A new take on the beatitudes

 I read the beatitudes differently this morning. I had the idea to change “blessed are” to “don’t be discouraged when”.  We don’t need to worry or distressed over any trials because of the blessings we have. For example:

Don’t be discouraged when you are poor in spirit; yours is the kingdom of heaven”

Don’t be discouraged when you mourn; yours will be comforted 

Don’t be discouraged when you are unsure of yourself; yours will inherit the earth!

Don’t be discouraged when you are still hungry and thirsty for righteousness;  yours will be filled!

Don’t be discouraged when you keep showing mercy; it will be shown to you!

Don’t be discouraged when you feel you are the only one with pure motives; yours will see God!

Don’t be discouraged when you keep having to make peace; yours will be called God’s child!

Don’t be discouraged when you are persecuted for doing good; you belong to God’s kingdom!

Disciples

 “Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.”

‭‭John‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NRSVUE‬‬

The disciples immediately believed in him. I’m sure that’s why they continued to follow him. Day after day, they saw his love, his compassion, his miracles. They walked right beside him. They participated with him in his ministry, even performing miracles themselves. Yet they still doubted sometimes and had to be reminded often. This gives me hope. 

Prayer

 “Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭148‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NRSVUE‬‬

“Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭148‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NRSVUE‬‬

Sometimes when I am singing and praying, I ask God to add my voice to those of the whole universe that are already praising him. I imagine the elders and living creatures around his throne offering him praises continually, and I want to be part of that holy choir. I wonder about the sounds that the stars make out in space. Is it praise music, like a symphony that only God can hear?

Jesus’ ministry was inclusive

 I have been studying the miracles of Jesus. I discovered something amazing that I have never caught before. In Jesus’ culture, the Jews were very exclusive. They thought that they were the only ones blessed by God, and everyone else was unclean. Well, Jesus performed at least 30 miracles that were recorded for us in scripture, and many more that weren’t. I was surprised to discover that many of these miracles were performed to bless “outsiders” or those that the culture of the day considered unclean and untouchable. 

We think that the gospel was sent to the gentiles by the apostle Paul, after Jesus returned to heaven. But clearly we see by Jesus’ own actions that the kingdom was available to everyone without prejudice all along. 

Psalm 22

 I had a new thought a couple of years ago that blew my mind. 

When Jesus was dying on the cross, he cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  On first reading, this shows is Jesus feeling the separation from God that had to happen for Jesus to die for us. This is deep. But it goes deeper. 

Psalm 22 starts with this same cry. It then goes on to describe the scene of Jesus on the cross. So many details: his dry mouth, his bones not broken, casting lots for his clothing. 

I think Jesus, on the cross, is taking one last opportunity to show the onlookers, and us 2000 years later, what he was doing. Verse 31 ends this psalm: “They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, for he has done it.”

It is finished 

God’s timing

 Right now I am reading Isaiah and Jeremiah in a chronological Bible reading plan. I am amazed at the prophecies spanning thousands of years. God promised destruction and restoration of Israel within a 70 year time span, which happened exactly as He said it would. There were also prophecies spread out between these events which pointed to our savior, Jesus. Still others described the destruction and restoration of the whole earth. 

I believe all of these predictions will come about, just as the ones that were already fulfilled have come true. The interesting part is that you can’t read these in a linear progression. It jumps from immediate predictions to messianic predictions to end time predictions in seemingly random order. I think this is because God lives outside of time. While we see many thousand years, he sees that, yes, this all happened. For me, this makes the waiting that much easier. 

Bakers bunch

 I have a great new baking community 

http://h3.sml360.com/-/4uli2