# 49 2016 Dev. Mt.5:11-12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Matthew 5:11-12

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”.

 In these last verses of the Beatitudes Jesus doubles down on the persecution we should expect as followers of the the truth. If you think followers of Jesus should be passive and lay down like a doormat to be stepped on, you have the wrong idea. As long as we have the rule of secular law, the law applies to all people equally. We have an example of that in Scripture.

 Acts 16:16-38: When Paul and Silas visited the Greek City of Philippi, in Paul’s time a Roman colony, they cast a familiar spirit from a slave girl that angered her owners because of lost income. The owners falsely accused Paul and Silas of disrupting the city with illegal practices. They were “severely flogged” with rods and put into the inner prison. After the events of the conversion of the jailer and family the authorities wanted to release Paul and Silas, this was their answer: “But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

 What does Jesus say in verse 11: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me”. We are blessed, God’s blessings cover all of our living and continues into eternity. Jesus qualifies it because it does not apply to me or to you, not for our actions but because of what Jesus does and what He stands for.

Verse 12 is more difficult to comprehend because we are to rejoice under persecution. Really, “rejoice and be glad”! Here also we have an example from Scripture Acts 5:40-41 “The Sanhedrin called the Apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.  V41. “The Apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name”.

Persecution in Scripture is nothing new both in the Old and New Testaments and it continues today on an ever increasing scale. Take heart, “because great is your reward in heaven”. Jesus calls us, empowers us and takes care of us in all situations. Praise Him!

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# 48 2016 Dev. Col 1:12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Colossians 1:12

“and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light”.

The general meaning of Thanksgiving is: “the expression of gratitude, especially to God. In North America an annual national holiday marked by religious observances and a traditional meal including turkey. The holiday commemorates a harvest festival celebrated by the Pilgrims in 1621, and is held in the US on the fourth Thursday in November. A similar holiday is held in Canada, usually on the second Monday in October”. Basically that is the definition for most people. However, the religious aspect of Thanksgiving is not as prominent as it once was with “the decline of church attendance by 7% over the last ten years”, affecting Thanksgiving services as well. (A recent Barna Survey)

For followers of Jesus the above definition is part of what we know as Thanksgiving but Col. 1 brings thanksgiving to another and higher level. The verse we look at is part of Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. It is a thanksgiving prayer we should be praying for each other and for those who do not yet understand the extent of God’s love. Paul begins his prayer with: “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you … We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work.”

 While we are thankful for all the good things we have in this land; food, jobs, families, and freedom, what we thank God for most is what Paul says to us in Col. We rejoice in God’s grace for His calling on our lives, giving us the power of His Spirit freeing us from the power of sin and redeeming us in Christ moving us into the “Kingdom of light” Thanks be to God!

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# 47 2016 Dev. Lev.19:18. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Leviticus 19:18

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord”.

Leviticus 19 is a chapter of diverse precepts and commands in the context of the introduction of the chapter: v.2b ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy”. God’s voice to Moses

Lev. 19:2b was quoted by Jesus in Mt. 22 when asked what is the greatest commandment? ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:5 as the greatest commandment, this command is in the context of: “so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life”.

While some of the precepts we see in these two chapter don’t apply today in the “New Covenant of Jesus Blood”, Jesus validated these two commandments as the summary of all His commands. Prohibition on revenge is also validated in the New Testament: Ro.12:19 “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” This verse is in a section of the book of Romans called: “Love in Action”

That also is the meaning here in Lev. 19:18 and becomes more important as we discuss persecution. We are not to take revenge on our enemies. We must trust God, He is in control and He will deal with those who appose Christ by apposing those who speak His truth. Our role is to love our enemies, “love your neighbor as yourself”. While it may be easier to love God, it is just as important to love our neighbor. The two commands go together and they complete each other. You cannot obey one without the other! Obeying these two commands is “love in action” today!

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# 46 2016 Dev. Mt.5:10. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Matthew 5:10

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Here Jesus changes his teaching; still showing us what is expected but now it involves those who oppose people who follow Jesus. The devotional of a couple of weeks ago #44 addresses what can only be considered as persecution. Not only is the culture around us trying to force their values on true followers of Jesus, they want to stop us from speaking the truth according to God’s Word.

It is interesting to hear recently that our secular culture is most accepting of the Roman Catholic version of conservatism. That is understandable given the fact that the Roman Catholic Church has always maintained her traditional stand on women, sex and marriage while the Protestant community is all over the map in terms of those three important Biblical family issues. Therefore, Protestants who have sold out to secular liberal culture share in the persecution of conservative true followers of Jesus.

The issue is not conservatism or liberalism; it is a Biblical truth issue. Jesus understood that fact, Jesus is the truth and the religious leaders of that day did not see the truth even as Jesus lived and worked in their presence. In the end living and speaking the truth put an end to Jesus’ life on earth. Since that time many millions have been put to death and today people continue to die for living and speaking the truth.

Turning to verse 10 Jesus is telling us that there will be persecution for His followers. It is a serious issue but it is a temporary situation but Gods blessings are forever. If we are persecuted, we are carrying around the righteousness of Jesus and if we continue to hold on to that righteousness through thick and thin we inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. That is a forever situation people! Amen and Amen.  

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# 45 2016 Dev. Ps. 61:1-2. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Psalm 61:1-3

^“1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.  ² From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
³ For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.”

Ps. 61 falls into Book II of the V books of Psalms. It is a Psalm of prayer and praise. It is thought to be a Psalm of David, perhaps during the time of conflict with his son Absalom (NIV). Ps. 61 also is part of a group of prayers ending in Ps. 64. The Psalm is divided into three groups of two: v. 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 framed in an introductive appeal, v.1 and concluded v.8 in a promise to praise and serve God.

The main body of the Psalm is a request from the king in a weakened position to reconnect with God and for God to reconnect with Him. The king longs to dwell with God, his only refuge, “in the shelter of your wings”.

The first couplet v.2-3 sets the tone. “From the ends of the earth I call to you,” it’s a metaphor for being disconnected from reality, he is lost, faraway. “I call as my heart grows faint:” he is in danger emotionally and physically. “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” The king is asking God to save him, he is not able to save himself. “for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.” The king acknowledges God as his only refuge, a place to be safe.

These verses are great comfort for us today. When we are down, overwhelmed with the events of our lives, when we are short in hope and confidence or faced with loss, we need a place to be safe. Lead us to the rock that is higher than us is a reference to Christ, in the Old Testament, the “Rock” is our Savior, Jesus, more powerful than our difficulties, more safe than any other place! Stay connected to him!    

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# 44 2016 Dev. Mt. 5:9 The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Matthew 5:9

 “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the sons of God.”

 The following intro. is the context for verses 3-12. Verse 9 is part of “The Beatitudes”. The meaning of this word is: “a state of absolute bliss” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). On this earth that state is the result of God’s grace and human kindness. Therefore, Jesus begins his sermon with the attitudes and the ethics of the Kingdom of Heaven.

 What are we thinking about when we talk about making peace? It seems to me that making peace is a lifestyle. The practice of peace is part of following Jesus and begins at home, living in peace is a personal choice. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Ro.12:12). However, peace is rooted in reconciliation and begins with God reconciling us back to Him in Christ Jesus. That makes peach making more complicated, it involves love, forgiveness and acceptance of those with whom we have differences of opinions and beliefs. But it does not mean compromise, we continue to believe and practice biblical precepts but we do not force that on those who do not. We must have the freedom to practice our beliefs but we must extend that freedom to others as well.

 The reality of our present situation does not promote peace. Our religious freedom is now at risk by the pressure of government and other organizations to accept as normal, life styles and attitudes that are in conflict with the Word of God. Further, if we speak out of our belief it is considered as hate language and may be subject to prosecution. So much for freedom.

That is the negative but let’s move to our verse and the positive. Peacemakers are blessed, God’s blessing flow throughout our lives. But this is so much bigger because peacemakers “will be called the sons of God.” Those who follow Jesus are the children of God. The bottom line: v.31. “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Ro.8:31-32). Amen!         

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# 43 2016 Dev. Pr.4:23. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Proverbs 4:23

 “Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.”

 Proverbs 4 praises wisdom as supreme. David is speaking to his son, telling him what his father told him: “Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live” The commands of course are God’s commands but what are David’s words? And what is wisdom? “Listen to instruction, gain understanding, love her and esteem her.” Wisdom here is personalized. This Psalm is about wisdom and it is about the heart.

 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Pr.9:10). This applies to us more and more today, look at politics, at secular values, there is a call for religious institutions to rethink what is said to be their outdated stand on marriage, sex, and fundamental human relationships. Churches are rethinking the values of the past today! Are people reading their Bibles or are they listening to the culture around us?

 The words of David apply here: “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.¹⁵ Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.”David draws a contrast: “¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.”

“Above all else, guard your heart,” Above all else this should be our issue today: we hear a steady stream of wickedness every day. That stream is part of every day living if we are living in reality. Wickedness does not settle in the heart if we guard our hearts and continue to know the difference between righteousness and wickedness.

 “For everything you do flows from it.” All we say and do flow from our hearts. Keep your heart close to God, open your heart to the Holy Spirit and fill your heart with the love, grace and the forgiveness of Jesus. Listen to what the Spirit is teaching us in Verse 23.                  God is good!

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# 42 2016 Dev. Mt.5:8. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Matthew 5:8

 ^“Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.”

 The following intro. is the context for verses 3-12. Verse 8 is part of “The Beatitudes”. The meaning of this word is: “a state of absolute bliss” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). That ecstatic state can only come by God’s grace and human kindness. Therefore, Jesus begins his sermon with the attitudes and the ethics of the Kingdom of Heaven.

 The pure in heart, who are they? This term “Pure heart” is found in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Test. those with a pure heart are qualified by: “clean hands”, by trust in the true God, by repentance, and innocence, In the New Test. a pure heart is qualified by: love, repentance, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith. I think the verse that is definitive is Ps. 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”.

 The answer to the the question, who are the pure in heart is: All who truly follow Jesus. That is a surprising answer given the qualifications listed here. Who among us will stand up when asked to confirm all these qualifications in our lives? I say none of us and I say all of us! Everyone must answer for themselves. I answer all of us because I am recreated in Jesus by God’s grace and my faith. Along with that comes a new heart. What Jesus does for us in our time is what was mirrored in the Old Test. church: Eze. 11:19-20 “…I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh… They will be my people, and I will be their God”.

A pure heart is given us in Christ by His righteousness. Therefore, followers of Jesus are blessed and “they will see God”. That is a promise that begins the moment one believes in Jesus, a gift difficult to comprehend but guaranteed. Praise God!

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# 41 2016 Dev. Ps.34:18. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

 Psalm 34:18

 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

 Ps. 34 is part of the first of five Books making up 150 Psalms that cover prayers, laments, praise, blessings and instruction for believers as well as curses for the wicked. Book I including Ps.34 is predominately Godly instruction. Further, Ps. 34 is part of a small sections of Psalms that are framed by two “alphabetic acrostics poems” 34 and 37 framing two prayers that address scoffers and the second is about godlessness. We look at verse 18 but standing alone takes the verse out of its context and its qualifying factors diminishing the comfort that it provides. The thought begins in verse 15 and is completed in verse 22. Let’s read verse 15-22 before concentrating on verse 18.

 V. 18 “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” God is so close that He is in us by His Holy Spirit. Further, we are qualified with righteousness by our faith. Truly the brokenhearted are crushed in spirit but we have the Creator of the universe not only comforting us but saving us as well. All this translates into eternal life with Him. Verse 8: “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Lord, comfort us?

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# 40 2016 Dev. Mt.5:7. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God by memorizing selected passages of Scripture. Further, to view the passage in context and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living with family, friends and others. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Matthew 5:7

^7 “Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.”

 The following intro. is the context for verses 3-12. Verse 7 is part of “The Beatitudes”. The meaning of this word is: “a state of absolute bliss” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). On this earth that state is the result of God’s grace and human kindness. Therefore, Jesus begins his sermon with the attitudes and the ethics of the Kingdom of Heaven.

 So far Jesus’ words call for action on our part, he calls for application. How easily we talk about humility (meekness), about compassion (mourning), about righteousness (by faith) and about mercy (by God’s grace). How difficult it is to apply what Jesus tells us in our everyday living! We come up with excuses like: what Jesus is asking us to do is unrealistic, we simply cannot do these things on our own, much too perfect for living in today’s world.  However, we are not alone, the power of the Holy Spirit is in us and faith in Jesus perfects our efforts. I find this truth a great source of comfort not only as a minister but as a follower of Jesus because often a higher standard is imposed on us.  

 Verse 7: “Blessed are the merciful”: in my experience including military action, mercy is in short supply in modern times. What has happened to people today? I believe there has been a fundamental shift in our culture and in many cultures around the world. Mercy is a defining value. To show mercy is to be tolerant, unselfish, compassionate, forgiving, accepting, respecting others, hating evil but loving people. There is a segment of our culture and of cultures around the world who do not hold or practice those values. Mercy flows from God’s grace extended to us and true followers of Jesus practice it. 

 Verse 7 goes on: “for they will be shown mercy.” Extending mercy to others is a prerequisite for receiving mercy, receiving mercy from other people but more importantly, from God! God’s blessings include, among many other things, mercy from Him! We thank you Lord Jesus!

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