Matthew 5:1-3 (NIVUK)
1 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The beatitudes, as this series of saying by Jesus are commonly called, endlessly fascinates me. What is it? Is it a set of values we should aspire to? Is it a set of 10 things to do to achieve happiness? God’s preference for us? My gut feeling is that it is none of these. I think Jesus is being deliberately provocative, and turning commonly held prejudices inside-out to show that God values and sees all people, including those who the world doesn’t see, or considers weak, or rejects. The first I rejoice in – God blesses those who have little faith. As one who often feels his faith is small (despite my occupation), it is good to know that you don’t need to be a super-hero of the faith world to count, but God’s heart is open to those of us who mess things up and muddle through with our faith.
Father, I want to grow my faith, and I’m sure you want me to too, but thank you that I don’t have to wait until then to know I’m loved by you.
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