Everyone is focues on the 4th of July.  It is a holiday of fireworks, friends and family.  It is a time of celebration. Yet with all freedom there is a cost.  Yes you knew I would say that, because it is true.  Freedom is just not a gift without strings.  That is far from the truth.  For there to be true freedom, there will be a cost.  The greater the freedom, the higher the cost.

 

For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  Paul wrote those words.  They came at a cost for him.  The cost of the cross and his own sufferings for freedom.  God’s people will always battle this world.  Always.  But the difference between this world and God’s children is that HE has freed us from sin, guilt, regret, remorse, death.  We now live life free from these shackles.  The world does not.

 

Therefore, the Spirit shows us life.  Gives us life.  Guides our lives.  The Spirit empowers our lives with HIS power, HIS fortitude, HIS strength.  So I am truly free.  Are you?

Purity is a rare commodity in today’s society.  We really cannot define purity.  There are 8 different types of definitions for the word.  Each is based upon a circumstance or behavior.  But there is one that needs to be pondered if but just for a moment. 

 

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart,” what did he mean?   Pure in this instance means unsoiled, clean, innocent.  Let’s face it, that is not our society or the church.  We have divorce, abuse, theft, lying, and the list goes on; in and out of the church.  So how can one be pure in our culture today?

 

Jesus answers that question for us, through these beatitudes.  Each one is built upon the other.  So as one progresses, there is a deeper relationship with Christ, a deeper spirituality, a deeper faith.  By this point, sins are forgiven, purity is achieved through Jesus.  Each beatitude is not a work of our own, but a result of encountering Jesus. 

 

Think about it.

Tomorrow is Father’s Day.   My father passed away 7 years ago.  He was a good man.  As a teenager, he and I fought like cats and dogs.  Neither giving an inch.  Neither agreeing with the other.  Always at odds.  Always walking in circles around each other.

 

As the years progressed, things changed.  Little mind you, but there was change.  The last seven years of his life, there was a drastic change in our relationship.  We started writing sermons together.  We would compare notes, listen to each other’s views, laugh together.  Sunday morning at 7 am was our time.  We would talk for 30 minutes about that day and our churches.  It was good times.

 

I cherish those times no that they are gone.  You know, if would stop spending time in arguing with people and enjoying them, things would be different.  I wish that as a teenager, I would have listened to him. 

 

Tomorrow, stop and spend time with your Father, especially your heavenly Father.  Enjoy that time, for each second is indeed precious.

There are people that roam this earth.  They live freely, untethered by worldly ideas, desires.  Every moment is a gift.  Every breath a new experience.  They live without concern.  They live honestly.  They live.

 

What you see is what you get.  They are innocent.  This is where I run out of words to describe people these few who are just transparent in their lives.  You would say that they are pure, innocent.   Sometimes we would say naive.

 

Jesus said that the pure in heart would see God.  This is all present tense words, meaning that these individuals see God all the time.  Notice they see God now.   Their innocence is founded in God, therefore because of the innocence and purity, they have a clear view of God. 

 

To see God now, there must be purity of the soul, the mind, and the spirit.  That only comes from a clear encounter with God.  Do you see God today? 

Everyone at one time or another desires mercy.  Before we go to far, it needs to be defined.  I have discovered in the modern world, words now have multiple meanings. Mercy means the ability to get right inside the other person’s skin until we can see things with his eyes, think things with his mind, and feel things with his feelings.

 

Therefore, when Jesus said,  ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy,” he is saying that those who truly understand the other person and forgives without recourse knows mercy.  That is how God will treat them.  

 

Try it today.  Show mercy.   Give grace.  Show love. 

We have all said these words, “I crave a pickle.”  “I crave ice cream.”  “I crave meatloaf.”   I think you have the idea.  Sometimes, it is “I crave fishing.”  

 

What you crave describes who you are at that time.  What you seek, is what you are.

 

Jesus made this comment, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.”  Jesus stated that those who are totally engulfed in seeking what is right, which is God, their lives will be full of God.  

 

What is your hunger?  What is that which you thirst?  Answer those questions and you will know who you are.

 

Have a great day Beloved.

I have to climb 15 steps every time I go to my room.  At the end of my climb is my room, my bed, my guitar, the deck.   It is an effort some days, especially if the day if difficult.  Going to an empty room in and of itself can be difficult.  But there is the climb and the reward hopefully of a good nights sleep.

 

The first 12 verses are stair steps.  Each verse depends upon the one before.  Each verse builds on the other.  All are needed, none can be stepped over. Every teaching of Jesus builds upon itself.  As the greatest teacher to ever live, Jesus knew that you began at the bottom and added to build a life.

 

Take each teaching of Jesus slowly.  Listen to it as you read it aloud.  Meditate upon it throughout the day.  Hear his wisdom.  Savor HIS view.  For each teaching builds upon the other and as you learn you will notice you are getting closer to heaven.

I ran across this event.  It is very interesting.

 

A man went to church with his wife one Sunday, after her nagging to him all week about he needing to go.  She told him that he was a sorry excuse for a human and needed Jesus in his life. He had committed many sins.  So, he relented and went.  When he arrived, he was greeted with the attitude of indifference and judgment.  After all, “you should have been here years ago,”  “It is about time.”  After the service, he walked away from the church building.

 

Two blocks down the road he noticed a bar.  Wanting some temporary relief from the stress of the morning, he stopped.  He ordered a drink  Picking up the glass, it slipped and fell to the floor.  Breaking in a thousand pieces, he stressed out.  Noticing his condition, the bartender patted his hand, “Don’t worry,” she said.  “It happens all the time.”  She poured him another drink.  The janitor came over and cleaned up the glass, reassuring him that it was no problem.  The man at the end of the bar, paid his tab.  “It happened to me too,” he smiled.

 

The man never returned to church, but every day he was in the bar.  Makes on wonder what kindness can do, does it not Beloved?

Jesus would often teach in short stories or illustrations we call parables.  On definition of would be a short story with a heavenly meaning.  These stories were based on life experiences.  Farming, fishing, cleaning…you get the idea.  He used anything and everything to get HIS point across.  His teachings always centered around the Kingdom of God.  His actions were always about the Kingdom of God.  Everything was centered around HIS Father’s plan, HIS Father’s Kingdom, HIS Father’s will.

 

What about your life?  What is the center of your life?  Who is at the center of your life?  For a follower of Jesus, HE is the center.  HE is the the what, the who, the reason, and the purpose of life.  For HIM to be the center, your eyes, your eyes, your focus must be on HIM and HIM alone.  This is where the words, “Follow ME” are so critical, Beloved.  To follow JESUS all one’s facilities must be focused on HIM and HIM alone.  Think about it.

This is jumping ahead.  Often times, Jesus would go alone into the mountains for the night.  The solitude and quietness would be the backdrop for HIS time with the Father.  He would pray, communion, and listen with the Father.  HE needed time alone with HIS Father.

 

The hustle and bustle of this world lures us away from that solitary time needed with God, our Father.  We have to many events, outings, responsibilities, obligations, that are more important than time alone with the Father.

 

An old minister once said, “If you do not know the voice of God now, here on earth, how will you know HIM when you finally stand before HIM?”

 

What is your answer?  Have a great day Beloved.