Peace and Joy for Your Life
In association with the Sermon on the Mount it would be regarded that this teaching by Jesus is the key text: “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” (Matthew 6:8 KJV). They (the disciples) were not to take their cue from the people around them, but from Him (Jesus), and so prove to be genuine children of their heavenly Father” (John 15:8). As Christians, we are to be identified with Christ, not by the culture around us, or by our tendencies within us.
Over the years, it’s been observed that there is an evil and glaring disparity between theology and practice among professing Christians. An intelligent observer of our human scene who heard the Sunday morning message and later watched the Sunday afternoon conduct of those who heard it would conclude he had been examining two distinct and contrary religions.” It appears to me that too many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of feeling right but are not willing to endure the inconvenience of being right.” Jesus wants us to seek the applause and approval of heaven as innate characteristics of the kingdom of God. (See Matthew 6:33 KJV).
“Blessedness” is an inner satisfaction that gives joy and sufficiency that does not depend on outward circumstances for happiness. Those who are “blessed” have inner lives that are rightly aligned. The root idea is “approval.” When we bless God, we are approving and praising Him; when He blesses us, He is expressing approval of us. In the sight of heaven, those who live out what Jesus is telling us are “superlatively blessed” because the Almighty is extending His endorsement. That is why this term, “blessed,” is used at the beginning of each sentence as if to emphasize its exuberant exclamation of inner joy and satisfaction.
How much do you crave God’s approval of you? Do you want His smile more than your self-centered aspirations? Do you desire His applause more than the approval of your friends? If you want God’s blessing more than anything else, He has made it available for you to have. But first your life-style must glorify Him above everything else. How badly do you want His blessing?
Note: God puts us here to glorify Him with our lives and to use His love and mercy to be a blessing to others. Have you been a blessing to somebody today or this week or this month? Think about it. But can you remember how many times you have asked God to bless you this week or how much you desire for someone to bless you with something this week? Pray to God to turn you around to begin living for His honor and glory and you’ll marvel how you’ll no longer work hard to glorify yourself.
Let’s pray: Lord, give me ears to hear Your magnificent offer afresh as the Great Physician’s only prescription for genuine, lasting joy in my soul while I live to serve you and glorify Your name in this world and the one to come, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Today’s reading: Jeremiah 43-45; Hebrews 5
About the writer
Bassey Ekong, Dip Ed, BSc. Ed, B. Ed, M. Ed is an educator/teacher of science on the high school panel of the local board of education in the Ottawa-Carleton region. He’s a psychology of learning specialist. A scholar; always learning, a writer, teacher and trainer, adviser board of directors and pastor of the Light of the Nations Ministry International, a non-denominational ministry with its headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He can be reached at: [email protected].