April 28th, 2019
Devotional
“The First Blessing” -
Matthew 5:3 and Mark 12: 41-44
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Monday: “Poor in Spirit” - Matthew 5:3
Imagine the scene. People have come to Jesus hoping to be healed from whatever ails them but instead of finding healing they find a teaching. And not just any teaching but a teaching that pointedly challenged everything that they believed, as Jesus started with the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
You can almost imagine a gasp going up can you not? This is not exactly what people have been taught and certainly not what their lives show that they believe up to this point. And if we are honest, this is a teaching we still struggle with today.
So we try to wiggle out of it. We try to think about how the Beatitudes line up with our eyes of worldly success - only to find that they do not. Or we start to wonder if the Beatitudes are just for some people and not others - but that isn’t true either.
The Beatitudes, starting right off the bat with Matthew 5:3, invite us into a different way of living, a Kingdom way of living. Starting right with the word “Blessed”. Blessed does not mean that we get everything we want or that things always go the way we imagine, or that we will never have a need in our life again. Instead, blessed, means that we are connected with God and reflecting the hope of the Kingdom of Heaven.
What is your definition of success? How does it align for the Beatitudes?
Prayer: God, we admit that at times we struggle to see the blessing in the Beatitudes, especially with the idea of being poor in spirit. Sit with us this week, O Lord, as we reflect on your word and open up our hearts and minds to receive it so it can transform us for your Kingdom. Amen.
Tuesday: “Rich” - Mark 12: 41
What does it truly mean to sacrifice? To give something up so that others do not go without. We are a country that honors and upholds sacrifice. We praise our service men and women for being willing to lay down their lives and those who leave their homes to go clean up after natural disasters or are life long missionaries to other countries, leaving behind everything they know for the sake of the gospel. We smile when we hear stories in the news about children giving up every penny they had in their piggy bank to help other children in need. We honor and praise sacrifice as long as it isn’t a hardship to us. As long as we are not the ones being called to sacrifice. As long as we can give like those in this verse out of our abundance.
For if we are honest with ourselves, this Bible passage probably frightens us a bit. Is Jesus really asking us to give up everything we have? Isn’t this type of sacrifice dangerous? When we dwell on the widow’s sacrifice itself, Jesus’ call to us can seem too daunting. Too risky. So we don’t try to sacrifice anything at all - at least not anything that means something to us. But what if the story isn’t about the widow or the gift she brought? What if it wasn’t so much about how much she gave but rather her attitude behind it? What the widow shows us today is what it means for a disciple to have a heart of devotion, a heart that lives into the Beatitudes.
How is a heart of devotion related to the poor in spirit?
Prayer: Lord, we confess that sometimes we would rather be able to give out of abundance than make a sacrifice. We admit that we would rather be rich than poor. Rather be strong than weak. Rather be seen as lifted up than lowly. And yet. And yet, as we look at the widow’s heart of devotion, focused on you, we see a new way of living, a Kingdom way, that emerges. Invite us to walk the path that leads to life abundant, Lord, as we focus on you. Amen.
Wednesday: “Poor” - Mark 12: 42
The dictionary defines devotion as a profound dedication, consecration, or an appropriation to a person or cause. In lay man’s terms when one is devoted they are sold out, all in, or dedicated to with all they have. But in order to be devoted we must sacrifice - sacrifice of our time, money, and talents. For our sacrifice is an act of worship.
Devotion is not so much a matter of the head, or knowing something, but a matter of the heart. Devotion cannot be hidden for long under the guise of long prayers or other acts of worship that are meant to make you appear a certain way. Devotion is about what we believe becoming the way that we live.
That is why Jesus pointed out the widow bringing her offering to the temple. Not so much for what she gave, but the heart that was behind it. For while the woman gave a lot less then the scribes that Jesus was warning against, she gave her offering as a sacrifice and as an act of faith. She was so faithful that some would call her foolish. Just as others may describe us as foolish if we are poor in spirt. She gave absolutely everything she had - not knowing where the money would come from for her next meal let alone anything down the road. She simply trusted that God would provide and she gave. She didn’t give just what she could, she gave more then what anyone thought she should, and isn’t that what we admire about the sacrifices that others make? We admire how much others are willing to risk for what they believe in.
What risk is there in giving like the widow?
Prayer: Lord, as Jesus looked at the widow, he didn’t see her poverty, but her heart. Give us eyes to see the hearts of those around us. Let us not define people by the standards of the world, but rather the standards of your Kingdom. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
Thursday: “Put in More” -Mark 12: 43
The widow offering was also an act of devotion because of how she gave. She didn’t give so that others would notice her or in such a manner where she would draw all of the attention to herself. Instead she gave in such a way that would bring the honor and praise to God, not herself. How often have you found that some of the most devoted people you know are the unsung heroes? The people who do things in the church you never even knew about until one day they are no longer with us to give of their time and talents? Being poor in spirit is about shedding all egotism or greed that we may have, any desire we may possess for bringing attention to ourselves, and taking on the characteristics or God, chiefly those of humility, love, and sacrifice.
How would you describe someone who is poor in spirit?
Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your word, that sometimes comforts us, and other times challenges us. But at all times, O Lord, we look to your Word to lead us into deeper relationship with you as it reveals your character to us. Speak to us, O Lord, not just of who you are, but also, what you desire from us this day and always. Amen.
Friday: “Put in Everything” -Mark 12: 44
While devotion literally means giving of your whole self, your whole life, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it comes easily. Devotion requires faith and trust. But just because it is hard does not give us an excuse not to try. As Christian disciples we strive to be growing deeper in love with God and our neighbor every day. And that striving is an act of devotion itself. There are going to be times when others will think our devotion is misplaced or foolish. But we know the truth, that which is foolish to man is priceless in the eyes of God. For it is in ability to love Christ so deeply that we are willing to risk it all that we can truly begin to understand the love that Christ showed for us on the cross and the devotion he had to the kingdom of God. May we try each day to fall a little more deeply in love with God, as we set aside our desires and our worldly definitions of what it means to succeed and instead look to becoming poor in spirit, all for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Do you find it easy or difficult to make the Kingdom of God a priority? Why?
Prayer: Lord, we confess that we aren’t always devoted to you as we should be. Yet, O Lord, you invite us to come to you anew, in an attitude of confession, and find forgiveness and grace to try again. Forgive us, Precious Lord, for the times we have failed to be poor in spirit, for the times we have tried to make our own way happen, for the times we have judged ourselves worthy by the world’s standards while abandoning yours. Meet us in our need and embolden us to live anew for your Kingdom. Amen.
Saturday: Preparing for the Word
You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic: “The Second Blessing” - Matthew 5:4
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