"when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them..." (5:1-2). He saw the lots of people and He purposefully planted Himself in front of them up high so He could be seen and heard, and He blessed them first with thoughts about how to live blessed.
the poor in spirit
those who mourn
the gentle
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
the merciful
the pure in heart
the peacemakers
those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness
theirs is the kingdom of heaven
are comforted
shall inherit the earth
shall be satisfied
shall receive mercy
shall see God
shall be called sons of God
theirs is the kingdom of heaven
looking over these eleven verses stills my heart. i feel quiet...and wish i could've physically been there. i used to spend a lot of time thinking about whether or not i would've gravitated toward Jesus and been one of the many in the crowds that came around Him. i don't think about what would i have been like if i'd been there so much any more. i think i feel like i've run out of time for hypotheticals. (and sometimes i get in this flow of thought of questioning myself and waste precious time angsting about my inadequacies and miss out on the truth of what i'm reading/distracted with me. yeah so i reject that and look at Jesus and His perfect. His perfectness. and truth and His life and His words.) ...but/so...i can imagine and think about what it was like to see how He responded to the crowds. i love here how He went uppppp so everyone could see and hear. and i love how He sat down. a rested posture...sitting to tell them some things to hold on to...to wrap their minds and hearts around. i see the red letters here...these three chapters as kind life-living guidance and help mostly for pride-dispelling. pride puffs up and riles up and agitates and frustrates and is unrestful. i see Him sitting and saying, let pride go and just be and live and do what is right because that gives life. i love that an outline prayer is part of His talk (6:9-13). i use it most days...thinking about what He said to remember to pray about when you pray.
writing this morning to start a morning writing habit again. thank you soooo much for reading, friends. i love this and i need His word. journaling helps me think/i've said-written this so many times...but it's just as easy to share it and then, someone who reads maybe could be blessed too...Jesus, let us read your words with openness and trust...even small trust at first for those new to the bible. help pride fall off and quiet our hearts.
this day is Yours, Jesus and this blog. thank You for Your kind words.
