Blessed
Are They Who. . .
By Rev.
Lonnie C. Crowe
Matthew
5:1-2 (NKJV)
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: “
In the next few weeks, we will be
considering “The Beatitudes”, the heart attitudes that allow the blessings of
God to flow through our lives. To begin,
we must first understand how to position ourselves for receiving the Word of
the Lord.
Multitudes came to the valley to
witness and to receive miracles of deliverance and healing. Only those who sought the deeper truths of
the Lord were willing to climb the mountain, sit at His feet and learn. Hear
the words of our Lord, Matthew 11:29 (NKJV)
“29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” The only place where we can learn truth is at the feet of Jesus.
“29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” The only place where we can learn truth is at the feet of Jesus.
Disciples
are learners; learners in Jesus become gentle, humble and restful, no longer
struggling with the forces of evil and the deceitfulness of the world system.
Changes in our lives are
manifestations of what we have learned.
We can faithfully attend church, memorize scripture and sing in the
choir, but if we are not changed, we have not learned. Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) “1 I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Learning brings transformation so that we
exhibit the will of God in our lives.
What is God’s
perfect will for our lives? To be
conformed to the image of Jesus. Romans 8:29 (NKJV) “29 For
whom He foreknew, He also predestined to
be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn
among many brethren.” Before the foundation
of the world, God determined that His people will be like, have the qualities
of, the Godhead.
The Beatitudes declare the blessings of being conformed into
image of Jesus Christ. That
transformation begins with our minds. While we can mask all sorts of evil mindsets with outwardly
socially acceptable behavior, a renewed mind will be
manifested in our conduct. Remember that
God searches the heart. Jeremiah
17:9-10 (NKJV) “9 "The
heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who
can know it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every
man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”
Let’s join
together the prayer James Orr so beautifully penned in the old hymn, “Search My
Heart.”
Search My Heart
By James Orr
- Search me, O God, and know my heart today,
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray;
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free. - I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy word and make me pure within;
Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire to magnify Thy name. - Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord, in me abide. - O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival, start the work in me;
Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.
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