Kingdom Values

"Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. He said: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'" Matt 5:1-3

There are certain seasons in life that call for a reevaluation of our pursuit, priorities, and our values. Perhaps something tragic recently transpired: a diagnosis, a breakup, or an unforeseen loss of means or possessions. Maybe you recently experienced someone close passing and are trudging through the various stages of grief. It could be that you just came into a season of rest and reset, and now you have a moment to evaluate your perspective and posture towards life and priorities. Whatever the occasion or specific circumstance, Jesus calls us to examine our values.

In His famous, Sermon on the Mount, a large group of disciples and travelers from all over the region had come to hear Jesus, be healed by Him, and experience His power. It was a group of people that wanted to experience all that Jesus had to offer. Just like us, those people came into God's presence with certain values and priorities, different ways to perceive what is important in life. What they wanted was healing, they wanted to witness Jesus's power and hear His authoritative teaching; something they had never witnessed before! We all want healing, we all want to see God's power, and to be moved by His words. But what Jesus says next, completely changes their perception of kingdom values. 

You see in the world we value things like healing, comfort, a good reputation, and being well-fed and taken care of. We even would call ourselves blessed when we have all the health, possessions, and provisions we need to live a good life. There is a word for that kind of blessing in the original Greek, but that's not the word Jesus uses to begin the sermon. 

Jesus, speaking to a crowd that honors and values the healing, provision, and comfort this world offers, says they are blessed when they are spiritually poor. He goes on to include all sorts of lots in life that we would be hard-pressed to call being blessed. Things like being hungry, thirsty, meek, and persecuted. The word for blessed Jesus uses here in the Beattitudes means fortunate or happy due to circumstance. What Jesus is saying completely flips the worlds perception of values upside down! Where we are quick to value comfort, healing, and provision, Jesus says you and I are truly blessed when we are poor, hungry, hurting, and persecuted. Why???

It is in those circumstances when we are at our weakest, when we are powerless, that we see Jesus the clearest, we grow closest to Him, and we truly see the kingdom of God. That is why it is such a blessing!

No matter what you are going through today, know that you are blessed because you are in the perfect position to inherit the kingdom of God through that circumstance. It is through the challenges in life, that offer us the posture to truly see Jesus, hear His words, and experience His power, just like all the witnesses at the Sermon on the Mount.

Praying for you and yours! Have a blessed day, it's your choice!