Read the Bible in a Year (03OCT19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, October 3’s Bible reading is Matthew 5-6.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, October 4’s Bible reading is Matthew 7-8. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

MATTHEW MOMENT – (03OCT19) “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).

When speaking to a crowd, Jesus taught them The Beatitudes and then told them that they were to be the salt and light of the earth so that others could see the Father through them. In order to be the salt that seasons the earth and the light in a dark world, we must do so by living out the Beatitudes. If you look at the word “Be-Attitudes” you will see that the word describes a state of being for which our attitude should comply. Many people are turned off by the attitudes of some claiming to be Christians, but in Christ’s teachings, He was showing us how we are to be towards each other and the Father. Let’s break down The Be-Attitudes so that we may season the world with the Light of Christ.

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

Jesus told the people that the poor is spirit was blessed. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? In the natural, poor people are often considered as those who are of limited financial means and in some cases, need support from others to help with basic essentials. Well, when we are poor in spirit, we understand that we are not able to do anything of our own accord, but our reliance is totally on God. The Bible says: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). When we learn to completely place our trust in God, we then become poor in spirit.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

Jesus knew that in this life, we would experience heartaches and pain. Rather they come from death, illness, loss, or some other disappointment in life, everyone will experience a time of mourning. Nevertheless, Jesus is there to be a comfort in our time of mourning. The Bible says: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all”

(Psalm 34:17-19).

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 

Jesus told the crowd that the meek will inherit the earth. The Lord loves for us to have hearts of humility. When we humble ourselves before the Lord, He is all too willing to bless us with the desires of our heart in accordance to His will. The One thing that caused mankind to be in its present sinful state was pride. Pride prevents us from honoring God and being submissive to His will instead of our own. Lucifer’s fall was due to pride and sin makes us prideful. Therefore, when we allow the Holy Spirit to enter our hearts, He bends us to the will of the Father where we are no longer our own, but we respond in accordance to the will of our Heavenly Father. The Bible says: “The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5).

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 

Jesus taught the crowd to be hungry and thirsty for righteousness. In the Old Testament, God was constantly giving the prophets a message for the Children of Israel to live in righteousness and not seek to do the detestable things that their heathen neighbors did. The Bible says: “’So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Malachi 3:5). One cannot live in righteousness when they do things such as in the previous text. Jesus wanted the people to understand that they were to be hungry and thirsty to do the things of God. Just as we crave food on a daily basis, we are to have a craving to honor the Lord.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Jesus taught that we are to be merciful to others for we shall be shown mercy in return. How can we be merciful to others? We are to forgive when others do us wrong. We are to love even when that love is not reciprocated. We are to be kind even when the situation may be challenging. The Bible says: “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love” (Micah 7:18). Because the Lord is ever so merciful to us even when we do not deserve it, we are to show that same mercy to others as representatives of Him.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  

Jesus taught the crowd to be pure in heart and they could look forward to seeing God. What does it mean to have a pure heart? In the book of Psalms, the psalmist wrote: “Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God,  and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence  or take your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:9-11). When we have a pure heart, we allow the Holy Spirit to reside on the inside of us. In so doing, He removes the impurities of sin that corrupts us and gives us the desire to do what is pleasing to the Father. Those who have wicked hearts plan evil, but those who are filled with the love of God will fill their hearts with love for their fellow man. The Bible says: “Woe to those who plan iniquity,   to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out  because it is in their power to do it” (Micah 2:1).

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Jesus taught the crowd to be peacemakers for they were the children of God and as such, He is a God of peace for whom they are to represent. The Bible says: “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14). We are not to be warmongers and stir up conflict for the sake of being busy. We are to live in peace with one another because there will always be trouble on the earth, but those who are not saved should see the peace of God reigning on the inside of us.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus taught the crowd that those who are persecuted for the Lord’s sake will inherit eternal life. The prophets of old went through great persecution because the people did not wish to hear about their sins. Prophets such as Jeremiah was persecuted for prophesying about the upcoming Babylonian captivity. Nevertheless, he stayed the course and continued to prophesy the message given from the Lord. The Bible says: “Then the officials said to the king, ‘This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.’ ‘He is in your hands,’ King Zedekiah answered. ‘The king can do nothing to oppose you.’  So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud” (Jeremiah 38:4-6). Contrary to popular belief in the west, doing the Lord’s work does not always usher in earthly prosperity, but it will guarantee that persecution on some level will come. Nevertheless, we are to stand strong in our faith and trust in the Lord despite those who come against us for speaking and living righteously.

“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.” Living for Christ requires sacrifice, but when we live sacrificially, we can expect to see a great reward in Heaven. Therefore, our work is not in vain.

QUESTION OF THE DAY - (03OCT19) Have you ever seen a social media post showing someone doing a “kind” act for a homeless person either being taken by them or someone alongside them for the world to see? Is that really what we should be doing? This is not to say that everyone has ill intentions, but we live in a society that screams, “Look at me!” and at least the followers of these people are happy to oblige. Well, what does the Bible say? “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6J:1-4). When we do an act of kindness, we are not to announce it to the world. We are to do so as secretly as possible and in return, the Lord will give us our reward. Kindness does not involve exploiting others for the sake of a like or thumbs up. Kindness means doing for others even when no one takes notice but God. After all, isn’t He the One that we are trying to please? Something to ponder….

 

MATTHEW MOMENT – (03OCT19) “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:5-8).

Many of us can probably recall a time when we were in the midst of a prayer that was entirely too long for the occasion. This is not to say that our prayers are supposed to be timed, but you know that person that has to pray for every person in the cemetery, in the hospital, on the job, and in Ethiopia over a meal? Yes, this type of person who obviously want others to hear them moving their lips. Now, some people are just long-winded when it comes to prayers and others are looking for praises. Nevertheless, Jesus taught the crowd not pray for the attention of men but to do so in secret to receive honor from the Lord. There is a time, however, when corporate prayer is required such as in a worship setting amongst other believers and visitors. Even then, we should ensure that we are being genuine in our prayers when we come to the Throne of Grace. The Lord blesses the humble and that includes humility in our prayers. Something to ponder….