Manifesting the Beatitudes in My Daily Life

DETACHED from God we are in this worldly life, yet attached to God we can be where we seek His kingdom. Direct passage into the heart of God is through investigation and contemplation of these Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-12 (ESV), Jesus’ spoken words:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Manifesting this beatitude in my life is me saying, “I’m see the folly in my self-reliance, so Lord, help me be reliant on You, alone.” It’s realising I’m nothing without my faith in Jesus. I’m rich when I’m spiritually poor. When I feel that way, (and it is rare!), I lack nothing, because I have everything, even though I have nothing of the world.

⁴ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Manifesting this beatitude in my life is me saying, “I’m thankful for Your grace, Lord, but I hate my sin.” I may hate another’s sin, but that isn’t my interest in terms of this beatitude. Why am I so focused on another person’s sin when that thinking, in itself, is sin? When I hate my sin, God’s grace comforts me wonderfully.

⁵ “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Manifesting this beatitude in my life is me saying, “I’m thankful for Your provision, but Lord, help me to covet nothing.” Coveting nothing is the way to inherit all things. Only when I don’t hoard what is not mine, and can let go all of what is, when inheritances are no longer the goal, do I finally stand to earn an inheritance. Most of all, what I ought not to covet is mastery over other persons, but what I ought to covet is Jesus’ mastery over me.

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Manifesting this beatitude in my life is me saying, “I’d rather do without than walk with the ungodly, stand with fools, or sit in the company of loud-mouths.” I need watch who I keep company with. I need to seek His kingdom and righteous first and foremost each moment of my life. I need to admit I don’t do these things with anything like the consistency I would wish to have. Manifesting this beatitude in my life is striving for His righteousness to speak into the way I live my life.

⁷ “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

Manifesting this beatitude in my life is me saying, “Teach me Your mercy, Lord, so I don’t walk past those who are worthy of it, and so I don’t refuse it of those who I tend to judge.” Where my heart is merciful, as a direct result, God blesses my heart with His mercy.

⁸ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Manifesting this beatitude in my life is me saying, “Blind me to indifference, aggression, ambivalence, and any other spirit that isn’t of You, Lord. Help me guard my heart so it is pure in Your sight that I might see You.” When I see God, I walk in step with His Spirit. But my heart is ever wayward and I’m desperate for His help.

⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called [children] of God.

Manifesting this beatitude in my life is me saying, “Make me a pacifist capable of nonviolent resistance, Lord.” I need to be a peacemaker who is capable of fighting the good fight of faith in every situation.

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Manifesting this beatitude in my life is me saying, “Make me strong in my weakness, Lord, to be humbly resilient when persecution comes.” I still don’t comprehend the nature of the kingdom of heaven in practice; I grasp it in theory, but I still marvel at, but am confounded by, the commitment of the martyrs.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others 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 they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Manifesting this beatitude in my life is me saying, “Even though I don’t know how You’ll do it, Jesus, make me more like You, worthy of suffering for You.”

The Beatitudes seem completely at odds with how we practice our faith. They challenge every sinew of our flesh yet enliven us in every flicker of our spirit.