August 25, 2017 – Devotions – Your G-d Is Too Small — What Sort of People Does G-d Intend Us to Be?

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“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 receive 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 for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5)

What sort of people does G-d intend us to be? There is a great question, Amen? Yes, the easy answer to this would be that G-d wants us to be loving – to love G-d and to love one another. That has been the over-arching theme for the last two devotions. And that, in and of itself is very counter-cultural. But Jesus did not stop there. He went on to outline very distinct manners of being for each one of us in the “Beatitudes” from Matthew’s Gospel. But because this was written sometime in the first century CE, we need to understand them in the language that makes more sense to us today.

Most people think:
Happy are the “strong”: for they never let life hurt them
Happy are they who “complain and whine”: for they will get their own way
Happy are the “laid back”: for they never worry over their situation or sins
Happy are the “brilliant”: for they know what we do not know
Happy are the “slave-drivers”: for they get results
Happy are the “trouble-makers”: for people will notice them

Jesus said:
Happy are those who recognize their need for G-d: they are already in the kingdom of G-d
Happy are they who bear their share of the world’s pain: they will truly know more happiness than most
Happy are they who know and accept their limitations: they will find more in life than most
Happy are they who long to be “good at heart”: they will fully realize their life’s ambition
Happy are they who can forgive: they will know the love of G-d
Happy are they who are “genuinely G-dly”: in the end they will see G-d face to face
Happy are they who help others to live together: they will be known for doing G-d’s work

To live the life that Christ calls us to live is one of the earliest “counter-cultural” movements on earth. And that movement continues today. (Themes come from the book “Your God Is Too Small” by J. B. Phillips)

Pastor Dave