Lion Devotionalعينة

# THIS IS THE KINGDOM DEVO LYRIC EXCERPT: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness God loves to work through the unexpected, and there are countless examples of this throughout Scripture. When Gideon was preparing for battle, God thinned out the numbers of his army. When the Israelites wanted to knock down a wall, God had them march around it instead. When Jesus called his disciples, He chose the unlikeliest among them. In the moment, those things must have seemed confusing. They weren’t what we’d have done ourselves. But that’s just it –– our ways aren’t His ways. If He did it the way we wanted to, we’d miss the opportunity to be surprised. We’d miss the plans He has for us. Most of Jesus’ ministry was carried out in unexpected ways, and His teaching were no different. Just take a look at what He says in one of His most famous sermons. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthews 5:3-5 When Jesus birth was prophesied, the people prepared for a conquerer. They’d been anticipating a king who would rise to power and dethrone false rulers. Instead, His story began in a manger, and now here was Jesus, saying that it’s not the powerful who would inherit the Earth, but the meek. God doesn’t need to align Himself with our human standards. The kingdom of heaven is different from the kingdoms we established. It’s set apart. What ways have you’ve been conforming to the world’s standards instead of rising to God’s? In what ways have you been living your life set apart from the world?