I had the wonderful privilege of growing up in the beautiful state of Arizona. Although for most of the year I wouldn’t necessarily describe southern Arizona as beautiful. Other descriptive words would be “brown” or “ugly” or “dead.” The reason for this is because it’s the desert. Around the monsoon, however, something remarkable would take place. As the desert received the much needed rain, the brown would turn to green, the ugly would turn to beauty, and the dead would turn to life! It is truly remarkable the transformation that takes place simply by adding water.
In our above text, God describes His word as that transformative water. Our hearts can be barren, rocky, ugly, and even dead, but with the addition of the Word of God the transformation is simply miraculous. Have you been battling with bitterness? Does your life seem barren? Is your hope dead? The remedy is remarkably simple: spend time with Jesus in His Word and believe what He says. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 tells us that the Word of God is effective if we believe. For the Word to transform, you must believe that it is able.
 
APPLICATION
When was the last time you spent with the Lord? When was the last time you allowed the Word to speak, challenge, encourage, or rebuke you? Put it to the test and watch your life transform like the beautiful Sonoran Desert.

Jeremiah 48:26 and 29
“Make him drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the LORD…
We have heard the the pride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart.”

I’ve heard a lot of Christians talk against fear and those living in fear recently. Hearing things like “I refuse to make decisions based on fear!” That is a great mantra to live life by. It is biblical to not live in fear but to live by faith. My caution however, is to not assume that because someone is living different than you, that they are then, therefore, living in fear. That bold sounding statement, can be riddled with pride if you’re not careful. In my time of Bible study I have repeatedly seen God comfort the fearful and reject the prideful. If you’re keeping score, I’d say living in pride is more detrimental than living in fear. Obviously both are wrong, but one God can comfort and console, the other He corrects and chastises.
 
Pride is such a silent killer because it numbs us to our own failures. It takes our judgmental eyes off of us (where they belong) and places them on others. It causes us to compare ourselves with others and then we determine who is better (guess who wins that one?). It is so blinding that it can even cause us to conclude that we should be exalted above God. Sure, we might not say it in those exact words, but pride lives it out. We assume that our perspective is correct and the Bible is incorrect. We justify things away that God wants us to apply! 

In this season of a thousand opinions, be sure yours isn’t rooted in pride. Be biblical, be loving, be joyful, be gracious, be informed, be helpful, but don’t be prideful.

God Bless,
Pastor Eric Souza

Jeremiah 23:16-17
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
“Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.
They make you worthless;
They speak a vision of their own heart,
Not from the mouth of the LORD.
17 They continually say to those who despise Me,
‘The LORD has said, “You shall have peace” ’;
And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall come upon you.’ ”

The above verses in Jeremiah 23 do not offer the kind of advice you’d expect from the Lord, do they? “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you.” That’s like someone saying not to listen to pastors who preach to you, isn’t it? Yup! The key here is to make sure that what pastors are preaching is actually the Word of God. That is the context of these verses and the problem with these “prophets.” They weren’t teaching the Word of God, instead they were making two huge (unfortunately still very common) mistakes: first, they were speaking their own hearts and, second, they were telling the people only what they wanted to hear.

To start, let’s touch on this first blunder, that they were speaking their personal truths and not the Word of God. This is a huge mistake still made behind many pulpits today. The harsh reality is, because of this, there are plenty of pastors who should not be listened to. Instead of telling the people what God desires them to hear, some pastors teach what is in their own hearts. Amazingly, it’s in the book of Jeremiah where we read that our hearts are desperately wicked, who can know it? So to paint the picture with clarity: those who teach from their hearts are fallible people who are teaching from the most deceptive part of their nature. This is precisely why some shouldn’t be listened to.

The second mistake made by these so-called prophets is that they taught the people what the people wanted to hear. They tickled their ears. This happens because it’s easy to maintain the crowd when you tell others what they crave to hear. The annual budget doesn’t suffer when people hear what they want to hear. The growth of the church can’t be stopped if you tell people what they want to hear. Unfortunately, while there may be many attending and listening, individually no one is growing. The reason for this is because what we want to hear is far from what we need to hear. The only one who knows what we need to hear is the One who wrote the Bible, which, once again, shows the importance of genuinely teaching the Word.

So, in conclusion, those who are worth listening to are those who are teaching you the authentic, untainted Word of God. If your flesh gets offended by the message of the Bible, that’s a good thing. A pastor ought to focus on LOVINGLY teaching the TRUTH. This is crucial.

 I’ll finish by encouraging you with some recommendations, and by reiterating that, although some pastors shouldn’t be tuned into, there are many wonderful pastors who you ought to listen to. For example: Allistair Begg, Ed Taylor, Jim Gallagher, Charles Swindoll, Robert Furrow, Pat Lazovich, Matt Chandler, David Guzik, and Ravi Zacharias (just to name a few)!

Isaiah 65:4-5
At night they go out among the graves,
worshiping the dead.
They eat the flesh of pigs
and make stews with other forbidden foods.
Yet they say to each other,
‘Don’t come too close or you will defile me!
I am holier than you!’
These people are a stench in my nostrils,
an acrid smell that never goes away.

What stinks to God? People who are living wickedly and still have the audacity to boldly declare themselves more righteous than others. That is the context of Isaiah 65. This group of people was participating in pagan practices and rituals yet still concluding that they were the enlightened ones. Currently, in America at least, most hypocrites don’t worship the dead and ceremoniously feed on the flesh of pigs, but they do come to church and lift up defiled hands in worship. Most today don’t make forbidden stews, but they do still conclude that they are holier than the next person.
 
It might seem harsh, but when we conclude that only our perspective is valid, we are essentially relaying the same thing as the people in the above verses, that we are holier than everyone else. This mentality makes us believe that only our viewpoint is accurate, that only our viewpoint represents truth, so, therefore, no one else should be listened to but us. But this is exactly what God says is a stench in His nostrils. I think that most don’t think that pride is as bad as it actually is. Sure, it’s not good to proclaim that you are the best, but it’s ok for me to think that I’m the only one who is right. How have we missed this connection? God hates pride, especially religious pride. Please listen and know that I say this to myself as much as I do to you, you are not perfect and everyone else flawed. You are not 100% correct and everyone else just needs to jump on board. Please humble yourself and recognize your fallen and fallible condition. In this humility, you will be freed to serve, to give advice, to live with joy. It’s amazing what pride robs you of and it is equally as amazing what humility gives to you! Let’s be people, especially today with knowledge so rampant and gentleness so lacking, who are humble and kind. Let us know that we are not better than anyone else, we are simply sinners saved by grace.

Isaiah 31:1
“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
And rely on horses
Who trust in chariots because they are many,
And in horsemen because they are very strong,
But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
Nor seek the LORD!”

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Yeah, sure, that phrase is all well and good, but where do the tough really go when the going gets tough? One answer is that some listen to the voice of the age and turn inward to find strength. We have been told our whole lives that there is nothing we can’t accomplish if we just believe in ourselves. While this sentiment makes for a great Disney movie, it isn’t realistic or true. I can believe in myself all day long but that won’t make me a professional basketball player. The reality is that what’s deep down inside of all of us is, well, gross. There is a heart of original sin and wickedness. That heart is the seat of all human deceit. However, what we should actually find when we look down deep is a need; a need for a Savior.

While some turn inward to find strength, some, on the other hand, turn outward. They look to strong people, brilliant strategies, money in the bank account and countless other things to find security. They, as Isaiah would say, go down to Egypt and rely on horses. Egypt was the strong nation that many escaped to and a picture of their strength was seen in their military (i.e. horses). Those who relied on Egypt believed they were unbeatable. So time and again godly people turned to the Egyptians for aid (i.e. Abraham, Isaac, and the nation of Israel). However, they were sorely mistaken every time. Egypt was mighty, but Egypt wasn’t God.

 As we’ve discussed, some turn inward and others turn outward for help, but it is the genuinely wise individuals that turn upward. Only the Lord can save. No amount of intelligence, finances, charisma, or planning can compete with God Almighty! He and He alone is wise. He and He alone is sitting on the throne! Times are crazy right now and who are you going to turn to? Where are you going to run? Who are you going to call (bad time for a Ghostbusters joke?)? If the answer is anything but the Lord, your answer is wrong. I pray that all of us humble ourselves and fully rely upon the Lord and not upon a person, place or thing

Psalm 32 is about forgiveness, but not just forgiveness in its own right, but, rather, specifically when forgiveness is given to us from God. In fact, the title of Psalm 32 is “The Joy of Forgiveness” and I can think of no better title than that. What a relief it is to know that God, through his unconditional forgiveness, lifts the burden of guilt and shame from our shoulders! Take a look at the first word David uses to explore the feeling of forgiveness, the word “Blessed”. Deeply and profoundly happy is the person whose transgressions are forgiven. How could one not be deeply and profoundly happy when they have been released after wrestling with guilt their whole life? It is wonderful to experience the forgiveness of God.

While receiving forgiveness from God makes one blessed, sometimes that same blessed person, over time, can forget what that blessing was all about. Sure, it was exciting at first, but now you’ve learned to clean yourself up. Possibly you have arrived at a point where you feel that you don’t have much to be forgiven of, so why does forgiveness remain such a blessing? This train of thought has derailed many Christians’ faith. Believing themselves to be better and purer than they are, they have belittled the work of Jesus on the cross. Even beyond that, they may have kicked out the Joy of Forgiveness and then welcomed the Burden of Legalism in.

If you have forgotten what joy is all about, return to your first love. Return to the moment when you experienced your burden lifted and remember the relief you felt. Remember how that grace shown to you made you want to show grace to others! Returning to our salvation produces the sweet fruit of joy.

Let the simplicity of this first line of Psalm 92 hit you. In a world that doesn’t feel to have a lot of good in it currently, it’s wonderfully refreshing to read and be reminded of something that is truly good. Giving thanks and praise. While giving thanks to the Lord is obviously very good, it doesn’t necessarily imply that it is easy. Meaning, it is good to give thanks, of course, but that doesn’t mean that we will always want to do it. Understand that our desire or lack thereof to do something doesn’t impact its goodness. If ever there was a time to give thanks, it’s right now! In this world that seems to be falling more apart on a daily, if not hourly, basis, may we as believers boldly stand and shout thanksgiving to our good Lord. You might want to complain, or stress, or even slander, but don’t. Do what is good instead. Give thanks and sing praises to our Most High.
 
The second verse is as timely as the first. We are told to declare two things: His lovingkindness and His faithfulness. While we could talk all day about both incredible traits, what I’d like to draw your attention to now is when and how often we are to declare them. When we wake up, our first thoughts and words ought to be declarations of His lovingkindness, not criticisms, not frustrations, not worries. When we go to bed, the last thing to be uttered ought to be declarations of His faithfulness. In a time of such uncertainty, it should be of great comfort to us to be able to declare that which never changes: His faithfulness. No matter what we go through, we can wake up every day with His lovingkindness not just on our minds, but on our lips. No matter what happens in the world, we can go to bed every night with proclamations and assurance of His faithfulness. If we declare these things, we can rest assured. It will be good.

You know, there just isn’t enough praise going on in the lives of believers today. I hear a lot of requests, complaints and concerns, but praise is surprisingly lacking. I think it’s a matter of perspective. When we are focused on what we want, we request. When we are focused on the injustices in our lives, we complain. When we are focused on our worries, we offer our concerns. But, when we are focused on God’s power, we praise! I believe that we ought to have an open and honest relationship with God, so that means there is room for making requests and offering up concerns, but not to the exclusion of praise. Praise should be the first thing on our lips, not the last and certainly not missing altogether. One of the healthiest things for believers to do is to continually keep our eyes on Jesus. When we do, our problems shrink as our praises rise!

Are you currently going through problems? Sing praises. Are you entering into a spell of prosperity? Sing praises. Are you in a stretch of time that is simply pain free? Sing praises. No matter what season we go through as believers, Jesus always gives us cause to sing and proclaim praises to Him!

In Job 29, our dear beaten down brother Job, is reminiscing for reprieve. He is recalling to his friends of the authority, favor and respect he once had in his society. He was a man who others came to to receive counsel, he was respected by respectable people, he was admired and looked up to. Then chapter 30 opens with these two fateful words: “But now…” Now, you see, everything has changed for Job. He was once on top and now is on the bottom. Once he had respect, now he is repulsive. He used to have power and now doesn’t even receive pity.

Job’s plight was far from desirable, but there is no doubt in my mind, that many relate to him. Many look at where life has taken them and feel a twinge of the pain that Job felt. Unfortunately, the relating to Job doesn’t stop there. Like Job, many have concluded that God is the culprit behind their catastrophe. The reality is that the enemy of Job’s soul was culprit. He was the one who was relentlessly attacking him and it was God who was graciously preserving him. In the end, when the curtain is fully up, Job finally sees. My encouragement to you, if you are in the ringer, is to not turn against God, your Protector. Instead of looking at your past, comparing it to your present, defeatedly concluding like Job with the phrase, “But now…”, may we look up to the heavens and cry “I don’t know why I’m going through this, but I know that You are good!” May we never let go of God’s goodness and grace. No matter what you are facing, it doesn’t change the perfect character of God. We may question many things, but may we never question Him.

I know there is a lot going on in our city and nation right now. There is much to process with the protests and riots taking place and it can be frightening and confusing. How should we be responding as Christians?

First off, injustice in any form and to anyone is wrong. All people should be treated fairly and with equality. We are all equally valuable as human beings, made in the image of God. Our race, gender, age, physical characteristics, actions, or place in society does not determine our value. All people deserve equal justice and respect.

Secondly, there is a godly way and a wrong way of responding to injustice. Romans 12:21 says, "Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good." We should not respond with violence or hate against our neighbors, but with kindness and peace (Romans 12:18). What good does it do to repay evil for evil? We are called to respond to evil with goodness (1 Peter 3:9) and stop the spread of violence and hate.

And lastly, our role in this national situation should be to remain faithful and obedient to God, conquering this evil with the goodness He has shown to us. We need to use good discernment in our responses to situations or social media posts and continue to care for those around us. Treating others with dignity and respect is not a suggestion, but a command (Mark 12:31). People should not have to earn our respect or demonstrate their worth. Each person should be treated in the same way Jesus treated those who hung Him on the cross (Luke 23:34), with equal compassion and love. Our goal should be to equally show the power of the love of God so those who are without God can find Him and believe.

Please join me in praying for our nation, communities, and neighbors. Many people are personally affected by these events, living in mourning, in fear, or both, and need the encouragement and hope that is only found in Jesus.

Passing the baton is almost never easy. Many Olympic sprinters wish they could have a ‘do-over’ because what seemed like destiny ended in tragedy because the only reason they lost the race was due to a baton blunder. This struggle is not isolated to the Olympic Games, though. In fact, it is far more common in the grandstands than on the grand stage. Normal, average people struggle with passing the baton everyday. It happens when we teach our children new responsibilities that they will be taking over from us. It happens at work when it’s time for a boss to retire. It happens in ministry when someone, who has been trained and raised up, is raring and ready to take the reins.

The two most common struggles with this transition are: letting go too early and not letting go at all. To the first point, sometimes we are done and want to move on from something we have lost vision for, so we let go too early by giving control over to someone who simply isn’t ready. Another way this happens is by not casting vision for the next person in charge. Notice that Nehemiah didn’t do this. He passed the baton to two men who had shown initiative (Nehemiah 1:2) and were faithful and fearful (reverent) in their walks with God. Nehemiah knew that failure would be inevitable if he didn’t appoint properly.

 The second struggle is not letting go at all. Whether it is a pastor who is no longer fit for the position he has within the church or a parent who refuses to give their child any responsibility because they know they can do a better job of it, a refusal to let go will cripple those who take over after you. Nehemiah finished his work and moved on to the next thing God had in store for him. Rather than making his seasonal calling of rebuilding the wall a god for him to worship, he gladly gave it to someone else so he could walk in his calling. Take a note from Nehemiah. When the time comes, be willing to release but also be responsible with who you are releasing to.

After a lifetime of successfully fighting against enemies, David acknowledged three crucial points of observation in this passage that would be significant and wise for us to note. First, the Lord was actually the One who delivered David from his enemies. Astutely, David recognized that he didn’t tackle his obstacles on his own. This is a behavior that we all ought to get into the habit of doing. Instead of taking full credit, we must always recognize the source of our success. David, who was as accomplished as any man could ever hope to be, knew who deserved full credit and, thus, was willing to give credit where credit was due. We should recognize that all our achievements and prosperity come from Him above and should be eager to follow David’s example!

Second, David acknowledged that his enemies were too strong for him. Again, this is crucial for us as well! Too many have tried to convince themselves that they are stronger than what they really are. Thinking thoughts like, “I am strong enough to take the Devil on!” or “I alone will stand against the world!” Such thoughts are foolish on many levels. They aren’t true, for starters, and these thoughts set ourselves up for failure, when the promises they boast don’t come to pass.

Third, David acknowledged that although the enemy attacked him when he was vulnerable (the day of his calamity), the Lord was his constant support. No matter what the scenario, no matter how far backed into a corner the enemy has you, the Lord is your available everlasting advocate! When feeling attacked and imprisoned, or if you find yourself surrounded by those who may hate or overpower you on some level, run to the Lord! Be in His Word, spend time at His feet and fellowship with His people.  Because He is your ceaseless support.

Genesis 50:20
But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive

Regardless of any tough circumstances you might find yourself in, you know God is in total control, don’t you? I know, I know...you’re thinking, “It doesn’t seem like it!” or, “Well then, He must not love me very much.” Can I extend some quick encouragement? Before you go to these extreme conclusions that will do nothing but harm you, could it be that you aren’t seeing things clearly? Could you be missing what the Bible is teaching you?

You see, we can get upset with God because we don’t like the situation we’re in. Do you see how myopic of a view that is? God, who is all-powerful and all-loving, has promised to use the very situation that you hate! Sure, you don’t see it right this second, but, as they say, hindsight is 20/20. In other words, if you prevent bitterness to settle in your heart towards God, you will someday see a benefit come from your burdens. This is exactly what Joseph did! Unfortunately, he was betrayed by his family. Let’s pause there for just a second. How many people find it inconceivable to recover from that one particular trial? It isn’t easy to feel abandoned and rejected. But, that wasn’t the end of Joseph’s trial. It got MUCH worse! He was rejected by his family AND sold into slavery. Surely, it can’t get much more difficult than that, right? Wrong! After faithfully serving the Lord and his earthly master, Joseph was then falsely accused and unjustly thrown into prison. It’s at this point that the vast majority of humanity would have bitterly turned their backs on God with the mindset that would say, “After all I’ve done for You, this is how You repay me?!” Joseph, however, was the exception! He remained faithful to God and humble to those he was in contact with. After being forgotten about for 3 years, the Lord finally opened the door for Joseph to be the deliverer of an entire nation because of his faithfulness! Please note that God delivered Joseph so that Joseph could serve others.

The point of this incredible story is that God hasn’t abandoned you, He just has better vision than you. He sees what you can’t see. He will use what you’re going through! Don’t grow discouraged or disgruntled. Stay humble, faithful and flexible.

Matthew 5:10
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

This Beatitude, which revolves around persecution, is the most unique of the Beatitudes due to it being the only one that mentions multiple aspects. This tells the listener/reader that persecution, which is hostility because of religious/race/political beliefs, is multi-faceted and complicated. Persecution comes in all different shapes and sizes. First, there is physical persecution, which is more common than many American Christians know. This is obviously the type of persecution that comes in the form of beatings, imprisonments, stealing of freedoms etc. Unfortunately, many of the church are currently under this form of persecution. If they are faithful to the Lord, like Daniel, they are thrown into the proverbial lion’s den every day. 
Next, and more common for the American church, is the second type of persecution, which is described when Jesus says, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely”. This is the emotional persecution that is much more prevalent in our nation. For example, when a believer is made to feel stupid in a classroom, or when a believer is made to feel like a bigot for lovingly explaining what the word of God teaches on sexuality. Or even when a believer is made to feel like an outcast for believing something out-of-date and ancient. All of these are very real persecutions that can greatly affect an individual. Although all persecution is difficult, the Lord does promise us that we are blessed and not alone. These are the two things a persecuted victim desires to feel, and Jesus reassures them of these truths! If you are persecuted for Christ’s sake you are blessed because you are able to more deeply identify with His cross! Besides that, you are far from alone in your persecution because many (including the prophets) have been persecuted before you.

Please note that Jesus says you are blessed if you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. However, some people could be known as persecution hunters. They shockingly enjoy persecution because it appeals to their pride. They think things like, “I’m more persecuted because I’m more holy!” Jesus never says anything like this! Believe me, you don’t need to go looking for persecution. If you are sincerely living for Christ, it will find you.

Pursuing peace is a rare task in our world today, but that is exactly what a peacemaker does. They are someone who ultimately desires to pursue peace. Although peacemakers can be mediators in conflict, they can also be a party in a conflict, but, despite this, as long as their end goal is peace, they are considered peacemakers. While many people live to be offended and find reasons to avoid peace, a true peacemaker finds this rationale foreign. In fact, the peacemaker will go to extremes, including humbling themselves, to find peace. There is no doubt that this world is in desperate need for peacemakers. Unfortunately, if we are being honest, the Church has just as much need for these tranquil and caring souls as the world does. In fact, some of the most gruesome conflicts have happened between two members of the Body of Christ. So much pride and stubbornness can fill the pews on Sunday mornings, such as taking pointless, firm stands on peripheral doctrine that leads to a lack of co-laboring and peace. Can I be completely transparent for a second? Satan wins when we, as the Body of Christ, fight! I understand that there are some things that we must break fellowship over, but that list is much smaller than many believe. I pray that we will adopt a peacemaker’s heart, and seek reasons for peace instead of reasons for strife.

The reward of the peacemaker (apart from living with more blessed peace than others do) is to be called sons (or daughters) of God. In other words, being a peacemaker is proof of your inheritance in Christ. Just like a Kennedy is expected to be political, so is a child of God to be peaceable. It should be part of our nature as God’s kids. In fact, you could say it’s a family trait! May we all, as Children of God, recklessly pursue peace! Jesus did. He stood between the wrath of God and the depravity of man and absorbed the blows to enable our peace. Now that is an example worth following!

Jesus is always aiming for the heart. That’s why His focus on this Beatitude (as well as the others) is the heart or one’s innermost being. Some have confused this Beatitude with ‘blessed are the pure in deed’ or ‘blessed are the pure in works’, but that never seems to be the goal of Christ. Pure works are the result of a pure heart. Be careful not to add legalism to the words of Christ. He, as always, is after your heart. It’s not in the sacrifice itself that Jesus is interested in. As we know, even Cain offered a sacrifice, but God accepted Abel’s sacrifice instead because his heart behind it was pure. If I may encourage you to focus less on what you do and focus instead on why you do it. I believe this perspective shift will not only add years to your ministry, but will also add joy to your ministry as well.

The glorious result of purity in heart is intimacy with God! The pure in heart are free from the pollutants of other sins. Their purity is the table in which they can find fellowship with their Lord. They have been blessed with the ability to know the Lord in a more affectionate way than others, because their heart mimics the Lord’s. What angers Him, angers them and what delights Him, delights them; it is in this common ground that they have the ability to see God as others don’t.

There are many things needed in the Church (that’s a capital ‘C’) today, but one can make the case that purity is towards the top of that list. I say this because it seems that intimacy in fellowship with Christ is greatly lacking even though we know that intimacy is produced through purity of heart. I frequently hear more about success than sacrifice; more about acting upon liberties than carrying crosses. Our focus seems to have shifted away from purity and latched onto prosperity. It’s my hope that the selfishness that permeates the world and church will lead to the recognition that where selfishness pervades, hope evades. It’s my hope that the church will stop focusing on their militant defense of liberties, or their self-righteous legalism and, instead, pursue a heart like Christ’s, a heart of purity.

In a culture that is so divided, in a world that preaches selfishness as a form of happiness, and in a church that competes with other congregations for its members, it is no wonder that mercy is incredibly rare. It’s common to throw stones, cut throats to get ahead, and villainize the “competition”. Because of this, we need mercy now more than ever! Jesus’ ministry was known for its mercy and my prayer and hope is that ours will be, too. In fact, I think that if we show mercy, we will reveal to the world something that it desperately wants...and needs!

It might come as a surprise to our flesh to read “blessed are the merciful” because showing mercy seems to fly in the face of all that would make us surfacely happy. Showing mercy is not focusing on ourselves, not fixating on what we disagree on, and not showing interest in perceived personality differences. So what is genuine mercy? It is legitimately being interested in helping others in need. Plain and simple. It has nothing to do with you or the situation you are in. When someone is merciful, they are looking to aid and bless those who are outcasts and beaten down (the weak, the poor, the sad and depressed). I believe our world would look very different if every Christian was intentional and consistent about showing mercy. When someone is merciful, they are looking to restore. Even in the Church, we often find ourselves looking to divide; playing the part of the Pharisees’, as if we are trying to purposely find the differences and disagreements. This reveals that mercy is needed not just in the world but in the church as well. If mercy doesn’t mark your life as a believer, it needs to. Not only will you bless the world and the church, but according to the words of Christ, you will be blessed yourself! If we give mercy, we will obtain mercy, just as Matthew 5:7 promises. I don’t know about you, but I need as much mercy as possible, so the inevitable ‘therefore’ is that I myself ought to be showing as much mercy as possible!  

Showing mercy is walking in God’s will, which will, in turn, bless others and, as a gracious and wonderful byproduct, ourselves. May we be people who are always looking for opportunities to show mercy.

Being hungry is something that we can all related to. Whether you are craving a burger (for me, it’s an In-N-Out burger, but let’s not go there, as I unfortunately no longer live in one of the privileged places that has them) or Mexican food (again, let’s not discuss authentic Mexican food, because, to reiterate, I no longer live in one of the privileged places where they dwell), that desire will drive you to ferociously pursue meeting that need. As fun and cheeky as this analogy is, in truth, a hunger and thirst for righteousness is kind of like that! It isn’t a lackluster pursuit of Christian thinks (e.g. religiously going to church or acting happy), rather it is a passionate pursuit of living in God’s will that will never ultimately be satisfied this side of heaven. As I’ve already noted in the above parenthetical notations, there are certain foods that I crave now, but, because of where I reside, those cravings will never be satisfied until I’m in the actual location that has the ability to truly meet those needs. In short, when you’re craving an In-N-Out burger, nothing else seems to do. Just like spiritual hunger. One will hunger for something heavenly, and while there are things on this earth that come closer than others (e.g. church), there is only one way to truly satisfy that hunger and that is the very presence of God.
As is true with bodily hunger, this spiritual hunger should be apparent. When someone is hungry in my house, they are usually in the kitchen looking in the fridge or pantry. They are never looking for food in the bathroom. The point of saying this is that when one is spiritually hungry for righteousness, they are going to be frequenting the places where that hunger can be met (or at least as close to met as possible). It is also true that these spiritually hungry people will not be found in places that won’t satisfy that hunger. In short, spiritually hungry and thirsty people are not willing to compromise. They know there isn’t much nourishment in grey areas. Since this is the case, it’s not a bad practice for each of us to look at where we are at spiritually. Are we in places that will feed the spirit, or in areas that feed the flesh?

The glorious promise to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness is that they will be satisfied. Not only will this righteous person be wholly fulfilled in the life that Christ has blessed them with here on this earth, but they will be completely satisfied in eternity where their craving will finally be met!

Meekness has been misunderstood and given a bad name. Many view meekness as weakness, but nothing could be further from the truth. Meekness has well been defined as “strength under control.” The picture is that of a wild stallion brought under restraint. The strength is still there, but now it’s properly steered. The person who is meek is one who first, places himself or herself under proper authority. A meek individual is a godly individual because they have submitted their life to the Lord’s command. Second, one who is meek is gentle. A great example of this would be similar to a loving father who is gentle with his little child. He has greater strength than the child, but would only use that strength to protect and never harm. This also means that the gentleness of submissive meekness is to be shown in all situations, including when antagonized; just like Jesus, who was constantly provoked but never reacted. Sure, He responded, but never reacted. Genuine meekness knows the difference. It knows that reaction is based on circumstances, whereas responding is maintaining a mastery over yourself despite the circumstances. Meekness is far from weakness. In fact, meekness in the hands of the Holy Spirit is a very powerful thing!

Matthew 5:5 also states that those who are meek will live a blessed life because they will inherit the earth! However, this isn’t prosperity Gospel. It’s not teaching that if you are meek, then God is going to gift you with a big house and fancy car. Instead, it is promising a life of complete fulfillment and lack of need. When submitting to the King of kings (a trait of the meek), those who possess meekness understand that all belongs to Him above and, therefore, they are well taken care of. The greatest blessing of a life of meekness is the pure and serene contentment that comes from placing oneself under the will of God. If you are a child of the One who owns everything, you will be blessed with not having to worry about anything!

The first two Beatitudes involved poverty and mourning, two words that aren’t typically associated with the word “blessed”. But, as we know, when Jesus preached, He said a lot of things that people didn’t usually interweave with one another. He once again shocks the listen/reader by reminding them that, even if it hadn’t dawned on them before, those who mourn are also blessed. He once again proves His logic and perspective are on another level than ours.

When reading the second Beatitude, one would naturally think Jesus confused His words. How could mourning be a blessing?  But, He obviously never misspoke. So, if we know that his words were not a mistake, what did Jesus mean? He definitely didn’t mean that if one is continually sad that they will always be happy. That would be illogical. Since Jesus is the Master of logic, it must be something else. The answer is that there is such a thing as Holy Mourning. Holy Mourning is when we grieve over our personal and our society’s sinful state and when we grieve over the effects of sin. One who mourns in a holy way, will never hate the sinner, they will grieve over their sinful state and the bondage that they unwittingly or willfully are in. Not only that but one who mourns over sin in a holy way, will never be so foolish as to belittle sin. Mourning over sin and the effects of sin resembles the heart of God and, at the heart of God, is seated blessedness.

 The second part to this Beatitude is the promise of comfort for the one who mourns. This comfort happens both in this life and the one to come. In this life, there is a profound peacefulness that takes place when one is personally comforted by the blood of Christ that removes sin and its eternal effects. There is also comfort coming to those who look at this broken world and respond with a brokenness of their own. Then, there is the eternal comfort that is prepared for us, when we are living with Christ where there will be no more pain, no more tears and perfect harmony. The comfort essentially is that sin is not eternal, it won’t always be here, and it wonderfully has an expiration date! The mourning will be turned to joy as we dance on the grave of sin at the foot of the cross!

Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, along with its ideals, the Beatitudes, has widely been considered the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest Preacher who ever would preach. The Beatitudes section of this scripture is one of the most closely examined scriptures throughout history, therefore, there are many observations that have been made about it. For me (if you’re interested), the most amazing part of the Beatitudes is how radically divergent they stand from the rest of the teachings of man. Their agenda is remarkably different than any other agenda. They teach us how we will live when Jesus becomes the Lord of our lives. It’s not that they are an expectation or commandment of behavior, rather they are a description of attitudes that one WILL possess when they are living in total submission to Jesus.

In the first of these famous Beatitudes, Jesus tells us that the poor in spirit are blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So what on earth does this mean? First, before we dive into the actual Beatitude, let’s look at the word “blessed”. It is often translated as “happy”, but please understand that it is very different than our modern view of a comfortable happiness. Barclay once described this blessedness as a joy that is not affected by the chances and changes of life. This means that the one who is walking in the will of God is bestowed upon with an inexplicable and permanent joy! How blessed we are to live within His will!

Now, on to the Beatitude. How are we to be “poor in spirit”? To be poor in spirit doesn’t mean that one has a self-deprecating ‘humility’ where they are always focusing on their own insignificance. Rather, this means the honest recognition that we are sinners and, in and of ourselves, have nothing to offer to a perfectly holy and just God. You could say it’s a genuine awareness that we are spiritually bankrupt. I believe this is the first attitude mentioned because this is the place where we all start in our walks with Christ. No listener to Jesus’ sermon could not relate to this nor could they have been discouraged, because all believers are capable of this realization. Jesus didn’t start with the “perfect in spirit” or “great in spirit” or even the “good in spirit” because every believer meekly begins in the same spot, poor in spirit!

What’s the reward for this foundational understanding that we are spiritually bankrupt? This Beatitude states that whoever recognizes that they are sinners in need of Jesus as their Savior will inherit the kingdom of God! Salvation begins at the lowest rung one can stoop, at the foot of the cross! What a picture of grace, that when we recognize our true spiritual condition, God blesses us with an inheritance that we do not deserve!

May we all be humble as we remember that we sinners are in need of a Savior and may we all be grateful as we remember the incredible grace, blessings and salvation of God!

2 Chronicles 6:8-9
But the LORD said to my father David, "Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well in that it was in your heart. Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name."

Hearing the Lord use the word nevertheless when He is speaking to us is so painful. “I know you wanted to do that, nevertheless” or “I know you felt called to do this, nevertheless” It is a proverbial, divine curveball and, like most batters, we hate curveballs because we are not anticipating the bottom dropping out. The "nevertheless" of the Lord is most difficult when we think we are walking in His will. David understood the specific pain that this one word can bring when he set his heart on the honorary task of building the House of the Lord, only to hear the Lord say to him, “nevertheless you shall not build the temple.”

As frustrating as it can be, how we respond to hearing the Lord say "nevertheless" will reveal the true state of our hearts. If we respond with anger and bitterness, then our hearts were not in the right spot in the first place and, most likely, the thing we were striving for could end up being an idol in our life. However, if we, like David, respond in humility, then we are freed to set others up for the success we might have desired. With humility, we are even given the ability to celebrate with and for them when they achieve it. As we have discussed before, humility is the key!

What are you striving for and how would you respond if the Lord said "nevertheless" to you? “Not that, but this”? May I encourage you to walk in humility? Aim to decrease self and increase the Lord and hold all things loosely, giving the Lord the editing rights on your autobiography.

1 Corinthians 13:13
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

 As we have seen in the last two days , faith and hope are very important character traits for every believer. But, today, let’s cover the chief trait of 1 Corinthians 13:13, the greatest of them all, which is love. Love is at the pinnacle because love is the foundation and motive for all other necessary traits in the life of the follower. Just about any trait in a believer’s life must have love as its driving force or it will lose its godliness. James 1 tells us that pure and undefiled religion is tending to orphans and widows in their need, but if someone does the act of tending to orphans and widows, but does it to make themselves feel good or to get the public praise of people, then their seemingly godly, loving deed was actually sinful in nature. We must constantly challenge our motives for all things that we do as believers, because the flesh is a daily double agent against our soul. Think of evangelism. We know that God wants us to evangelize and has even called us to evangelism, but if we do so to post “big numbers” then we are evangelizing in our own pride! This means that we can be doing what the Bible tells us is our great commission, but actually missing the heart of the commandment completely!

    Our flesh is an expert at polishing the external. We, like the Pharisees, have been guilty of being white-washed tombs. Christ isn’t interested in the external, but, rather, He is interested in the internal. He is after our hearts, not our hands. Here is the great irony of Christianity, however. Once Jesus has our hearts, we give Him our hands (and everything else), too. He, like a gardener, is concerned with the roots, because He knows if the root is healthy, the fruit will be abundant. We, on the other hand, can grow overly concerned with the fruit and neglect the roots. You know what we call fruit that is produced without roots? Artificial. It looks good, but it actually isn’t healthy at all. This is the same as a believer who does the right things for the wrong reasons. Let’s all examine our hearts and make sure that our motive for all services rendered to the Lord is love! For without love, we have nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:13
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

I love watching survival shows, where the host, like Bear Grylls, goes into the wild with only the essentials needed for survival. They usually carry a small pack that contains handy things like a canteen, a trusty knife, a rope and other items that will assure their survival success. Although their situations look bleak (and I’m sure it’s filmed to look much bleaker than it actually is in real life), they always have what they need to pull through, so they never lose hope.

     For the believer, our hope in Christ is actually an essential for our survival. Think about it. When we don’t have hope in Christ, we worry about numerous things, we complain at any chance we get, we get paralyzed with fear, or we allow our emotions to dictate our behaviors. However, all those ailments have their remedy, and that remedy is hope. When we hope in Christ, we have a sure bet that His will for our lives is best, that our security in our eternal destination is unwavering. Without hope, we crumble and fall, but with hope, we stand tall.

     A key point in our hope as believers is to understand that hope must be properly placed. We can easily slip into the belief that our hope in a godly individual or a ministry or movement is the same as hope in God, but that is absolutely not true. A person, Church or a ministry movement WILL let you down, but Jesus never will. The only place for our hope to find security is with Jesus, and once it’s locked in on Him, the results are wondrous. One can go from a ‘worry-wart’ or ‘basket case’ to a solid servant or wonder-filled worshipper. It all hinges on where our hope is found. If it is in a system or person, you will worry or fear, but if it is found in Christ alone, you will respond to fear with faith and worry with worship. Place your hope in Christ and, I promise, you will experience victory!