Weekly Devotional - The Teacher Speaks

"Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." - (Matthew 5:1-4, ESV)

Picture it. Set the scene in your head.

Jesus has just started his ministry. People are just starting to listen. He's gained the ear of the Jews. And the crowds have started to amass, to come and hear this new, courageous teacher of Scriptures. He climbs a hill, followed by his disciples. He sits. His disciples sit around him, waiting. The people gathered around fall silent, waiting as well. The teacher speaks...

And so begins the Sermon on the mount - an epic collection of Jesus' teachings in which he shows us what it means to live in the Kingdom of Heaven.

He begins with a seemingly contradictory statement.

"'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

How is it the poor end up inheriting a kingdom? What does it mean to be poor in spirit? Do I have to be poor in spirit to gain the kingdom of heaven? It sounds like being poor in spirit means I can't own a flat screen TV or a swimming pool.

Here are five short devotional thoughts from these two verses.

This Is An Invitation
Jesus isn't writing pithy one-liners to put on bumper stickers or hallmark cards. He's giving us an invitation. He's asking us to become poor in spirit. He wants us to inherit the kingdom of God.

Being Poor In Spirit Has To Do With How We See Ourselves
It's that beautiful moment when we're relieved of the burden of self-reliance. It's understanding we're broken. It's realizing our own inability. It's knowing we're powerless, and unworthy of the love and affection of a God who is the opposite of all that. Poor in spirit means we see how deeply we're screwed - which is something that's easy to see when we look at humanity as a whole, but it's a hard thing to own up to personally.

God Cares For Those Who Turn To Him
Some might say it's unhealthy to look at ourselves as fundamentally flawed creatures. But I would simply ask which is more unhealthy, being sick and refusing to acknowledge it, or being sick and calling a doctor? Jesus says those who mourn shall be comforted. The only comfort which has any meaning is the Gospel. The only comfort which lasts is the love of Christ - that tangible, self-sacrificial, never-ending love which was the impetus of Christ's death on the cross. It's the only kind of love which comforts those who mourn.

We Must Live In A Contradictory Manner
Just like Jesus' first statement, we who seek to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to earth must live in a contradictory manner. This goes beyond not using swear words, smoking, or watching R-Rated movies. It means loving people in a radical (and tangible) way. It's understanding the self-sacrificial and never-ending love of Christ which drives us to love others with that same kind of tangible love. If you want to read a practical book about learning to love people in our day and age, go pick up Bob Goff's book "Love Does." It's a short and easy read packed with awesomeness based on the idea that love is a verb. These are the kind of people who inherit the kingdom of heaven - the ones who love like Jesus loved.

Being Poor In Spirit Ultimately Looks Like Humility
All of this combines to give us an attitude of humility - the poor in spirit are humble. They know they need help. They know it's not all about them, it's about Christ. And they want to help others in any and every way possible.

How can you seek to be poor in spirit this week? How can you show others a tangible and self-sacrificing love?

Weekly Devotional - Remaining Faithful, Even Through Hard Times

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.  

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:2-6, ESV)

Paul, the author of the book of Colossians, was a man well acquainted with suffering. He was beaten, whipped, betrayed, and was even shipwrecked. The book of Colossians was written from a prison cell. Paul was imprisoned for spreading the Gospel.

And yet Paul's main concern was still spreading the Gospel! He asks the Colossians to pray for him, that he would be able to leverage his current imprisonment to share the Gospel.

Often, when we face hard times, our first instinct can be to blame God. Maybe not directly, but we ask questions like, "God, why would you let this happen to me?" But to Paul, the answer to that question is clear. God let him be put in prison so he could share the Gospel. 

Paul goes on to ask for prayer, that he would be able to make the Gospel clear. And then he exhorts the Colossians to do as he does. To leverage their current situations to share the Gospel clearly.

Our circumstances, good or bad, are opportunities to speak of Christ's saving work on the cross. Your ability to remain faithful to Christ through hard times may be the strongest testimony of all.

What Would Kanye Do?

photo © 2009 editrixie, Flickr

Today I watched an interview in which Kanye was wearing one of those old WWJD bracelets popular when I was in 3rd grade. Kanye West has listed Jesus Christ as one of his biggest inspirations on more than one occasion. And it got me thinking. It's not like I can fault the rap artist for finding inspiration in the historical Jesus. Christ was an inspirational person with a radical message who changed the world. But it's telling when Kanye West is more inspired by Jesus Christ than many Christians I know.

Reading the gospels, the stories of Christ, it's captivating. The way he spoke, the way he taught, the stories and parables - I can't tear my eyes from the page. The way he loved people, the poor and the rich, the marginalized and those in power, it makes me nervous. It makes me think maybe the world doesn't revolve around me, and that's scary (I guess Kanye missed that part). It's like I become torn between wanting to keep reading and this desire to go out and BE like Jesus.

I mean, it's not always like that. There are a million distractions just waiting to stifle inspiration. I'm a nerd, so I'm always catching myself reading the Bible from an academic point of view rather than an awe-inspired point of view. Or I get busy with life, and simply fail to pay attention to who and Jesus actually is, and what he did and is doing.

So maybe we Christians need more a little more inspiration. Maybe we could spend a little less time discussing doctrine, political parties, and gay rights. Maybe instead of slinging verses at our opponents like fiery darts we could take a new look at Christ. A good look. One which moves us.

I think sometimes its easy to say we "Love Jesus." But isn't the lover of someone a person which has been deeply inspired by another? Kanye's bracelet was a reminder to me, today, to find inspiration in Jesus again.