Posts: Beatitudes

Beatitudes

“Those who, at their core, have no designs on the material world are above the cares of this life, which makes them ideal citizens of the heavenly, eternal kingdom.” (Matthew 5:3) The poor in Jesus’ day were not the same as the poor in America today. Jesus’ “poor” understood their situation, that no amount of education, opportunity, financial assistance, or hard work was going to change their place at the bottom of the economic scale. If we accept that this world really holds no hope for us, we become the spirits with whom God wants to live.

“Those who are above the cares of this life know that, when grief comes, comfort will soon follow.” (Matthew 5:4) Everyone experiences grief. The faithful trust God’s promise that comfort will come soon, either directly from the “God of all comfort,” or from fellow believers. (2 Corinthians 1:3 – 7). Those who remain enmeshed in this life can only learn to live with loss.

“Those who are above the cares of this life are patient, gentle and forgiving. They shall inherit all the favors of earth in due time.” (Matthew 5:5) Psalm 31:11, indeed the whole psalm, promises the same. Although those who pursue wealth and power may trample the faithful in the short term, God promises those who trust Him that the goals of the worldly will eventually come to His children. The key word is inherit, which cannot happen until someone dies. At the death of all things, they shall inherit a new earth (Revelation 21:1).

“God promises that those who are above the cares of this life will reach their goal of being connected with God.” (Matthew 5:6) Many people desire to be right with God. Unfortunately, a significant fraction gets diverted or just stops trying. Maintaining that right relationship with God depends a lot on how we perceive the troubles of this life. If our goals and motives are anchored in achieving physical comfort, we are on our own. If we are above those cares, success is guaranteed.

“Those who are above the cares of this life are driven to fix the root causes of the troubles of others. God promises to do the same for those who do.” (Matthew 5:7) Mercy is one step beyond compassion, including a compelling desire to fix what has caused the difficulties of someone else. Mercy requires shifting one’s focus off of self and acting for the future benefit of others. God is looking for this type of spirit with whom to live.

“The pure of heart are above the cares of this life and also are able to understand the character of God.” (Matthew 5:8) People have a tendency to assume that others think like themselves. So, the devious think everyone will be devious. Liars trust no one. And neither can understand the character of God. But God makes sense to the pure of heart. Unfortunately, we all have character flaws that get in the way of that understanding. So, God implants His Spirit in the faithful to clean up the mess so that the universe can make sense.

“Those who are above the cares of this life have the skills to be peacemakers, and as such are identified as part of the family of God.” (Matthew 5:9) Political diplomats represent their own countries, and, as such, have an agenda. So, peacemaking efforts are rarely successful. Those without an agenda seek only the resolution of conflict. Their wisdom and fairness, even when the parties cannot come to agreement, leave the impression that this attempt was beyond human ability.

“Those who are persecuted for doing the right thing do so because they are above the cares of this life. As such, they are ideal citizens of the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10) This can go wrong in both directions. Sometimes we allow the prospect of someone’s negative reaction to keep us silent or inactive. Sometimes we forge ahead in the face of adversity without considering that we might just be obnoxious, not right. Choosing the right path takes some thought, just not to the point of paralysis by analysis.

“Those who are above the cares of this life often make earth-bound people so uncomfortable that they invent bad things to say just to relieve the stress of dealing with someone who is handling earthly life successfully. Historically, those faithful people are in good company, so stay positive.” (Matthew 5:11 – 12)

“Above the cares of this life is he who is not offended by Me.” (Matthew 11:6) Everyone has preconceptions about Jesus, so many react badly to some of the plain statements about Him in the New Testament. Many struggle with the implications of Jesus being tempted in all points just as we are. (Hebrews 4:15) Muslims have difficulty reconciling the manner of Jesus’ death with His claims to victory, authority, and power. Those who think as spirits get past the earthly assumptions.

“Because you are above the cares of this life, you understand.” (Matthew 13:16) Life is full of conflicts, disappointments, distractions and unrealized ambitions. Certainly, everyone must meet physical needs. But when that pursuit becomes the goal, the things of God become clouded, difficult, and of low priority. Understanding God and our place in creation is not difficult; that message was designed for ordinary people. It just requires the right point of view.

“Because you are above the cares of this life, Simon Bar-Jonah, you were able to understand what God has presented and not be confused by the theological arguments of your time.” (Matthew 16:17) This is the scene in which Simon declared Jesus to be the Christ, and in which Jesus renamed him Peter. We can be like Peter and by-pass the religious confusion of our day and recognize the obvious, simple truth standing before us.

“He who continues to serve despite not knowing when the Master will return does so because he is above the cares of life.” (Matthew 24:46) Procrastination defeats great plans. Lack of direct supervision can result in an unproductive workplace. Lack of a deadline can be disconcerting. But all of these are overcome by those who treat the cares of life as background noise and instead think as spirits.

“Above the cares of this life is she who trusts God. Be assured of His promises.” (Luke 1:45) Elizabeth prophesied this to Mary, specifically that Mary’s unborn child would be given the throne of David forever (1:32 – 33). Mary could have focused on the societal implications of her unexpected pregnancy. She chose to trust God, who has made similarly outrageous promises to all the faithful. If we trust God and, consequently, rise above the cares of this life, we, too, may be assured of His promises.

“Henceforth all generations will recognize that I was above the cares of this life.” (Luke 1:48) Mary recognized that the way she handled her great challenges would be a monument to trusting God. How will future generations remember us? Will we be afraid of what people might say? Will we compromise so that our children can be comfortable? Will we suffer unimaginable grief and continue to trust? Focus on God’s objective: a big family that will last.

“To the poor who remain above the cares of this life belongs the kingdom of God.” (Luke 6:20) Zechariah commented (11:11) that the poor would understand God’s word, while the leadership would not. Jesus cited His focus on teaching the poor as evidence that He was the one of whom Isaiah had written (61:1). Those who continue to trust God while handling chronic disappointment have much to teach the comfortable about what is important in life.

“The hungry who are above the cares of life will be filled.” (Luke 6:21) Jesus meant this both physically (Matthew 6:31 – 32) and metaphorically. Yet, some faithful people have starved to death, literally. The solution to the apparent contradiction is in being above the cares of this life. If we consider physical death to be defeat, we will not understand Jesus. Those who are hungry either will be fed so they can continue the work of the kingdom of God on earth, or they will be filled with their highest hopes to move on without the burdens of earthly life.

“The grieved who are above the cares of this life will laugh again.” (Luke 6:21) Grief happens to everyone and, for the sake of good mental health, must not be suppressed or ignored. God’s promise to the faithful is that they will recover and laugh again. Certainly, past joys may become unattainable because someone who was part of that joy is gone. God promises new joys, different joys. Every tragedy changes us, but God says that He can build on the new platform.

“Those who are above the cares of this life understand.” (Luke 10:23) Jesus’ disciples were exposed to many fabulous situations. Sometimes they got it, sometimes they didn’t. But, Jesus noted that they were being exposed to the big picture that faithful people of the past had desired to understand, but had insufficient data. We can learn in the New Testament what the disciples experienced with the added benefit of significant explanation. Understanding depends on our focus on the eternal rather than the temporary.

“Those who are above the cares of this life understand the Word and live by It.” (Luke 11:28) Jesus responded to a compliment about His mother (“She must be so proud!”) with a play on words to contrast a really positive thing, in this case having a remarkable son, with something even better. We want to understand and live according to the messages God sent. But, the cares of life hamper our understanding and often disconnect what we know to be right from how we choose to live. The key is not to try harder but to rise above those earthly anchors.

“Those who are above the cares of this life will trust God based on impersonal evidence, not personal revelation.” (John 20:29) Jesus’ disciple, Thomas, required a personal visit from the resurrected Jesus such as the other disciples had already experienced. Today, we base our faith on a mountain of physical, historical evidence plus the visible character transformation of those in whom the Spirit is at work. But, the immediacy of the stressors of life often overshadows logical analysis. Focus on the unseen; the earthly will drive you crazy.

“Those who are above the cares of this life focus more on giving than receiving.” (Acts 20:35) Of course, receiving can be spiritually motivated when we look on it as a way to allow others to share. Those who fly on a higher plane interpret everything by its benefit to others. Certainly, sometimes we simply fill earthly needs. But the bulk of our sharing should be pointed toward filling eternal needs, even via earthly means.

“The Lord does not debit sin to the accounts of those who are above the cares of this life.” (Romans 4:6 – 9) Those who choose to live in a moral economy can make godly decisions in enviable proportion. But the inevitable less-noble decisions exist and defy cancellation because those debits ripple out, affecting many, impossible to reel back in and be wiped from the collective memory. Those who focus instead on knowing and trusting God’s promises and being selfless toward others will find their debits not posted to their accounts.

“What happened to your mindset that was above the cares of this life?” (Galatians 4:15) The Christians in Galatia (central Turkey today) had been taught by Paul about the power gained by trusting the promises of God through the Spirit that is given to believers primarily for character development. But, soon after Paul moved on to other regions with his message, tradition, ritual, and regulation set in, overshadowing their focus on trusting God and showing selfless concern for one another. We need to break free from that seemingly endless cycle.

“…according to the good news of the parade of the character traits of the God who rises above the cares of this live…” (1 Timothy 1:11) We may become a little cynical about God being above the cares of this life if we forget that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14) Jesus demonstrated how godly character can defeat the oppression of life on earth. Not only have we been assured that God’s nature is composed of coordinated, positive traits, but also that we have been promised access to those same traits for ourselves, overcoming earthly life.

“…looking for the hope that is above the cares of this life, that the character of Jesus will be displayed through us…” (Titus 2:13) This is the mindset that brings joy in this life and pleases God. The faithful trust that God will grow those character traits in us, resulting in miraculous evidence that Jesus was who He said He was (John 17:20 – 23).

“He who is above the cares of this life endures temptation because, having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12) Diversions cease to capture our attention when a valuable goal is in focus. Doing what is best for God regardless of the effect on me (the definition of loving God) provides a heartfelt objective that causes temptation to fade into nonsense.

“He who looks into the consistent law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be above the cares of this life in what he does.” (James 1:25) How do we achieve that mindset of being above the cares of this life? James recommends that we study liberty and its consistent application. Governments, even those who tout civil liberties, fall well short of being consistent. If I stop trying to force people to be what I want them to be, aggravation falls away. I can advise, but you are responsible for you.

“Those who are above the cares of this life and belong to God take part in the first resurrection. Upon such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6) The second death is the lake of fire (20:14). Christians are characterized as kings and priests in the Jesus’ kingdom (1:6, 5:10). The first resurrection occurs when our “dead” spirits are reconnected to God (e.g., Romans 6:11 – 13). The worries of earthly life fade as we visualize the reality of spirits.

“Those who are above the cares of this live are washing their robes that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates of the city.” (Revelation 22:14) John referenced his robe-washing image from 7:9 – 17 in which an innumerable multitude from all nations who had died in the tribulation surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD “who had washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” When we actually trust the redemption that is in Jesus, the trials of life cease to control us and we have the right, not the timid wish, to eternal life with Him.

“Those servants who are above the cares of this life, the master will find watching when he returns.” (Luke 12:35 – 48) This parable is one of the six places in which the “thief in the night” image is applied to Judgment. No living human has a clue when it will be. But being perpetually ready can be tiresome. The cares of life can be distracting. Sometimes we think we need a vacation. Those who succeed in focusing above earthly things find readiness to be a part of who they are.

“From now on [after the time of Jesus], those who die in the Lord are those who are above the cares of this life.” (Revelation 14:13) Jesus demonstrated victory over death. Those who do not trust that they have been freed from that worry will be chained to the cares of earthly life, worried about things left undone, worried about loved ones left behind, worried about the unknown on the other side. Those who are “in the Lord” leave those anxieties behind, trust that God can handle the details, and look forward to an unburdened future.

“Those who are above the cares of this life are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:9) The scene introduces the bride of Christ, the church, and uses the traditional celebration after a wedding as the backdrop. Those who think as spirits live on earth as those in a perpetual party, rejoicing with the bride and groom. If we carry the burdens of earthly life into the banquet, we will be the proverbial wet blanket. We do not ignore life’s worries, but treat them as slightly irritating background noise.