3 Questions to Start the Dayಮಾದರಿ

Living the First Three Beatitudes Every Day

I’ve completed many devotionals and am incredibly grateful to God for them. However, I often engage in what might be called, “Bible Plan skimming.” This feeds my desire for a sense of accomplishment, and my skimming makes me feel good momentarily, but it often results in shallow discipleship.

Day 4 in this plan on the first three Beatitudes is a call to linger over them again by reading Jesus’ words slowly and meditatively. Please use this devotion to engage in spiritual slowing. Allow the Holy Spirit to do a deeper work.

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.

(Matthew 5:3-5 NIV).

There’s a lovely cadence about these Beatitudes.

- Humility before God

- Sorrow over sin

- Gentleness toward fellow sinners.

This is more than a mere template. Rather it is kingdom members engaging in a gospel rhythm of grace: dependence, repentance, and graciousness. Where does it start? On our knees.

1. Living Dependently: “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit”

It’s the admission, moment by moment, that our need for God is not partial, it’s total. Every day we whisper, “Lord Jesus, without you, I’m sunk.”

Living this first Beatitude is more than quickly assenting to this truth at the start of the day. It is reminding ourselves repeatedly and prayerfully throughout each day, that we need Jesus.

One practical way of doing that is to pray before, during, and after each daily event. If it’s an appointment, pause before you drive to it. Express your dependence on the Lord. Ask for a fresh filling of his Spirit. During the appointment, send prayer-grams to heaven. As you drive away, thank him for his help.

The attitude behind Beatitude One is humility. When we live like this, pride loses its grip. It’s living in God’s presence. Entering his kingdom daily.

What is the outcome? Sensitivity to sin.

2. Living Sensitively: “Blessed are Those who Mourn”

When we realize our spiritual poverty, we become sensitive to our sin and the world’s. It’s so easy to become desensitized to the evil that lurks in our heart—excusing sin rather than confessing it and repenting of it.

Instead, as we mourn over our sin and brokenness, our hearts become tender. We feel the pain of evil and injustice around us. We notice the pain of the world and bring it to God in prayer.

And as we practice this second Beatitude, paradoxically we don’t become morbid. We experience a comfort and joy that flows from Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, who knew grief in a way we never will, and who prayed that we would know his joy in us and that our joy would overflow (John 15:11; 17:13).

How does our behavior change? We treat fellow sinners graciously.

3. Living Gently: “Blessed are the Meek”

When we are truly poor in spirit, and mourn over our sinfulness, meekness begins to flow. No longer do we need to explode in anger; we choose a calm response. No longer do we need to be always right; we humbly listen and learn. No longer do we try to fix things; we ask God to change us first.

Every single day offers opportunities to practice meekness: in disagreements, in traffic, and in disappointing circumstances. As you slow down and practice these three beatitudes, they will become your daily rhythm of grace:

- Humbly depending on God for everything

- Grieving over your sin and resonating with the world’s pain

- Treating others gently and humbly.

As you do, you will change, and a watching world will catch the fragrance of a Christlike life. These first three Beatitudes are like a doorway into all eight Beatitudes and the entire Sermon on the Mount.

Reflection:

- What are some of the connections you note between these first three Beatitudes and the other five?

- How are these first three Beatitudes—poverty of spirit, mourning over our sins, and meekness—developed throughout the rest of Jesus’ Sermon?

- What are some of the main things the Holy Spirit has put his finger on in your life throughout this devotional?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I long to fold these Beatitudes into every day of my life. Teach me daily what it really means to enter your kingdom through the ‘poverty of spirit’ gate. I long to grieve over what breaks your heart, and to experience your comfort and joy as I do. Teach me also to be gentle and lowly like you. May your kingdom come and your will be done as I do.

Amen