For thought and meditation

[rl69]

Blessed are the poor in spirit… MATTHEW 5:3
The New Testament notices things that do not seem worthy of notice by our standards. “Blessed are the poor in spirit….” This literally means, “Blessed are the paupers.” Paupers are remarkably commonplace! The preaching of today tends to point out a person’s strength of will or the beauty of his character— things that are easily noticed. The statement we so often hear, “Make a decision for Jesus Christ,” places the emphasis on something our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him— something very different. At the foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is the genuine loveliness of those who are commonplace. I am truly blessed in my poverty. If I have no strength of will and a nature without worth or excellence, then Jesus says to me, “Blessed are you, because it is through your poverty that you can enter My kingdom.” I cannot enter His kingdom by virtue of my goodness— I can only enter it as an absolute pauper.
The true character of the loveliness that speaks for God is always unnoticed by the one possessing that quality. Conscious influence is prideful and unchristian. If I wonder if I am being of any use to God, I instantly lose the beauty and the freshness of the touch of the Lord. “He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). And if I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.
Who are the people who have influenced us most? Certainly not the ones who thought they did, but those who did not have even the slightest idea that they were influencing us. In the Christian life, godly influence is never conscious of itself. If we are conscious of our influence, it ceases to have the genuine loveliness which is characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring.

[USMC87]

Amen,Thank you for an inspiring much needed lesson!

[Boaz]

There's much scripture to back this lesson up . Thank you for a good lesson .

[Blackwater]

I believe the "homeless" as we define them today, are our modern version of the paupers of yesteryear, and they are NOT always easy to feel sorry for, or to love. But we weren't called to just do the easy things in life, but the difficult things as well. We can't just give them enough to make a big difference in their lives, and many need mental treatment, and all other manner of treatment. We forget, but they were created when Jimmy Carter thought he'd assuage his guilty conscience by letting all the people out of our mental institutions, and then we added to their numbers by allowing drugs to run rampant through our culture. Government has a place in the fixing of this problem, yes, but we can at least provide a little inspiration, and maybe some hope, just by buying one or more a hamburger and a coke some time. How can we not do this?