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Am I Blessed Like This? 7/25/06 |
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Blessed are . . . —Matthew 5:3-11 |
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| When we
first read the statements of Jesus, they seem wonderfully simple and
unstartling, and they sink unnoticed into our subconscious minds. For
instance, the Beatitudes initially seem to be merely soothing and beautiful
precepts for overly spiritual and seemingly useless people, but of very
little practical use in the rigid, fast-paced workdays of the world in which
we live. We soon find, however, that the Beatitudes contain the "dynamite"
of the Holy Spirit. And they "explode" when the circumstances of our lives
cause them to do so. When the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance one of
the Beatitudes, we say, "What a startling statement that is!" Then we must
decide whether or not we will accept the tremendous spiritual upheaval that
will be produced in our circumstances if we obey His words. That is the way
the Spirit of God works. We do not need to be born again to apply the Sermon
on the Mount literally. The literal interpretation of the Sermon on the
Mount is as easy as child’s play. But the interpretation by the Spirit of
God as He applies our Lord’s statements to our circumstances is the strict
and difficult work of a saint. The teachings of Jesus are all out of proportion when compared to our natural way of looking at things, and they come to us initially with astonishing discomfort. We gradually have to conform our walk and conversation to the precepts of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit applies them to our circumstances. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of rules and regulations— it is a picture of the life we will live when the Holy Spirit is having His unhindered way with us. |