“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 KJV
Finding comfort through mourning sounds like an oxymoron. They fit perfectly together as Jesus spoke in the second beatitude, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” How can mourning bring me comfort, you ask? It all depends on your relationship with Jesus Christ.
The late John R. W. Stott, theologian and evangelical Anglican preacher had written; “The truth is that there are such things as Christian tears, and too few of us ever weep them.” Weeping tears over the sins and conditions of the world, including our own before a Holy God brings about true mourning. It also brings about the reality of who God is and who we are before Him. It brings about true repentance as we see ourselves before God. Confessing our sins, turning away from them and living a life pleasing to Him result in great joy and comfort.
The question becomes how often have you been comforted by our Lord through mourning. I need to ask myself the same the question. Do we truly mourn and weep as the Old Testament prophets, the apostle Paul and even Jesus did over the sins of people? Do we shed tears over our sins? Coming clean before God, admitting our sin before Him through mourning will open the door to true comfort, the comfort of forgiveness, grace and mercy.
If you are a Christian, you need to be shedding Christian Tears. Jesus said, “Blessed are they that mourn: (that shed Christian Tears) for they shall be comforted.”
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9 KJV
Have you heard the question; can two things be true? You may have asked it yourself or even debated the subject. Two things can be true at the same time. In personal matters it is more of a perspective of one’s circumstances, balancing out and seeing both sides of the same coin. Certain events may cause you to have happy and sad feelings with both being true, but in substantive matters it is not so much perspective of the truth, but truth itself.
In the Beatitudes Jesus says, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Considering both these statements are true, one will make you happy and the other quite sad, but it is not a matter of how you look at them. Jeremiah is stating the fact that man’s heart is sinful. Jesus concurs with Jeremiah’s assessment later in Matthew by saying, “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:” (Mt.15:19) A more important question than “how can these two statements both be true” is how can a sinful, wicked, deceitful heart become pure?
Sad, but true, is the fact that each of us were born with a sin nature alienating ourselves from God. Our hearts are very much as Jeremiah and Jesus describe it. But Jesus made it possible for a reconciliation between God and us by paying the penalty for our sin by dying on the cross. Our sinful hearts become pure when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savoir.
Can two things be true at the same time? Yes! In our earthly bodies we still have the sin nature, Jeremiah is right. And Jesus is right, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.” Joshua 1:6 NLT
The Old Testament book of Joshua is an excellent source of reference when starting any new venture in life. Transition periods can be overwhelming and even frightening even if you are convinced it is the way to go, after all you are conquering new territory and you haven’t been this way before. Joshua was chosen by God to be Moses’s replacement in leading the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. Wandering in the wilderness desert for forty years, those about to conquer new territory only knew a life of wandering. Perhaps becoming complacent they would now be faced with the responsibility of overtaking an entire land and destroying their enemies who occupied the land. No doubt they needed to be strong and courageous, but from where will they get the strength and courage needed to be successful. The source of their strength, as we will see, is also our source needed to conquer new territory; faith, courage, obedience, and total devotion to the Word of God. So let us begin.
Our first insight is to see that God always keeps His promises. He promised that Israel would become a great nation and that He would lead them to the Promised Land. The Lord made this promise to Abraham in the book of Genesis, “The LORD had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others…….Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession.’ (Gen. 12:1-2, 13:14-15 NLT) The promise to Israel is about to be fulfilled. God always keeps His promises and you can be sure He will provide the necessary means for you and me to accomplish what He has promised us as He promised and provided for Joshua and the nation of Israel.
The Lord gave Joshua four specific orders to carry out in his commission to service. Joshua was to go over the Jordan River with Israel, which was at flood stage at that time of year. He was to be strong and courageous. Joshua was to lead the people in conquering and possessing the Promised Land, and he was to obey all the Law of God as Moses had instructed him. The nation of Israel was about to embark on conquering new territory. Joshua was about to experience new territory as a leader for the first time. Both had the assurance that God was with them for He said, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Jos.1:9 NLT)
Life is filled with new challenges to overcome. Many of us have new territory to conquer due to family situations, health concerns, aging, financial needs, parenting, employment, and many other unexpected life events. The Lord is aware of our situations and concerns. He specifically knows of the new territory you need to conquer, and the first thing He wants us to do is to trust Him and ‘be strong and courageous.’ The phrase ‘be strong and courageous’ appears four times in the first chapter of the book of Joshua. The Lord wanted to make His point to Joshua, Israel, and to us to ‘be strong and courageous.’ We do not need to conquer new territory on our own. The Lord God is with us giving us the strength and courage we need when trust Him as He lead us and we are obedient to His Word.
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous!” (Jos. 1:8-9a NLT)
“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:13-16 NLT
Penn State University located in the heart of central Pennsylvania has students and alumni from all across the United States and around the world. What unites these individuals from where they were born to where they are now living is their ties to Penn State. All have shared the experience of attending the university or one of its many off site campuses. That experience has shaped itself into a community of commonality. There is a distinct connection between each of them and who they are in reference to Penn State University. They are Penn State. On a crisp autumn afternoon you can hear the chant of “We Are Penn State” during a Nittany Lions football game in Beaver Stadium and all across the country wherever Penn State fans gather to watch their team.
As current students and alumni of Penn State have a connection to each other, Christians also have a connection to each other through Jesus Christ. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Savoir are brothers and sisters in Christ, possess the Holy Spirit, and have the same Heavenly Father. Jesus in teaching His disciples states another common trait in all Christians, in fact He states it as a matter of fact. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth” and later said “You are the light of the world.” Jesus makes a rather distinctive point, “You are.” No misinterpreting, it is a fact. We are, as Christians together and individually, the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
We may at times not present ourselves as if we are “salt and light”, but that is exactly who we are. And with this matter of fact we have a great responsibility to live accordingly. Christians are to be salt, or a preservative, in the world. Society today is decaying and rotting away at its very core. It is essential that Christians be involved in all sectors of our world providing a much needed moral and righteous preservative through Jesus Christ. We are also to let our light shine before those around us. Our world has many clouded and dark areas in need of light. Christians are to reflect the light of Christ in our everyday activities.
We need to be careful not to let our salt become ineffective by adding impurities of the world into the mix, and we need to not allow the clouds of discouragement, compromise, and fear of persecution to cover our light when and where it is needed most. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” Matthew 19:21-22 NASB
A family of four are building a puzzle together at home during a game night.
Working on a jigsaw puzzle on your own or with friends and family is an enjoyable and relaxing way of putting away the cares of the world for a period of time. All the pieces eventually fit together completing the work and revealing the final product. The rewards are not only the finished product, but what was accomplished along the way. How many times have you got near the end of working your puzzle and realized you do not have all the pieces to complete it, in fact you’re missing only one piece. The last piece making it complete.
Our lives are like a giant jigsaw puzzle with the pieces falling into place throughout the years. For many of us there is a sense of urgency to feel complete in our lives. Despite what successes we may have there is this feeling that there is a piece missing making us incomplete. This feeling is two-fold, first of all we are created in the image of God, and whether we admit it or not, there is a longing to be united with our creator, and second we are created as spiritual beings with an eternal soul, meaning after this life is over we live on, and how can we know where that will be. For our lives to be complete in this life and the next, we need the missing last piece of the puzzle.
The gospel of Matthew records the story of a rich young ruler who asks Jesus what good thing he can do to obtain eternal life. He was looking for the missing piece. Having kept all the commandments so he thought, there must be something missing, he felt incomplete. Jesus wastes no time in answering him, telling him to sell all that he has, give the proceeds to the poor, and then follow Him. The young ruler was devastated by Jesus’s answer. His yearning to find the missing piece to his feeling of emptiness was put aside in place of his present day wealth.
Jesus’s instructions are clear, both to the rich young ruler and to us today. The thought is, there must be something else we can do to please the Lord and earn our Salvation. We are good people. We obey most of the ten commandants, and are kind to our neighbors, but we still feel incomplete. What is the missing last piece of the puzzle? It is Christ alone, accepting Him as our Savior and loving Him more than all our earthly possessions. Have you found your missing last piece of the puzzle? Read the story of The Rich Young Ruler: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+19%3A16-22&version=NASB1995
“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” Galatians 6:7 NLT
The seasons have changed once again, this time the warm days of summer have given way to the cooler temperatures of autumn. Along with the change in temperature comes the changing of the leaves depending on which part of the country you live. It is also harvest time for the professional farmers, home garden enthusiasts, and the novice like myself. A sure thing even a novice knows is the law of sowing and reaping, what you plant in the spring is what you get in the fall. If you plant peppers, you’ll get peppers, if you plant tomatoes, you’ll get tomatoes. Guaranteed, what goes into the ground will come up at harvest time.
Our lives are much like the seasons of the year that are consistently changing. You have heard of such expressions as, ‘this is but for a season’ and ‘seasons of change.’ We have all experienced the dark, cold days of winter only to have it birth anew into the warmth of spring. The heat of the summer sun brings joy, and the fall seasons reveal God’s rich blessings upon us. In each season of our lives, if we look closely, we will see God’s faithfulness in bringing us through each one. As He is faithful in the changing of the earth’s seasons, He is faithful and with us as we go through seasons of change.
Referring back to the law of sowing and reaping, sometimes our lives reach a dark and unpleasant season due to what we planted a season ago. What is being harvested today is bitterness, hatred, jealousy, selfishness, financial difficulties, broken relationships, addictions, and all the consequences of planting ill fruit. The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 6:7, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.”
An advantage to the seasons changing is they always come around again. If you did not have a bumper crop this year or you miss-planted a section of your garden, there is always next year. And whatever season you are in spiritually it’s not too late to start planting good seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and all those that will yield a spiritual bounty. It’s harvest time.
“News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Matthew 4:24 NIV
I’m sure many of you have heard of the term “going viral.” You may have used it yourself in describing something you have seen going viral. The source for the term used today comes as a product of social media outlets, mostly through videos, comments, and news events shared on these various sites. As more and more people share these posts, it rapidly multiplies the coverage on social media platforms making it almost impossible to miss. You may or may not agree on the content, but you cannot deny its effectiveness in reaching people.
Although the term “going viral” is related to today’s technological advancements, the concept of “going viral” is as old as history itself. It may have taken a little longer but the effects were still the same. The more spectacular and unbelieving the news events seem to be the more it would be spread abroad. One who has personally seen or experienced such an event would be most excited to share the news. Early in Jesus’s ministry on earth news about Him went viral as He taught, proclaimed the Gospel, and healed people of every kind of disease and sickness.
The people who witnessed and experienced the healings shared the news of Jesus with the methods of their day. No doubt the news spread quickly and soon people from all Syria were coming to Him for healing and casting out demons. As the word continue to spread “Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.” (Mt. 4:25) The good news of Jesus Christ was “going viral.”
Today we have the same good news the people had in Jesus’s day. The fact is we have a more complete understanding of who Jesus is. We certainly have more advanced capabilities to share what we know and have experienced about Jesus. Are we using all our available resources to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seeing it ‘going viral’?
The following devotional was written on February 9, 2020
“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” Psalm 118:8-9 KJV
Have you ever thought about where you place your trust? There are many days when we need help and guidance as we travel on the road of life. Where do you go and who can you trust? Do you go to others who are smarter than you? This is not a bad idea if they are qualified to help. Perhaps you rely on the government and those in positions of authority. Again, these are sensible choices for help in areas beyond your expertise or in seeking justice. Do you rely on yourself, not trusting anyone, no matter the situation? Not exactly the best idea! But there is one that you can trust completely in everything, the Lord God Almighty!
So where is your trust? I must ask myself the same question. In preparing this devotional this week, I became aware of some significant changes in my place of employment. My first reaction was how we get through this. What adjustments need to be made? What resources do we need? I applied the appropriate management plan of action, but in reality it got the best of me as it so often does. Then the Lord reminded me, in over forty years of management, there has never been a time when He had failed to provide for me. I failed to trust Him first before proceeding with the plan of action.
The psalmist writes, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man,” and that includes yourself. . “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” Put your trust in the one who knows you intimately, even better that you know yourself. Trust the Lord who created the universe and gave you life. He knows a lot more than you and I. He will lead you in the right direction. Where is your trust?
For further study in trusting God, Read Psalm 146;
“Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” Luke 24:25-26 NLT
The story of Jesus is not only a New Testament story, but an Old Testament one as well. Some people today dismiss the relevancy of the Old Testament scriptures in modern day Christianity. But it is in those very books of the Old Testament that speak of Him and actually predict His birth and His death to save sinners. Jesus Himself said concerning the Old Testament scriptures, “it is these that testify about me.” (Jn 5:39)
On the evening of Jesus’s resurrection, two men were on their way to Emmaus from Jerusalem. As they were discussing the events of that momentous weekend, Jesus came alongside and walked with them. He asked them what they were talking about. They found it hard to believe that anyone would not have known the events of the last three days. They told of the crucifixion of Jesus occurring on Friday, and noted that they anticipated that Jesus was the one who was going to redeem Israel. Then they told of the amazing discovery that morning of finding His tomb empty with angels declaring He was alive.
Jesus responding to His travelling companions points to the Old Testament scriptures and admonishes them that if they had clearly read the scriptures and believed them they would have not been surprised at the events that took place. Isn’t that much like today? We do not read the scriptures as we should, both the Old and New Testaments. They both tell of Jesus, His Story of redeeming sinners and reconciling us to God. It’s time to familiarize ourselves once again or perhaps for the first time, with the Old Testament of the Bible, it’s about Jesus; an Old Testament Story.
The most notable sermon of all time undoubtedly is Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. It is where we find the Beatitudes recorded for us in the gospel of Matthew. Jesus begins by saying, ‘Blessed are the poor in Spirit’ which the first of the often recited Beatitudes by many followers of Jesus. But how many of you knew there are seven beatitudes mentioned in the book of Revelation. Full disclosure; I’m sure I read them many times, but never considered them as a collection of Beatitudes (blessings) ,after all they are in the apocalyptic book of Revelation. But then again, what could be more of a blessing than the Lord’s return.
The book of Revelation actually begins with a blessing. Beatitude #1 is; “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” (Rev. 1:3 ESV) The apostle John was instructed to write to the seven churches in Asia Minor, which is modern day Turkey. This letter was to be read aloud. The one who reads it is blessed, and those who hear, pay attention, and obey it will also be blessed. Most likely, John wanted the book to read upon arrival for the time is near. It would serve as an encouragement for the church. The time is still very near, as the return of Jesus is the next great event to come. All other prophecy presented in Scripture before Christ’s coming has been fulfilled. Blessed are we when we heed with what is in this prophecy of the next event.
Beatitude #2 comes along in chapter 14; “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” (Rev. 14:13 ESV) The believer in Christ has assurance of eternal life after this life is over in contrast to those who die rejecting Jesus Christ as Savior.
Revelation 16 is where we find Beatitude #3; “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!” (Rev. 16:15 ESV) We are blessed when we are ready and expecting Christ’s return at any moment. A thief anticipating to break into your home is not going to announce ahead of time when to expect his arrival. Jesus encourages us to be ready as a watchful homeowner and a solider standing guard. A guard caught napping would be stripped of his clothes leaving him naked causing embarrassment. May this not be us, but let us be on guard in anticipation.
Beatitude #4; “And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” (Rev. 19:9a ESV) The invitees are all believers saved before Pentecost, all tribulation believers, and those believers alive during the Millennium. John MacArthur notes, ‘this is not the bride of Christ (the church), but the guests. The bride doesn’t get invited, she invites.’ All are glorified and will reign with Christ in His Kingdom.
A view of The Millennium Kingdom ushers in Beatitude #5, “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:6 ESV) All who die in Christ will inherent eternal life. Their souls are in Heaven with Him. At the Lord’s return their bodies will be resurrected and they we reign with Him for a thousand years on the earth in their new glorified physical bodies. There will be no second spiritual death; eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.
Beatitude #6 and #1 are verily similar in this respect, to keep the words written in this book. “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Rev. 22:7 ESV) This blessing also includes another admonition of Jesus’s soon return. Yes, he is coming soon for the time is near.
It is only fitting the last chapter in the book of the Bible provides the last Beatitude. Beatitude #7 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” (Rev. 22:14 ESV) Perhaps the best blessing saved for last. Those who have confessed and repented of their sin having trusted in Jesus Christ have been forgiven and had their sin stained robes washed and cleaned and now have access to the tree of life in the Heavenly city.
Now that we have reviewed the ‘Seven Beatitudes’ found in the book of Revelation, may we be able to say with John the Revelator, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20 ESV) What a Blessing!
Word for the Soul 