Beatitudes

Jesus’ Words Up On a Mountaintop

May 10, 2014 by coleen hayden

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

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May i introduce you to this beautiful song written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. It is sung to the tune, SLANE, which we traditionally know as ‘Be Thou My Vision.’ Below is an instrumental version of the traditional song so that you can sing these lyrics about Jesus preaching the Sermon on the Mount. I hope it blesses you as much as it did me when i stumbled upon it!

Up on a mountaintop, Jesus sat down,
Teaching the people who gathered around:
Look for the blessings that God kindly brings;
God’s loving kingdom is changing all things.

You are the salt and you’re also the light.
Flavor God’s world, with your faith shining bright.
Know that I’ve come here, God’s word to fulfill.
Keep the commandments and follow them well.

Let go of anger, for it is a sin.
It will destroy you, both outside and in.
Even your thinking can lead you astray;
Whatever tempts you, just throw it away.

Keep strong the bonds between husband and wife;
Keep your commitments for all of your life.
Don’t swear by heaven or by earth below;
Let “yes” be “yes” then,
and let “no” be “no.”

If any hurt you, then you may resist,
But not with hatred or weapon or fist.
God’s way is stronger than any you face;
Stand up and love them! And give them God’s grace.

Love those who hate you and pray for them, too.
God’s mercy reaches out far beyond you.
Seek, as God’s people, God’s wholeness each day
So you can witness to God’s perfect way.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Be Thou My Vision, Beatitudes, blessed are you, carolyn winfrey gillette, coleen hayden, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, Seeking Him devotional, SLANE

Blessed Are The Believers

May 9, 2014 by laurapattillo

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Sticks and stones may break my bones,
But words will never hurt me.
Yet, words hurt me when I am alone,
With no one to help me be
Happy and to be me.

People are going to talk
Behind my back
As I quietly walk
Down the road and back.

Evil will be spoke against me,
And I will try to block it out
As I try to be
My best without any doubt.

There will be those who hate
The belief that I hold dear
But I know my fate
Just as I know theirs.

They will answer one day
For all that they do
And everything they hurtfully say
Yet they have no clue.

Yet I know what that one day
Will bring to me and believers all
Who believe what One has to say
For we answered His call.

Our reward brings joy
To our hearts because it is great
To know that glory
Is now our fate.

Those who went before
Were treated the same
But they knew the score
Was with the one without blame.

We should all smile
And hold our heads high,
As we walk our hard mile
For our reward is nigh.

He will come soon
And end all the hate.
It may be high noon,
But unbelievers will meet their fate.

Believers will have eternal life,
With joyous smiles and eternal glory.
Nonbelievers will have eternal strife,
Within the confines of eternal fury.

The Cross bore the brunt of the hate, but Jesus still won. He beat the persecution and the evil so that we could live in eternity. The prophets knew this was coming, and we know that it happened. We know the joy and the rewards that await in Heaven, and that should get us through these days of hate and pain.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for defeating evil. Thank You for the opportunity to walk with You and be in a relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, laura pattillo, Matthew 5:11-12, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotionals

Take Joy

May 7, 2014 by Tina Marin

Ever been accused of doing something you did not do? It can be an occasion to become angry, confused, and desperate. Jesus was foreshadowing how His life was going to play out. Even though He knew the outcome of His life, He still chose to let others in on God’s basic plan. God wanted His people, Israel to come back to Him. From the time that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they have done nothing but whine and complain.

In the New Testament we have Christ’s example to follow in order to honor Him. We also have the Apostle Paul and John the Baptist as examples of how to live and not become discouraged. Jesus was tasked to show and tell others about His Father in Heaven, about how to get to Heaven, and how to grow in our faith. Paul showed us through his perseverance during his journey across the Middle East that teaching others about God’s love was more important than his own safety and comfort. While Paul was beaten, whipped, stranded, jailed, and shipwrecked, he never lost his passion and drive to share with others. The zeal he had used to persecute the Christians was the same he used to tell others the good news!

John the Baptist is an example of sacrifice for his beliefs. God sent John to be a messenger for Jesus’ ministry. John was raised with rules and a different purpose than most other kids. Being taught Scripture by both parents, he was raised in a strict Nazarene lifestyle—set apart and different. I am sure he was persecuted for the way he behaved and how he was different while he was young and definitely during his ministry. The Holy Spirit was with John while he preached the coming of the Messiah. He was able to discern the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and other religious leaders when they came to hear him speak.

We all know the outcome of each of their lives. What is more important is how they lived. The desire to serve God was so overwhelming they could not stop themselves. I pray that we, also, would receive a desire like their’s to share the Lord’s love with others as we live our lives.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus, Jesus speaking, John The Baptist, Matthew 5:11-12, Paul, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotional, Tina Marin

Blessed…Even When Persecuted

May 6, 2014 by Tonya Ellison

Typically blessed is not a word I would normally tie to persecution, and definitely not a word I would think when harsh words are being spoken about me. Thankfully, I don’t have to rely on what I think, or how I feel.

When I read this verse, the last line jumped out at me “for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” For myself, it brings me comfort to know that there were those before me who experienced persecution, taunting, false speech, and evil. It brings me comfort to know that they were blessed, and to read their stories of how, with God at their side, they overcame the figurative—and, at times—literal stones that were thrown at them. Having the examples of their lives offers hope that we can and we should rejoice and be glad, despite what we may be facing.

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself,
lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.
Hebrews 12:1-3 NKJV

‘Lest you become weary and discouraged….’ The One who suffered the greatest persecution of all, the One who gave His life so we could live, offers us another example of perseverance in the face of persecution. He knows the weight that lies on our shoulders, He understands how difficult it is to rejoice, to be glad, and to not become weary or discouraged. But He also knows that we are capable of these things in these situations. Not only does He know we can do it, but He has given us the skills to do so. In these situations I (we) need to remember the examples given to us in His Word—examples of those who walked our path before us.

Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for not only offering examples of those who have walked this path before us, but thank You for living the greatest of those examples. When life begins to weigh down on us and perseverance is not something we think to practice, Your words are a page away and remind us that it can be done. I pray that we see examples of joy and gladness in our lives and in others. Just as You and the prophets of old are examples for us, that we may be examples for others. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, blessed when, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, Matthew 5:11-12, persecuted, persecution, Tonya Ellison

Persecution…Say WHAT?!?

May 5, 2014 by cynda cottrill

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Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—
with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation,
regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you
and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account.
Matthew 5:11 AMP

Have you ever thought of persecution as a good thing? Something to take joy in, to rejoice over? Nope, not me. Yet this verse states we are blessed if we are mocked, reviled, defamed, cursed or falsely accused. Say What?!? How can persecution possibly be good?

Look at it this way: persecution forces us to focus on what we believe, why we believe it, and what, (or Whom), we are suffering for. Living a “Kingdom life” for Christ’s sake is a display of our discipleship. Our values and morals are at odds with the world. Those who persecute us hope to tarnish our witness. And, our tormentors may not be just unbelievers. According to David Guzik empty religion hates genuine faith and rejects true faith. So we may be persecuted by so-called “Christians” as well. But consider this…if we weren’t living a radical life for Christ, we would go unnoticed. Right?

1 Peter 4:14 puts it like this:
If you are censured and suffer abuse [because you bear] the name of Christ,
blessed [are you—happy, fortunate, to be envied, with life-joy,
and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward condition],
because the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, is resting upon you.

We can suffer and be persecuted for Christ only because He first became human to suffer for us. He was persecuted so that our suffering, our persecution would not be meaningless. Our suffering for His sake is a prelude to glory and joy. We are blessed because of the reproach, the defamation. It shows we are following Jesus, that we are being identified with Him. And the best part? Through our persecution, Christ is glorified. Hallelujah! Can I get an amen?

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Lord, help us see persecution as a good thing, for it means we are following closely to You. Let our attitude through torment and trials bring glory and honor to You. Let us remain steadfast and remind us we can do ALL things through You, for in our weakness Your strength is perfected. In Jesus’ precious name, amen – so be it.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: 1 Peter 4:14, Beatitudes, cynda cottrill, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, matthew 5:11, persecuted, persecution

Boldness

May 4, 2014 by Ahmee Bronaugh

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Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:11-12

Last week I wrote about rejecting Christ. Is denying Christ to be accepted by man acceptable in your eyes? Who truly is the Lord of your life? Are you a God-pleaser or is people-pleasing more important? As easy as it can be to point out the negative, it’s only fitting that the positive be addressed. Standing for Christ or having boldness can be scary; it’s one of those things that is better shown through example. And I know exactly where to find some great examples!

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Daniel 6:10

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance.
Esther 5:1

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
Esther 1:17

Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
1 Samuel 14:6

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
1 Samuel 17:45

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.
Daniel 3:17

Each of these verses is pulled from a record in the Bible of an ordinary person standing boldly for Christ. Boldness isn’t about our ability, but about our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Boldness is about what He can do—not what we can do. Boldness is saying “No, I won’t cheat” when everyone else is. Boldness is not being different for the sake of being different, but with godly purpose.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.
A man reaps what he sows.
Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction;
whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Galatians 6:7-8

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Dear Lord, give me the strength to be bold for Your cause and Your cause alone. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: ahmee bronaugh, Beatitudes, daily devotions, Matthew 5:11-12, Seeking Him devotional

Beautiful Words

May 3, 2014 by coleen hayden

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Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

Beautiful Words, beautiful Words, He spoke beautiful Words.
The wind lay still, and the whole world listened as He spoke beautiful Words.

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.
Blesses are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the Children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake;
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
And shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

Beautiful Words, beautiful Words; He spoke beautiful Words.
The wind lay still, and the whole world listened as He spoke beautiful Words.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, Beautiful Words, coleen hayden, daily devotions, Jesus speaking, johnny cash, Matthew 5:10, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotional

Persecution For Our Lord

May 2, 2014 by Tina Marin

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Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

Here, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is reminding those listening about the prophets who suffered in the Old Testament. We should be glad when we are persecuted for our belief in Jesus Christ. When persecuted, we are associated with His meekness, with how He mourns over us when we willfully sin and how He shows mercy. Jesus wants us to walk by faith, not by sight.

Jeremiah is one of these Old Testament prophets. He was selected by God to call His people back to Him. The leaders kept ignoring Jeremiah. They felt all he had to say were negative things about them and about what was going to happen to them if they did not repent and turn back to God. Jeremiah even cried out to God, asking why he was supposed to tell the people about the devastation awaiting them if they did not change their ways.

They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law
by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets.
So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”
Listen to me, Lord;
hear what my accusers are saying!
Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.
Remember that I stood before You
and spoke in their behalf
to turn Your wrath away from them.
So give their children over to famine;
hand them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives be made childless and widows;
let their men be put to death,
their young men slain by the sword in battle.
Let a cry be heard from their houses
when You suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden snares for my feet.
But You, Lord, know
all their plots to kill me.
Do not forgive their crimes
or blot out their sins from Your sight.
Let them be overthrown before You;
deal with them in the time of Your anger.

Jeremiah 18:18 – 23

While Jeremiah complains, he still completes the task God has laid before him. Jeremiah felt such an urgency to share God’s words, that he could not contain them. In the New Testament, Paul of Tarsus would be an example of what it means to serve God and be persecuted. Paul endured beatings, imprisonment, hunger, sickness, and lonliness for Jesus. He was always willing to share the Gospel with those who wanted to hear and just as willing when the ears of unbelievers didn’t want to hear. We are to plant the seeds of faith, the seeds of wonder, and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

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Father, thank You for those that have followed the examples of Your prophets. Thank You for the missionaries of today, who are persecuted for sharing Your love, grace, and mercy with those who do not know You. Surround them, Father, with Your protection as they persevere through their hardships and let the Holy Spirit bring peace in their distress, comfort when there are tears, and bring words of inspiration when they feel loss. Let us learn more about these individuals so we may lift them up to You every day. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, jeremiah 18:18-23, Jesus speaking, Kingdom of Heaven, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotional, Tina Marin

Blessed Are the Followers

May 1, 2014 by laurapattillo

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Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

Our world is in chaos. Our world is slowly self-destructing. This has all been predicted by God. We have a Shoulder to lie our heads on when the world pulls on us to the point where we ourselves are about to self-destruct. We already know Who wins. That is glorious news to come!

However, until that day comes, we must wait here on earth for Jesus to return for us. Until then, we are supposed to spread the good news of His birth, life, death, and resurrection. However, as we proceed to do this, we will always meet those who scoff at the story of Jesus and do not believe in the miracle that He performed on the Cross.

Prayer is no longer in our schools.
Students and teachers must be careful of what they say and do in school.
The National Day of Prayer is under attack.
Our missionaries are being imprisoned in foreign countries where Christ is not welcome.
The freedom of worship is being attacked and prohibited in our military.

BUT

God is with those who are with Him.
He leaves those who forsake Him and do not follow His laws.

Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
1 John 3:13

We should not be amazed that the world hates Christians nor should we dwell on this fact either. As Christians, we should forge ahead carrying our shields of faith into battle. The world does not like what it does not understand. For those who have no real exposure to Christ, they do not understand who He is or what He has done. Therefore, they choose to hate instead of getting to know the Truth. It is our mission as Christians to live as Christ did and show those who do not understand the truth behind God’s love.

The world will try everything it can do to bring us down. It will hurl insults and injure those who do not conform to its will. Yet, the ones who live by God’s grace and follow His will live a blessed and eternal life with God when time ends. They will also inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and receive their reward for enduring the wrath of the world. They will worship God throughout eternity in the heavenly place that is being prepared for them.

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Dear Heavenly Father, we pray that You will stand with us as we walk through this life and spread Your wonderful message. We know that there are those out there who do not understand the story, and they are the ones who try to bring us down. We pray that You show them the Truth and help them to understand. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: 1 John 3:13, Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, God is with us, Kingdom of Heaven, laura pattillo, Matthew 5:10, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotional

Kingdom of God

April 30, 2014 by Ann Mwafulirwa

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Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10

This simple petition carries a lot of meaning. We have already seen in our meditations on the Beatitudes that Jesus often spoke of “the Kingdom of Heaven,” or “the Kingdom of God.” For him, as for many Jews at that time, it was a future expectation, something to look forward to, a day when the reign of God would be complete, absolute, and apparent to every sentient creature on Earth. It was a time when oppressed Jews would no longer be downtrodden, but be free to worship God whenever and wherever they pleased. Their oppressors would be vanquished, and there would be a restoration of some form of theocratic government. From this perspective, it makes sense that this petition would be coupled with the previous, “May [or “let”] Your name be held sacred.”

However, on the lips of Jesus, this petition means a lot more than just a change of governments. When Jesus teaches us to eagerly anticipate the coming of God’s Kingdom, He appears to mean this on varying levels which we deduce from His teaching elsewhere.

For Jesus, the Kingdom was something that will come at a future time (e.g., Matthew 5:19-20; Luke 21:31; 22:16) but also something that was a present reality. He proclaimed that the Kingdom has “come near” (e.g., Matthew 3:2 and 4:17) and indeed was the present possession of some (e.g., Matthew 5:3 and 10). Jesus taught what the Kingdom of Heaven is like—present tense (e.g., Matthew 13:24-53), and who may or may not enter it—again, present tense (e.g., Matthew 19:14, 23; 23:13).

From all that Jesus tells us, I think it’s fair to say that God’s Kingdom is not some kind of hoped for military take-over, as with previous revolts and theocratic kingdoms. Rather, God’s Kingdom arrived with the coming of the Messiah, and the proclamation of the Gospel. Those who are Christians—for whom Christ is Lord and Savior—are citizens in the Kingdom of God, while being residents in this world (1 Peter 1:1 describes us as “resident aliens”–a perfect description of Christians at present). But this is just a deposit—a promissory note anticipating the full payment of the Kingdom in the end times.

At some time in the future, God will call all men to final judgment and the events predicted in the Book of Revelation will come to pass, with Satan and his minions, along with hell, being cast into the lake of fire. Then God’s dominion will be established totally, with all people under His loving and gracious authority.

You might ask: if God is sovereign, doesn’t He already have absolute power and authority…so what are we asking for here? I would respond by saying, yes, God is sovereign, and He has absolute power and authority. He can do as He pleases whenever it pleases Him. Which means that the state of affairs as they are right now, with the name of God slandered throughout society, and Christians being demeaned and, to varying degrees, persecuted, is part of His plan and is in accord with His timing. When we pray this prayer, we are not asking for God to establish something that is not currently His, or to gain authority by conquest. Rather, we are asking the Lord to hasten the day when He executes the final stage of His plan of redemption, when all His elect are called to Him, the present godless age is brought to an end, and He establishes His rule throughout the universe, with Satan, sin, and all that oppose Him set aside permanently.

This means that when we pray for the salvation of our non-Christian friends and family members, we are asking God to extend His kingdom on Earth in this present age. But we also pray that God will, indeed, shorten the time we have to endure this godless age, and bring about what we so long and hope for.

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Father, we thank You for who You are in us and us in You! And for Your unconditional love for us in Jesus’ name, we say ‘thank You!’ Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: ann mwafulirwa, Beatitudes, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, Jesus speaking, Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 5:10, persecuted, persecution, Seeking Him devotional

Jesus’ Words Up On a Mountaintop

Blessed Are The Believers

Take Joy

Blessed…Even When Persecuted

Persecution…Say WHAT?!?

Boldness

Beautiful Words

Persecution For Our Lord

Blessed Are the Followers

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Kingdom of God

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