The Beatitudes Are About Relationship, Not Behavior

Matthew 5:3

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

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught about the good behavior that was required to earn the treasures of heaven and the rewards of the earth.  These teachings became known as The Beatitudes.  

All in all, for most people, The Beatitudes seem to offer rewards that do not seem reachable and require behavior that seems out of touch with what the world has to offer.  Our difficulty in understanding the Beatitudes lies in our frame of reference.  The Beatitudes become much clearer when we realize that The Beatitudes are not about our behavior, but all about our relationship with Jesus Christ and how it impacts our lives.   

It becomes even easier to understand The Beatitudes when we break them down into two sections and analyze them accordingly.  The first four Beatitudes specifically address our relationship with Jesus.  The remainder of the Beatitudes address how our lives will change when we accept Our Savior.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit" speaks to how far we fall short of the glory of God without His Son's redemption.   "Blessed are those that mourn" speaks to our need to express our sorrow for our sinful ways.  "Blessed are the meek" speaks to our need to humble ourselves before Our Savior and accept the salvation that He offers us.  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" speaks to our need to become new men and women in Christ.

When we have responded to the teachings of the first four Beatitudes by accepting Jesus as Our Savior, the character and actions in our lives become a reflection of the rest of the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount.  With Christ indwelling in us, we are able to be merciful, be pure of heart and be peacemakers.  As a result, we will receive the rewards of this earth as promised by Jesus, but we will also be persecuted for our righteousness in Christ.  When all these things have happened to us and for us, we can rejoice and be glad for our reward will be great in the kingdom of God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing to us our great need in Our Savior, Jesus.  We exalt the name of Jesus for it is through Him that we are given the kingdom of heaven.  We pray, Lord, for the humility to recognize our filthy and condemned nature without the saving grace of the Cross.  We ask that Your Holy Spirit will come along side of us and help us so that we will allow the power of the presence of Your Son in our lives to change how we serve You.  We pray that we receive the fullness of the blessings that are promised in the Beatitudes.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Rewarder, Jesus Christ.