Morning At Last

In my last post, I introduced this study to the Beatitudes.  It’s not meant to be a deep theological study, rather a way to get back into the Bible and see what God wants to show us today.  That post set the tone for this study.  If you missed it, you can read Getting Back Into The Word – The Beatitudes from this link.

A few years ago, I got to thinking about all the things that I had been taught in the various churches I had attended and suddenly wondered, “What did Jesus teach?”  Have you ever thought about it?  We have so many sermons about how to be a good parent or to witness, or to evangelize.  As important as all that is, much of the scripture they rely on comes  from the Epistles because it wasn’t what Jesus focused on.  I was surprised to find that in the three and a half years of Jesus public ministry, He mainly taught about the Kingdom of God.  Isn’t it interesting that many churches never teach about the one thing that Jesus taught about more than anything else?

The Old Testament prophets are full of references to the coming Kingdom of God.  The Bible ends with references to the Kingdom actually taking its place on Earth.  Speaking of that, we are headed toward the establishment of a one world government on Earth and that is a major sign that we are in the last days.   The question is, who will be in charge of it?  I believe the ones who are setting it up will not be the ones who govern it in the end.

It’s more important than ever before that we begin to understand and look for the Kingdom of God being established on Earth.  To some this will seem like a pipe dream.  Others will point to the spread of the Muslim religion and tell us that we are on the decline and will be wiped out through declining birth rates.  Nevertheless, God’s Word is true and before this is all over, we will see His Kingdom on Earth.  Understanding that gives new meaning to the Beatitudes.

Mat 5:3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  (KJV)

Unless you realize that you have nothing in yourself that the world wants or needs, you won’t come to the place of truly relying on God.  You really do have to die to yourself to embrace His life.  That’s another reason why you have to get away from the busyness in your life and spend time with Him.

When Jesus sets up His government, it will be a Theocracy.  That means it will be run God’s way according to His laws and judgments.  Most people are afraid of that because they think of God as a harsh being whose primary purpose is to cast everyone who doesn’t do what He says into Hell forever while showering favor on a select few.  It’s fine if you belong to the select few but what about everyone else?  I’m not going to talk about that now because it is more than this post can cover.  Just know although that concept of God came into predominance with St. Augustine and is taught by most christian churches today, doesn’t mean that is who God is.  As your Momma said, “Just because everyone is doing it doesn’t make it right.”

I love the way the Message Bible translates this verse.

Mat 5:3  “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule.

If you have been feeling a little pressured lately, lean on Him and let His strength carry you through.   Isn’t it nice to know that when you feel that you have made a complete mess of things, Jesus is still your savior?