True Repentance:
READ
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3–12, RSV2CE)
REFLECT
The beatitudes are about being blessed if you recognize your own relationship to sin.
Poor in Spirit means I recognize I cannot fix my sin problem. I have it and don’t want it and can’t fix it. God is my only hope.
Mourn means I mourn that my sin contributes to evil against God, evil against myself, evil against others.
Meek means that I recognize I need to submit myself to God’s direction and power to live free of my sin.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness means I am starving for my God, I am thirsting for my God and wanting to be right with him all the time. He is my everything even food and drink.
Merciful means I recognize all men are also broken by sin and have compassion on them for their slavery to the evil one. Pray for our release.
Pure in heart means that my first and only love is God who loves me and came to save me. Nothing comes before Him.
Peacemaker means I am to tell of the only remedy: God. Give others the mercy and love I have received showing who God is.
Persecuted means people are blind and will hate the truth. They will lash out. Accept it as the path for my purification and grace meeting them with the seeds to think about.
The Benefits of seeing my relationship to sin and asking God to be my deliverance:
I will have the kingdom of heaven. I will be comforted. I will inherit the new earth. I will be satisfied in and with My God. I will receive mercy. I will see God. I will be God’s daughter. I will be in the kingdom of heaven. I will be rewarded.
PRAY
I don’t think I ever saw this passage this way before. You are explaining repentance. I must see the truth and want you my Savior to deliver me. You are the remedy. I cannot fix anything. I have to be humble enough to see and ask for help. It is hard to be able to see the evil you are truly inside. I am to be like you - you are the measuring stick not others. Otherwise I’m comparing evil to evil which does nothing but keep me lost. I must be willing to see the perfect standard and see how far I am from that. This is what breaks evils chains. Then when I see the truth of the evil in me I can repent and ask for the mercy and grace to submit myself to your power which saves. Our ego has to be smashed. We do not want to admit how evil we truly are. We like to pretend or think ourselves better but when we pull all the curtains down the truth is horrifying. But only then can we be healed. Every-time I point at someone else I am covering up my own evil and losing a little light. Help me my God, help me be willing to keep pulling down my own curtains to live in the light so that you have access to all the broken parts so they can be healed. If I do not repent, I cannot be saved. Help me have the strength to confront myself in the knowledge of your merciful love that wants to deliver and save me not crush me.
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