Matthew 5:1-10 (NLT)
One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them. “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
In order to seek and find Jesus Christ, we must first hit bottom. It’s a prerequisite to the seeking process. But as hard as this pill is to swallow, listen to this. Our bottom, and the excruciating pain accompanying it, is one of the greatest gifts from a loving God. For when we are there, we can witness our powerlessness and weakness. We are able to recognize our need for something, someone greater than ourselves. We see we need- for the first time or as a reminder-a Savior.
We passionately seek...
Enter Jesus Christ. He is not the Higher Power, but the Most High. Where we see a broken person (or our self), Jesus sees cracked and frail human pottery waiting to be restored with his healing hands. He has compassion on us, empathizing to the point of remembering his own humanness and longing to reach out in love. And many times, he uses us as his hand and feet, helping the others to see his love. And that leads us to the back to the vision.
If you’re sacrificing time for this devotion consistently, I’m going to assume you’re a Jesus Freak already. But even Jesus Freaks reach a point where they want to go even deeper. They’re not actually spiritually bankrupt, but that hunger we have as baby believers returns. We not only want to seek Jesus again, but with passion, with vigor, with desperation. We don’t want a good time, a good feeling, or a good life. We want Jesus, pure and unadulterated. That’s the premise behind these Beatitudes. It’s no mistake that this is Jesus’ first sermon (or at least the first recorded one). And perhaps the most beautiful part of all this are the promises to those who hit bottom and passionately seek God. They will be filled!
As if your being filled is not enough, when you passionately seek God it encourages others as well. I have this friend, who, for the sake of argument we’ll call Jason as well, who is an encouragement to me every time I visit with him. My encouragement stems from his passionate seeking of God, through questions, prayer, doubt, and honesty. There is no holding back. He is “poor in spirit” and “recognizes his need for God” (verse 1). He seeks answers to questions most of us dare not ask for fear of being cut off or being shoved from our comfort zone. He is discovering, like all of us who’ve strived to go deeper, a clearer picture of Jesus and his love for us.
You can experience this also. We must only first seek…with passion, with our whole heart.
