Jesus made one of the COOLEST SPEECHES ever - known as "The Sermon on The Mount." I was telling my mom the other day that this is an excellent place to start if you are unfamiliar with the Bible because it lays out the principles for life prescribed by Jesus himself. You can find The Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament of Mathew 5. So Jesus and his disciple buds were now like a bunch of rock stars and people from all over Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan began to follow him. They'd heard about his incredible man who simply astounded people everywhere when they saw with their own eyes his ability to perform miracles. "Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them what is called:
The Beatitudes. Now before I type out his speech, just stop and take a look at what this speech was called and let's break it up...Be Attitudes. Jesus my friends was the very first ever self-help guru and mental health practitioner, however, his Beatitudes have what no one else can offer - the spiritual component and the ability to change and inspire your life at the core level. Jesus knew that if your head was on right and your mind stable and filled with positive thoughts you could do what you were put here on earth to do. Once I type out the Beatitudes we will over the next week or so break down each line to interpret it's true and much deeper meaning. Indeed The Beatitudes are exquisite principles for incredible living.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful
for they will be shown mercy
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
So what does this all mean? Let's meditate on the first line.
1. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Well first of all everyone must realize that words such as "poor" when used in the Bible (keeping in mind the time in which it was written) has a completely different interpretation in our modern day usage of the word "poor." The word poor doesn't refer to having no money or being poverty ridden, God doesn't want you to be destitute, however it is the "love" of money that ruins people..those who love it above all else, who are greedy, and put it above love and relationships. Money is not bad, it is the heart of a person that can make it bad. Money after all when it is in the possession of good God loving people can use it to build schools, donate clothes to the needy, or provide food for those who are hungry. To be poor in spirit, means that you become aware of the "ego" and "pride" and empty yourself of it so that you do not believe that you are better than anyone else. When you are poor in spirit you do not have spiritual pride (thinking you know everything about Jesus and the Bible and Lord it over others to condemn them) and as spiritual writer Emmet Fox once said, those who are poor in spirit, "have gotten rid of the love of money and property, of fear of public opinion, and of the disapproval of relatives or friends....they are no longer overawed by human authority, or cocksure in their own opinions...they have come t see that their most cherished beliefs may have been and probably were mistaken and that all their ideas and view of life may be false and in need of recasting. They are ready to start again at the very beginning and learn life anew." In other words, you have completely surrendered to God...you yourself are not God. Empty yourself of pride and superiority - because you are not. Be humble. As a little sidebar, have you ever noticed which celebrities in life have longevity, legacy and the great love of people who they entertain? They are classy humble actors, singers, and entertainers who do more for others and are often self-deprecating about their accomplishments preferring instead to focus on others? People like George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey come to mind for me, because they are "poor in spirit." Can you think of anyone else? We will get onto line two soon....XO
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