January 5
Matthew 5:1-26
We live in accordance with the kingdom to which we belong. As citizen of America you pay taxes, follow laws, and can vote. So, what does it look like to live aligned with God’s kingdom? Jesus will develop the ethics and character of a citizen of the kingdom of heaven in the Sermon on the Mount (chapter 5-7). He will describe what the blessed life looks like and how we can live with God as our king. Everyone wants to be blessed, but Jesus describes at the beginning of his sermon that blessing comes in surprising places. Some of these are things we recognize as valuable, while others we resist. Do we want to be poor in spirit, do we want to mourn, do we want to be persecuted? The answer is probably a resounding no; but Jesus tells us these are the very characteristics that we need to cultivate. We need to embrace being poor in spirit by recognizing that we need God's work every moment of our lives.
We need to mourn, because it is an acknowledgement that we and the world are not as God designed it to be. We need to embrace obedience to God, even when the world rejects, persecutes, and curses us. We need to lean into all that God has for us to experience his blessings, even when that makes us uncomfortable in the short term. As citizens of heaven, we are to embrace Christ as king in every area of our lives. We are to submit to him and as we are to cultivate hearts that align with his.
Father God, thank you that you extend blessings to your people. Help me not to define blessing by anything other than intimacy with you. Help me to follow you wherever you take me. Amen.
How can you better align your life as a citizen of heaven?
We live in accordance with the kingdom to which we belong. As citizen of America you pay taxes, follow laws, and can vote. So, what does it look like to live aligned with God’s kingdom? Jesus will develop the ethics and character of a citizen of the kingdom of heaven in the Sermon on the Mount (chapter 5-7). He will describe what the blessed life looks like and how we can live with God as our king. Everyone wants to be blessed, but Jesus describes at the beginning of his sermon that blessing comes in surprising places. Some of these are things we recognize as valuable, while others we resist. Do we want to be poor in spirit, do we want to mourn, do we want to be persecuted? The answer is probably a resounding no; but Jesus tells us these are the very characteristics that we need to cultivate. We need to embrace being poor in spirit by recognizing that we need God's work every moment of our lives.
We need to mourn, because it is an acknowledgement that we and the world are not as God designed it to be. We need to embrace obedience to God, even when the world rejects, persecutes, and curses us. We need to lean into all that God has for us to experience his blessings, even when that makes us uncomfortable in the short term. As citizens of heaven, we are to embrace Christ as king in every area of our lives. We are to submit to him and as we are to cultivate hearts that align with his.
Father God, thank you that you extend blessings to your people. Help me not to define blessing by anything other than intimacy with you. Help me to follow you wherever you take me. Amen.
How can you better align your life as a citizen of heaven?
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See yourself as an instrument of God , seek his will continually , allow the Holy Spirit to fill your heart and become part of the living body of Christ here on earth.