“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:3-5 (NIV)
Sometimes, God’s ways don’t make sense to us. The Bible teaches us to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, and the last will be first and the first last. Have you ever thought, “But this seems backward?”
The Bible also contains instructions on how we “should behave.” But this always makes me feel I have fallen short. Because of this, I left the church and ran away from God for years. I thought I could never be good enough for God.
The Beatitudes Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount are the perfect example. I was taught that the Beatitudes meant the “attitude to be.” I saw them as a checklist for good Christian behavior. We should behave humbly, righteously, mercifully, and peacefully.
But what I find interesting is the wording says, “Blessed are those who are,” and then it lists a category or label of society in the world. However, it does not say “those who do” a behavior from the checklist. Perhaps this verse isn’t about behavior at all.
Perhaps Jesus is saying we are blessed because our Kingdom identity (identity in Christ) differs from the world’s labels. We are blessed despite what we are experiencing. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:3-5, NIV).
We may be poor in spirit, but the Holy Spirit guides us and leads us to become more like Christ. We may mourn, but God comforts us. Being meek is not a problem because we know we will live in eternity with Jesus. And we are already righteous and pure of heart because Jesus died for our sins and mistakes. To the world, this doesn’t make sense. But the Bible tells us, “Do not love the world or anything in the world” (1 John 2:15, NIV).
Despite my mistake of running from God, He lovingly called me back to Him by showing me He gave us the law and instructions to help us live better lives by suffering fewer consequences from poor choices. “Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you” (Jeremiah 7:23, NIV). He also sent Jesus because He loves us even when we mess up. He knew we would all fall short.
Father God, Thank you for sending Jesus to free me from the law and penalty of sin. I praise You because I no longer need to worry about things that don’t make sense to the world. Help me focus less on behaving according to a checklist and more on loving You and others as You have loved me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Further Study
14 Biblical Paradoxes Every Christian Should Know
