Finding Peace in The Beatitudes: A Summer Devotional Journey

This summer we will be sharing some family devotionals each week written by our very own Mr. Nick Gandy. Follow along on this Christ-centered summer with us. Let’s enter week one!

Week 1, Day 1

Fruitful

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:3

When we say we are blessed, we tend to mean we have received a reward for something we've done. "I studied hard, so I earned good grades." "I worked out every day, so I was given a spot on the team." "I did all my chores, so I received my allowance."

But the Beatitudes aren't about how to get blessings. The Beatitudes are about how to be blessed. The difference is incredibly important.

We can understand the difference by thinking of oranges. When orange seeds are planted in good soil, given the right nutrients, watered regularly, and kept at the right temperature, they eventually bear fruit. Those oranges are a great blessing to both those who grow them and those who eat them. 

In a similar way, when someone shares the gospel of Jesus Christ with us, it is planted in our minds and hearts like a seed. If we respond to the gospel with faith, water it through the reading of the Bible, fertilize it through prayer, and keep it in the right direction  by practicing godliness, eventually that faith bears fruit. Eventually we become fruitful or, to use Jesus's word, blessed.

How do we know that we are bearing the fruit of faith in Jesus Christ? Jesus says we ought to begin by asking whether we are poor (humble) in spirit or prideful in spirit. The presence of pride reveals the gospel hasn't taken hold in our lives, but humility is a hallmark of faith.

Father, I want to be blessed more than I want to have blessings. Cause faith to be fruitful in my life.

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Week 1, Day 2

He Must Increase

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:3

Taking a first glance at John, he looked rough around the edges. He lived in the wilderness. His hair was long. His clothes were rugged. His feet were dirty. If you happened to see him at dinner time, you might have been grossed out at his diet: honey-covered bugs.

But if you could get past what John looked like and listen to what he had to say, you would have been amazed. John's voice carried all the way from the countryside of Judah to the capital city of Jerusalem with a message people needed to hear: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." John was telling people there was a reason for hope and a way to have a relationship with God.

People wondered if John was the king of the kingdom of heaven, but John knew his place and responded in humility. John told the people, "I am not the Christ…He [the Christ who is Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease."

John, whom we call "the Baptist," showed the first followers of Jesus what it meant to be poor in spirit. Jesus calls his followers to be humble. He shows us the same. Followers of Jesus don't have anything to brag about on their own. We know that everything we have and everything we are that is good is from God. So, like John the Baptist, we try to be like and talk about Jesus so that He is the one people think of when they see us. 

Father, I cannot save anyone. Jesus can save everyone. So help me live in a way that tells them about Him.

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Week 1, Day 3

I Am Weak, But He Is Strong

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:3

Have you ever met someone who always sees the bad in other people, but only sees the good in themselves? One day Jesus met some people like that. Like a pitcher trying to strike out a player, Jesus threw a story to them, hoping to show them their weak spots.  Jesus's story went something like this:

Two men went to church one day. The first man was in church every week. He knew every person he met. He knew the words to all the songs. He knew where to find the passage in the Bible when the preacher started preaching. The second man had never been to church before. He knew all the people there not because they were his friends, but because his actions had made them his enemies. He had spent his life taking advantage of all these people. But then he had a change of heart. When it came time to pray, the first man was prideful. He stood up and said his prayer aloud for all to hear. He prayed, "God, I'm glad I'm better than all these people who come to church each week and I'm especially glad I'm better than this man who is here for the first time." The prayer of the second man could not have been more different. He laid down on the floor. His lips moved, but no one in the room could hear him. What God heard him say went like this, "God, I'm the worst person imaginable. Please have mercy on me."

When he got done with his story, Jesus said, "the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Father, help me see my weakness so that you can make me strong.

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Week 1, Day 4

The Power of Prayer

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:3

Parents, teachers, and coaches spend a great deal of time telling their children, students, and players what they want them to be. "I want you to be holy." "I want you to be hard-working." "I want you to be disciplined." But they know it's not enough to tell kids what they want them to be. They have to show them how to become what they want them to be. 

Jesus, the master teacher, understood this better than anyone. He began the Sermon on the Mount with eight statements on what his disciples are to be. We call those statements the Beatitudes. But then he shifted his sermon to teaching people how to become his disciples. Jesus knew the people who would follow him and learn from him were prideful—they thought way too much of themselves. So if, to be his disciple, they had to become poor in spirit, they needed to know how. One way Jesus taught them to humble themselves was this: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." 

Anyone can love his friends and pray for his family. But when you demonstrate love for the people you don't like and pray for the people who don't like you, you start to change. You see people the way God sees them: as sinners in need of grace. More importantly, you begin to see yourself the way God sees you: a sinner in need of grace. The more you discipline yourself to seek the good of your enemies, the more you become a disciple of Jesus.

Father, I am not better than my enemies. I'm just like them. I need grace. Help me to love them and to become like you.

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Week 1, Day 5

Mine is the Kingdom

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:3

The word kingdom often conjures up thoughts of gothic castles, jousting knights, graceful ladies, and a king sitting on a magnificent throne. Consequently, many Christians think of the kingdom of heaven as only the place where God dwells with his people, the place with streets of gold, gates of pearl, and mansions by the score. Indeed, the kingdom of heaven is a place where the people of God will live with God forever. Yet, if the kingdom of heaven is only a place, it's difficult to fully understand Jesus's teachings.

The first message Jesus ever preached was simple: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." When Jesus sent the twelve disciples out on their first ministry assignment, he told them to announce the same message: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." To those whose faith bore the fruit of humility, Jesus declared, "theirs is the kingdom of heaven." In each case, the word Jesus used that is translated as kingdom does not primarily refer to the place (realm) of a king, but to the power (rule) of a king.

In other words, in announcing the nearness of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus was saying, "The authority of God the Father over all creation is now at work around you through the ministry of the Son of God, Jesus Christ." The kingdom of heaven is both a place of reward, and a power to receive. Those who are poor in spirit possess the kingdom because they have received Jesus's powerful control into their lives.

Father, I want you to be in charge of my life. Work the power of your kingdom in me now so that I may live in the place of your kingdom forever.