Building Blocks
Are you building anything on your need for God?
Verse of the Day
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’
Today’s Devotional
For the last two days, we have been focused on the verse prior to today’s: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” There is foundational truth and wisdom in starting with an awareness of our need for God. But if we have a foundation, what are we building on top of that foundation?
The Beatitudes, from Matthew 5:3-10, are not individual nuggets of wisdom from Jesus. They are building blocks for our life in Christ. Let’s look at what Jesus is teaching.
When we start with being poor in spirit, we are keenly aware of our need for God. Once we are certain of our need for God, we will be deeply grieved by anything that separates us from the One we so desperately need. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Our sin will cause us grief. Not the fact that we’ve been caught. Not the consequences. Anything we are aware of that pushes us away from God will actually cause us emotional pain. The British use a word that really fits here. In the face of our sin, we are “gutted”. And we learn in 2 Corinthians 1:3 that God Himself is our source of comfort.
When we are grieved by our human nature, which then leads us back to our need for God, we find ourselves in a place of being incredibly willing for God to have His way with us. We loosen our grip on our ideas about how things need to be done, and become completely open-minded to God. We become a willing vessel for the Almighty. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” The word “meek”, according to Emmet Fox, does not have an adequate English equivalent. It does not describe someone who is lacking in courage and self-respect. A biblically meek person is not a wallflower or a doormat. When we desperately need God, and we are grieved over our sin, we become pliable clay in the hands of the Potter, without any need to give Him direction on how to mold us.
At this point we become starving for more of God and His Word. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Our search for learning about who God is and how we can follow Him takes priority over even our earthly needs. We become living examples of Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Up to this point, we have only been dealing with ourselves and God. Tomorrow we will look at how we add to these qualities as we deal with other humans. For today, let’s be people who pray for constant reminders of our desperate need for God, and for the willingness to build on that foundation. To be people who are mournful over our own sin, to be pliable and teachable in the hands of God, and to be hungry for more of God.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How have you ever been grieved by your own sin, instead of being sad over getting caught or upset about the consequences?
How meek do you think God finds you today? How pliable are you in His hands? Where do you need the Holy Spirit to break down any barriers?
How hungry are you for more of God and His Word? How could you invite God to ignite your hunger for Him?
What is Jesus teaching you today?