4th Sunday of Epiphany
Scripture: St Matthew 5:1-12
One day Jesus sat down on a mountain to teach. As he spoke He gave us glimpses of God’s kingdom, wisdom and economy. Today we realize that God’s ways are completely different from those of humans.
In Verse 3, Jesus says, “Happy are people who are hopeless”. In some translations of the Bible it says, “Those poor in Spirit for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs”! While our culture says, you can do it, trust yourself, relay on yourself, Jesus says happy are the ones who recognize their own inability to change themselves and depend on God for the most basic of necessities of their lives.
Jesus continues saying happy are people who grieve because they will be made glad, pity those who lose a loved one, pity for those who are sad, grieving and crying. While our human standard would say, blessed are those who never have anything bad happen to them or to anyone they love. While the comfort aspect of God’s character can only be known in suffering, the God of comfort will make the grieving glad.
Man’s culture says, happy are those who make a name for themselves. Happy are people who are humble and will be happy for they will inherit the earth. No one inherits something they work for or deserve. The humble will inherit what is God’s to begin with.
Jesus teachings go on to say Happy are people who are hungry and thirst for righteousness. Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous. Human wisdom would call us to live so that others would esteem us. As humans we think we should live in such a way that we avoid harassment and insults.
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 says: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are.
It is clear that God’s ways are very different than the ways of the world! We need to practice God’s value system and set aside the value system of the earth’s system of mankind. We need to set our lives around the know standard of the Lord. If we do not, we are on the pathway to damnation and spiritual death.
The road we travel toward heaven is easy if we seek the presence of the Lord to travel with us. He seeks to be our constant companion as the Living Lord. We live in a world of instant gratification, but the Beatitudes are about delayed gratification in the heavenly kingdom if we live by them.
Let us pray!
Scripture: St Matthew 5:1-12
One day Jesus sat down on a mountain to teach. As he spoke He gave us glimpses of God’s kingdom, wisdom and economy. Today we realize that God’s ways are completely different from those of humans.
In Verse 3, Jesus says, “Happy are people who are hopeless”. In some translations of the Bible it says, “Those poor in Spirit for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs”! While our culture says, you can do it, trust yourself, relay on yourself, Jesus says happy are the ones who recognize their own inability to change themselves and depend on God for the most basic of necessities of their lives.
Jesus continues saying happy are people who grieve because they will be made glad, pity those who lose a loved one, pity for those who are sad, grieving and crying. While our human standard would say, blessed are those who never have anything bad happen to them or to anyone they love. While the comfort aspect of God’s character can only be known in suffering, the God of comfort will make the grieving glad.
Man’s culture says, happy are those who make a name for themselves. Happy are people who are humble and will be happy for they will inherit the earth. No one inherits something they work for or deserve. The humble will inherit what is God’s to begin with.
Jesus teachings go on to say Happy are people who are hungry and thirst for righteousness. Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous. Human wisdom would call us to live so that others would esteem us. As humans we think we should live in such a way that we avoid harassment and insults.
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 says: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are.
It is clear that God’s ways are very different than the ways of the world! We need to practice God’s value system and set aside the value system of the earth’s system of mankind. We need to set our lives around the know standard of the Lord. If we do not, we are on the pathway to damnation and spiritual death.
The road we travel toward heaven is easy if we seek the presence of the Lord to travel with us. He seeks to be our constant companion as the Living Lord. We live in a world of instant gratification, but the Beatitudes are about delayed gratification in the heavenly kingdom if we live by them.
Let us pray!
