DAY 7 - When We Allow, When We Accept

Matthew 5:1-12 (NIV) 1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Certainly when we give advice the temptation is to dwell on what needs to be done, on what must be done, on what ought to be done. But, when Jesus goes up on the mountain to teach he does not start by telling the listeners what they need to do. He does not say that to be blessed you must become poor in spirit, you must mourn, you must be meek, or you must hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Rather, He dwells on what God will do. The unnamed focus in this passage is God and the unnamed response is acceptance.

When we are beaten up and battered by life, when we are down and discouraged, when we hit bottom, we shall receive the kingdom of heaven. When the world seems to have turned against Jesus, his disciples have deserted him, death coming agonizingly slow, there God’s rule had come. In a world that says, “When life is good, when everything is going your way and the money is flowing in, and you are on top of the world, you are blessed.” But Jesus says when you have been knocked down and crushed and deprived, you are blessed when God’s power comes to save. None of us want to be beaten up by life, but when that happens, the kingdom of heaven comes to invade our life. No matter how crushing the blow, we can still know and sense and be aware of God’s rule. God is still in charge.

None of us want to feel the pain of grief, none of us want to feel the hurt of loss, but when we do, we shall be comforted. For God will send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to pull beside us. We shall sense the closeness of God. When our strength has been tamed, when we have learned the grace of acceptance we are free to live from a relaxed center.

The promise is for you, when you allow, when you accept. You shall be comforted. God will do it. You can count on it.

From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope January 31, 1999
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles