Blessed Are

Looking at his disciples, [Jesus] said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets." (Luke 6:20-26)

Jim Carrey, the actor, is one I have a difficult time watching, but he has had a couple of movies that are noteworthy. One is "Bruce Almighty." It's a great movie in the contrasts of Bruce at the start of the movie and at the end. At the start, Bruce is eaten up with the self and his TV anchor position he believes he deserves. After ranting at God endlessly, God (Morgan Freeman), gives him the power to be God for a week. Of course, he uses the power for himself and gets the world in a world of hurt as a result. Then he has an epiphany that it's not all about him, and he becomes a better man. (Yes, I know it has theological holes all throughout, but I like the movie and the basic message it has.)

What is it that I love about life here on earth? Do I love life for itself, or do I see a greater purpose provided by God for me in this life? Am I called to live a lifestyle that is centered on me or one that is centered on fulfilling what God has called me here to do?

This week we've looked at two places in life, being in and with God through faith and not being with God. In Psalm 1, we read about the man who delights in the law of God, being like a tree planted by a stream while the wicked are like chaff that the wind drives away. In Jeremiah 17, we've read about the man who trusts in himself or man in general, as opposed to the man who trusts in God. One is like a shrub in the desert and the other like a tree by a stream.

Today's account in Luke parallels Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount" (chapters 5 - 7). Ch 5 in Matthew has the "Beatitudes" which are all blessings. Luke includes a section of "woes" in his account, which like the other readings this week, presents a contrast between a believer and non-believer. The key verses in this passage are 22 and 26 which serve as a contrast to the believer/non-believer. 

We are blessed when people hate, exclude, and reject us because we follow Christ, and we are cursed when being popular is our focus, "everyone speaking well of us," as they did the "false prophets." In other words, our time on earth is temporary; our blessings are eternal. Look past the temporary, and see the eternal. Life in Christ may not be fun, especially when we face persecution to varying degrees, but we will be blessed in eternity with Christ (joy).

That's a tension we face here on earth, and our minds take us down that road of "what is rich?" (Among other questions we ask about this life) Christ answers that in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 very plainly: "21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If I put my trust in God, I know all that I have comes from Him. I pray prayers of thanksgiving for that and use what I have to glorify Him. If I trust in myself, I look in the mirror each day and tell myself, or let others tell me, what a great man I've become. That in itself is important to me in fact. God, if He's in my life at all, can take a back seat. God didn't get the grades at school. God didn't have the vision to build my business. I worked hard to get where I am.

It's not a matter of the locus of control. It's a matter of where my daily bread comes from, and to whom do we give the credit? Like all else in life, it is perspective and attitude. Like Bruce, we can be caught up with self to the point of allowing it to drive us and our decisions/actions. As people of faith, our prayer is to give credit where credit is due. As we used to sing in the liturgy from the hymnal, "All that we have is Yours alone, a trust O Lord from you." "We Give Thee But Thine Own," Lutheran Hymnal.

Pray with me: Gracious God, we want to be blessed and to know you are the source of all we have. Help us to see that daily and to use what we have to your glory. When we start to take credit for all we have, we ask daily that you send your Spirit to guide us, strengthen us and renew us so that we focus on You, the author of our faith. We desire to be blessed by you for our faith, not our own actions, and we pray our actions are reflective of those blessings you've given us. Help us to remember that our time here is temporary and to turn to You when we suffer because of our faith. We pray for those who face persecution in Your name. In Your Son's Name, Amen.

For Further Reflection

I think this is an area of life that we as Americans struggle with the most - our lives and our possessions and our "wealth" compared to others in this world. Matthew 6:21 helps me, as does reviewing Christ's words in lessons from these verses. What are your thoughts on this kind of topic?

Peer pressure is tremendous, regardless of culture. How do we reconcile this world and the desires that come from living here and our desires to be with God?

How does the concept of "Faith Alone" and "Grace Alone" help us when we think about issues of being of this world and with God as believers?