When we take a stand and say "Jesus is my Lord and I am a follower of Him" life can get a little tough. We live in the South, so that kind of stand may be a little more accepted, but a true stand for God's Word and The Faith has its different problems. Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount gave warning to His disciples about what to expect if they followed Him and It wasn't going to be all rosy and easy. Jesus also told His followers who they would be and the blessings that would come because of that life position. Luke 6: 20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.21 God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh.22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.
Jesus appears to be telling them and their modern-day disciples that following Him transcends the way the world looks at people. To say, that God blesses you who are poor, is a call to look beyond what money and position can give you. The Apostle Paul had a good grasp on who he was and his condition of service when he wrote in Philippians 4: 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. Jesus even went on to say The Kingdom of God is yours.
The Kingdom of God is more than food, more than wealth, more than social position, and more than Christian piety. The Kingdom of God is a life wrapped up in a relationship with Jesus and He is all we need. That kind of life transcends the needs of the world and goes to a deeper life of purpose and it is who we are to be. At the core of this peaceful, life of faith is a life of contentment in who Jesus has called us to be and we put things like jealousy, power, wealth, and many other things on the back burner and move the fruit of the Spirit to the forefront of our lives. Paul warned about letting the desires of this world take over our lives and in Galatians 5 he lists a fairly exhaustive list that are the product of a worldly way of life. Galatians 5:19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Paul goes on to show the results of the "being" life Jesus mentioned in the above verses and the list shows a life that resembles all of Jesus' teachings. Galatians 5: 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Jesus does give us a choice and also says there will be blessings for those who live that Kingdom kind of life. Jesus says "be happy!" That is what I want to be.....HAPPY!
The Pilgrimage Continues,
David Warren
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