of self-worth. Jesus’ life and ministry constantly restored a lost sense of dignity to human beings—most often to those who were thought to be less than or written off by society, but even now when he is not here on earth- He does the same for us.

 

As I’m sure we have all experienced, the feeling of dignity is very easily lost. You make a mistake and beat yourself up. Someone accuses you of something you didn’t do. You say the wrong thing and are on the outs with people who previously liked you. You go online and get sucked into the comparison trap. You try to do better but miss the mark you set for yourself and then shame yourself. You start to think that God would never notice, care about or even love someone like you. 

The feeling of having dignity is in many ways, a constant variable to our sense of self-worth. Jesus’ life and ministry constantly restored a lost sense of dignity to human beings—most often to those who were thought to be less than or written off by society, but even now when he is not here on earth- He does the same for us. As I’m sure we have all experienced, the feeling of dignity is very easily lost. You make a mistake and beat yourself up. Someone accuses you of something you didn’t do. You say the wrong thing and are on the outs with people who previously liked you. You go online and get sucked into the comparison trap. You try to do better but miss the mark you set for yourself and then shame yourself. You start to think that God would never notice, care about or even love someone like you. 
Through Christ’s self-giving love for others, people were able to feel like they could reclaim their lives. As those who are so immensely loved by Him, it breaks his heart to see our dignity damaged. Human dignity originates from God and is of God because we are made in God’s own image and likeness as seen in Genesis 1:26-27;

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.”


When we become aware of our own sins and limitations, we have the incredible chance to heal and choose a new life when we discover how Christ comes alive in and through each of us. What this healing means for us is that Jesus, who so personally and compassionately meets us where we are at, heals and restores our dignity. And likewise, in such a personal and intimate way for us, gives himself to us. So, as you think upon the things that make you feel as if your dignity has been ripped from you, offer your heart to His healing. He has come to meet you where you are and gives you Himself completely, He can heal our loneliness and brokenness.  Open your heart to Jesus, simply be there with Him and let God come into you in such a compassionate, loving, personal way, for to God you and I are worth it.