​Today we begin our study regarding the traits of God. The first characteristic that comes to mind for many is God’s love. That is not surprising since God is love.  1 John 4:8 reads,
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
When we put that verse into context we see even more about why love is such a significant aspect of who God is. 1 John 4:7-13 reads,
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
Without God, we cannot truly love, because love is from God. God proved his love, demonstrated it to us, when the Father sent His only Son so that we could live. John 3:16-17 says it this way,
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
 
We didn’t earn that salvation, we didn’t love God and He decided to reward that love. No, He loved us first, before we even heard of Him. He loved us before we were born. He loved us and came into the world to pay the price of our sin so we could live and so we could know Him. We didn’t have to stop sinning first before He loved us. He loved us already. Romans 5:6-11 in The Message describes it like this,
Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.
9-11 Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! Now that we have actually received this amazing friendship with God, we are no longer content to simply say it in plodding prose. We sing and shout our praises to God through Jesus, the Messiah!
One thing that this relationship with God allows is our transformation to be like Jesus. Look back to 1 John 4:11-13, it reads,
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
 
The Father loves us so much, He sent His Son to give us life. Jesus loved us so much He was willing to die for us. The Holy Spirit loves us so much He is enmeshed with us to transform us into the image of Christ. If God loves us so much, we ought to be able to love each other, especially since his Spirit is in us making it possible. It is through our love of one another that people will recognize Jesus in us. It is through our loving that people will come to call on Jesus and be saved. John 13:34-35 reads,
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
 
God’s love is pretty amazing. His love is perfect. It is something we all aspire to while we are here on this earth. And if we are able to love the way God loves, we won’t break any of God’s laws (Matthew 22:38-40). But how does God love? What is perfect love? I know you think you’ve read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a a million times, but read it again. Consider each phrase and ask yourself if you live up God-love or if you fall short in some areas. And know this, we all fall short of God’s perfection, but He loves us enough to forgive us by Jesus’ blood (Romans 3:23-25).
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.
 
God’s love is powerful. It saves, as we have read above. 1 John 4:15-21 describes some of what God’s love does.
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
 
We abide in Jesus and are perfected (we are made more and more like Jesus). We gain confidence and know that we have nothing to dread on Judgement Day. God’s love casts out fear. We have nothing to be afraid of and nothing to worry about. Romans 8:37-39 says,
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Isn’t that awesome? Nothing can separate you from God’s love! Nothing can make God stop loving you. Not the devil, not another person, and not you. NOTHING! So today Believer, consider God’s love, bask in it and thank Him for His everlasting and steadfast complete love. And most of, pass it along to others.

The Beatitudes: Reasons to be happy I have decided to choose happiness. With prayer, the Holy Spirit led me to study the Beatitudes. According to Strong’s Concordance, blessed is translated from the word makarios which is defined as happy, blessed, and to be envied. The further explanation of the word is “properly, when God extends His benefits, the advantages He confers; blessed.” (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).

The Beatitudes begin the discourse known as The Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew. Jesus’ teachings were groundbreaking and shook the foundations of religious establishment. The beatitudes spoke to people who were struggling, living in poverty under a tyrannical government and a religious system that catered to ritual in order to honor God, but had left God out of the equation. Jesus told them that even in those positions they could be envied and considered fortunate and that they could be happy.

That was not the common view then, and it is not the popular opinion now. Let’s read them and you will see that it doesn’t seem a happy or good thing to be in any of the situations Jesus says are advantageous. Matthew 5:1-12 reads,

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

This is an example of the difference between the world and the Kingdom of God. It is very different in the Kingdom of God, those outside consider us foolish, crazy, and even evil. But they don’t understand, and cannot understand until they have the Holy Spirit to help them.

How is it good to be poor in spirit, mourn, or meek? Those qualities are not desired by the world. In fact they are disdained. These traits are only possible with the Holy Spirit as He conforms to the image of Christ. It is not an easy task to want righteousness so badly that it is akin to deep hunger and desperate thirst, a need. Being merciful is, for me something I have to work hard for. Being pure in heart in a foul and sinful world is a struggle analogous to climbing a mountain. Being a peacemaker means that somehow in the middle of strife, turmoil, and conflict that one cannot only maintain his peace but bring it to others. Being persecuted for righteousness? Well we all know that is no fun.

But Jesus says these are all reasons to be happy! He says these are good things and we are blessed even to be envied for those qualities. Believer, remember Jesus words, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.”

Blessed are poor in spirit “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” –Matthew 5:3

Remember that blessed is translated from the word makarios which is defined as happy, blessed, and to be envied. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).

This is the first of the Beatitudes. The word for poor in this verse is translated from the Greek word ptochos. The word is defined, "to crouch or cower like a beggar – properly, bent over; figuratively, deeply destitute, completely lacking resources.” (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). It is not merely poor but absolutely in need. In a position where one has no choice but to beg because he cannot fill his need on his own.

The word spirit is translated from pneuma which means spirit, wind, or breath. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). It is our life force. It is ourselves as we relate to God. It is in fact the same word that is used to denote the Holy Spirit when the word is preceded by the adjective holy.

Therefore, poor in spirit means destitute of spirit, begging in humility for spiritual needs to be met. Romans 5:23-25 tells us that we are all in spiritual poverty and that Jesus provides the way to meet those needs. It reads,

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”

Although all have sinned and consequently every person needs Jesus, only some ever acknowledge the need. It is for those who concede it that the Kingdom of Heaven is given. Those people who recognize they are dependent on Jesus to meet their need, not just once but every moment of every day, who are given the joy of salvation, the joy of living in the Kingdom of Heaven even now while we walk on earth.

The more we understand how much we have sinned and how there is nothing we can do on our own, the more we admit our necessity and reliance on Jesus the more we are able to celebrate and be overjoyed at His grace and mercy. Romans 5:19-21 reads,

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Genuine happiness is not gained by pretending to be good. Authentic bliss is not achieved by justifying or ignoring one’s corruption. True joy is reached when we are able to recognize our sinfulness and ask Jesus, the only one who can to forgive us and make us righteous.

Choose happiness. Don’t close your eyes to your depravity, recognize it. Submit yourself to Jesus as the beggar you are and let Him freely give you the richness of His grace. Jesus turns the tears of mourning over your sin to gladness and praise for His salvation. Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 about Himself. Read verses 1-3 and see that Jesus will do it for you too.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion--
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified”

Let Jesus turn your mourning to gladness, let Him give you a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit.

Blessed are those who mourn Matthew 5:4 reads,

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

The second beatitude seems almost backwardly confusing. How can someone who mourns be happy? Mourning is expressing sorrow and grief. The Greek word translated to mourn in this verse is pentheó. Strong’s concordance defines it as “to grieve over a death or a personal hope that comes to divine closure. It is manifested grief so severe it takes possession of a person and cannot be hid.” (Helps Ministries Inc, 2011). Blessed means happy and to be envied. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).

How can lamenting that intense be something that give you happiness or a reason to be envied? Because they will be comforted. They won’t be comforted with clichés or empty words. They will be comforted by truth and love. They are comforted by God Himself.

What was your reaction when you realized the depth of your sin compared to God’s holiness? What was your response when you grasped what Jesus had done for you? If you are like me, even now, when you consider your sin there is a deep heaviness of your soul for a moment, a sadness so deep that it should overwhelm you. But the Comforter reminds you that Jesus loves you so completely that your sinful soul was healed by the wounds of His crucifixion and that because of that you are called a Friend of God and a child of our Awesome Father. He repeats to you, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1). He tells you again who Jesus is and what He has done. Isaiah 61:1-4 reads,

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion--
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.”

That is not only a reason to be happy but to be overjoyed, jubilant, and celebrate. It is reason enough to praise God for eternity.

And though we sometimes feel like all hope is gone, though we ache and strain for those we’ve lost and miss, though we sometimes think we cannot endure one more struggle, He reminds us of we do have hope. Eternity is waiting for us and with us now. Some of our loved ones have died and we miss them horribly, but this life on earth is not the end. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 reads,

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

The lost cannot be comforted by that truth. They do not have the hope of Jesus. There are no words that can comfort them. Only Jesus can bring them the consolation and succor they desperately need. But until they acknowledge it, feel it and express it, He will wait.

Blessed are the meek Matthew 5:5 reads,

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

When I imagine the earth belonging to someone in a worldly sense, I picture people like Alexander the Great or Attila the Hun conquering countries as their own. I envision strong powerful people with armies and weapons harshly attacking others.

Yet Jesus said the meek will inherit the earth. Meekness gives me a picture completely different than conquerors such as Napoleon, I see a person of submission and weakness, a person who doesn’t fight back when he is injured. But that isn’t exactly what the Greek word for meek means. The Greek word praus is translated to meek in English, but it is more than meekness. It means exercising God's power under His control. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). Praus means the strength it takes to turn the other cheek. It is gentleness. It is letting God be strong instead of you.

You do not have to fight on your own. There is no way to overcome the world without Jesus. Jesus died and resurrected and He beat the enemy.  You do not win the world, Jesus did that. You will inherit the earth. It will be given to you as an heir with Christ. It is yours because God bequeathed it to you. Jesus did what we cannot do. Romans 8:1-4 says,

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

The battle is in the future and the battle is now, but Jesus already won it. Instead of beating the air and making a weak and useless effort fighting the enemy yourself, let Jesus’ victory be yours.

John 16:33 reads,

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Deuteronomy 20:4 says,

“For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."

You are in the fight! You are in the battle, but it is not your strength, weapons or abilities that are effective. It is God. Ephesians 6:10-11 reads,

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

When you let God be your strength you are already a victor. When you rely on what God has done for you and the gift of His never-ending grace you are a conqueror. Revelation 3:12 reads,

“The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.”

God is giving you a whole new earth. It is all yours, you’ve inherited it already. Revelation 21:1-3 reads,

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God”

What an amazing reason to celebrate because we are weak. It is in genuine and biblical meekness of complete reliance on God that we have victory. Jesus lived, died and resurrected for you. Vengeance is God’s. He has already written the last battle and the enemy loses. But those who are meek enough to rely on God are covered by Jesus’ blood and we are conquerors with Christ! Nothing can change that! Nothing can take the love of God from you. It may look like weakness to the world. It may look like the world is winning. But it isn’t true. Christ wins. Romans 8:35-39 reads,

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Matthew 5:6 reads,

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

The Greek word translated hunger is peina and it means to be hungry, needy, and desire earnestly. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).  The Greek word for thirst is dipsaó and it likewise means to thirst and desire earnestly. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). Imagine desiring righteousness as much as you want a glass of water when your mouth is parched, not just when it would be nice to have a drink but when you are thirsty, when you long for the cool water to slide down your hot throat and satisfy your need only the way water can. That is the way we should seek righteousness. Not just wanting it or thinking it would be nice, but needing it, craving it, not able to live without it as the sustenance of our souls.

Righteousness or dikaiosuné is defined as justice, justness, righteousness of which God is the source or author, God's judicial approval. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). Do you want God’s approval that desperately? Well, there is great news for you if you do.

Jesus said you can be happy because you will be satisfied. The Greek word for satisfy, chortazó means to feed, satisfy and fatten. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). You may be starving for righteousness, but Jesus will give you so much, you will be fat with it! You won’t have to be meager with goodness because Jesus will give you plenty to exercise.

Your yearning for righteousness will be fulfilled. He is the source of life, He is the source of eternal life and the only way to the Father. (John 14:6). Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that He was the source of living water and anyone who drank from Him would never thirst again. (John 4:14-15). Your longing for righteousness will be satisfied much deeper than you could imagine. 2 Corinthians 5:21 reads,

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

In Jesus, you are righteous! In Jesus, you are righteousness! Yes, God approves of you! God loves you and Jesus made the way for you to be reconciled to the Father and be righteousness. You aren’t that old self anymore who craved self-satisfaction or worldly things. You are a new creation, you are righteous. You are blameless in the eyes of God. He doesn’t see your sin anymore, He sees your righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).

All you have to do is ask Jesus and it is yours. Free! Done! If you sincerely want it, Jesus gives it to you. Then you will find other things happening. You will want that righteousness to be evident in your life. You will want to demonstrate your love for God by wanting to be as good as He says you are. And you will want it for other people too. And as deeply as you want it, Jesus will continue to satisfy your desire for righteousness. You will seek it out. You will pursue that need, the way you go after food and water, not as a luxury but a need. And then you will strive for it above and beyond food or water, but that is okay because Jesus also promised that if you chase God and His righteousness above all else, the rest of the stuff would fall into place. Matthew 6:31-34 reads,

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Do you want God’s approval? Do you want Him to say you are good? He will if you simply ask Jesus to make you right. Jesus promised to satisfy your want for goodness. In fact not just meet the need to make you rich with it.

Blessed are the merciful Matthew 5:7 reads,

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

What is it to be merciful? The Greek word used here is eleéō. It means to have pity or show mercy as it aligns with God’s truth. It is to act on God’s terms in His covenant. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). Merriam-Webster’s defines merciful as treating people with kindness and forgiveness, not cruel or harsh, and giving relief from suffering.

Compassion for another person in such a way that you are able to forgive their flaws and be kind to them is what being merciful is. And being merciful is not always so easy. It is something we must choose to do deliberately. It is not a natural trait, but it is a characteristic of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23). It is one we can exercise because God is in us and we are operating in His covenant. It is also a quality Jesus expects us to implement. In Matthew chapter 6:14-15 Jesus said,

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

And what right do we have not to forgive people? What right do we have not to be merciful? Ephesians 4:30-32 says,

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Consider that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). And the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23). We deserve death. In fact before we came to Christ, we were dead. Ephesians 2:4-5 reads,

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—“

We deserve death. We deserve not to have a relationship with God. But He is rich in mercy. He chose to forgive us and not give us death. By His grace, He gave us new life and a relationship with Him.

When you elect to forgive others and show them kindness you are opting happiness. You are forgiven, God decided not to make you pay for your sins. He paid for them instead. He chooses not to bring to mind your sin any longer. He asks the same of you. God was merciful to you. He has a never-ending supply of mercy. Be merciful and God shows you mercy. All those mistakes you make, God forgives them.

Deciding to forgive others, showing them kindness and compassion, letting go of the bitterness and anger over the wrongs done to you allows you to be happy. Emptying yourself of the right to hold onto the injuries inflicted on you makes room for the Spirit. He makes it possible for you to be joyful, peaceful, and merciful.

Blessed are the pure in heart Matthew 5:8 reads,

 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

The Greek word translated as pure is katharos. It means without admixture, separated, purged and therefore clean. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). Heart is translated from the word kardia which is defined as the affective center of our being, the inner-self, the intention that establishes who we are. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011). So pure of heart means that our inner-self, our true self has been flushed out of everything that would make it unclean. A pure heart is forgiven, cleansed by Jesus’ blood and intends to follow Him. It is not an outward ritualistic cleanliness. God doesn’t want the outward show of looking religious. He wants the heart, the desire to follow Him in love.

In Psalm 51, David asked God for a clean heart. He knew the way to that end was the forgiveness of his sins. Verses 1-2 say,

“Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!”

It is only Jesus who can cleanse your heart. It is only His blood that can forgive sins. Hebrews 10:19-22 reads,

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

What is it to see God? 1 John 3:2 says that one day we will see God as He is. It reads,

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”

And 1 Corinthians 13:12 reads,

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

So it is a promise of our future hope as we live in New Jerusalem in the presence of Jesus. But there is more to the promise. Every promise of eternity is also shadowed for us now in this life. One day we will see God clearly and fully, but right now we know Him incompletely. But we still seek Him. We still want to know Him and we strive know Him more deeply every day.  God wants us to know Him. He said so in Hosea 6:6

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
    the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Knowing God, having a deep relationship with Him was the reason He saved us. (John 17:3). Knowing the Father is done by knowing Jesus Christ. (Colossians 1:15, John 14:6).

So how do we know God more deeply?

I’ve already established that you must have a relationship with Jesus first in order to have a relationship with God. That is done by making Jesus the Master of your life and acknowledging that only He can forgive your sins and reconcile you to God.

God will enter into you as the Holy Spirit when you ask Jesus to save you. The Holy Spirit then begins teaching you and transforming you. He shows you who He without barriers. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says,

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

And 1 Corinthians 2:6-13 reads,

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”--

10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

The Holy Spirit is God. He reveals His nature to us, He transforms us so that we reveal Him as well. That is one reason we need other Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Each one is indwelled with God and we speak to each other, teach, encourage, exhort, and edify one another through the Spirit.

We read the Bible, His word and learn more about Him. Psalm 119:105 says,

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The Word of God will do work on us to purify our hearts and help us know Him more. Hebrews 4:12 says,

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

One day, we will see God wholly, but for now we seek Him and get to know Him as best we can in our flesh. If we seek and ask, He will reveal and answer. Deuteronomy 4:29 says,

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

And Matthew 7:7-8 reads,

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

Is it the desire of your inner core to know God? Then you will know Him. Has your heart been cleansed by the blood of Jesus? Then you will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers Matthew 5:9 says,

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Peacemaker is from the Greek word eirénopoios. It is defined as pacific, loving peace, a peace-maker. A peacemaker, bravely declares God's terms which makes someone whole. The only time this word is used is in Matthew 5:9. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).

Eiréné the “peace” portion of peacemaker is defined as peace or peace of mind. Properly peace is wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; God's gift of wholeness. It was common and still is a common Jewish farewell to invoke the peace and sense of the health of an individual. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).

When we look at the word that way, we see the peacemaker as one who proclaims God’s message, the gift of Jesus’ grace and salvation to the lost in order to reconcile them to the Father and bring them peace with God.

Sons of God is another term I wanted to look at more closely. The Greek word huios means son, or descendent but it means more than that too. It is defined properly, as a son by birth or adoption and figuratively anyone sharing the same nature as their Father. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).

It is the nature of the Father to love. Love is more than God’s nature, it is who He is. 1 John 4:8 says,

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Because God is love, and He loves us so deeply He desires a relationship with every person. He wants us to be whole, healed in Him, no longer under the burden of sin that separates us from Him. He is patient and has withheld the final judgment so that more people will know Him. 2 Peter 3:9 says,

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

1 Timothy 2:1-7 reads,

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

 God wants everyone to be saved. He wants us to want what He wants. He wants us to do something about it. He wants us to proclaim Jesus to the lost. He wants us to bring them the good news that they can be made whole in God.

When we act on the love of the Father, loving people as Jesus loves us, we glorify God. We are being conformed to His image and more and more we reflect His nature by displaying the outcome of that transformation that is called the fruit of the Spirit. Displaying the fruit of the Spirit, loving people as Jesus loves entails us wanting what the Father wants. It requires us affirming and proclaiming Jesus to the world so that they too can be made whole and called sons of God. Eternal life comes from glorifying God. John 17:1-4 says,

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”

Glorifying God means reflecting His image. When people see you, do they see Jesus? Do they recognize God in you? That is being called a son of God. When they interact with you, they should be interacting with the Son of God and therefore even if they don’t exactly who it is they are dealing with they will at least know you are not like the world. You share God’s nature. His nature, His being is Love. Without that love, people can’t recognize you as having the spirit of God because without that love you can’t have the Spirit of God. Remember who God is. 1 John 4:8 says,

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

 

Blessed are those who are persecuted, reviled, and maligned The final two beatitudes are similar. Matthew 5:10-12 says,

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Really a person has to ask, how can we be envied or happy if we are persecuted, slandered and hated? Most true followers of Christ have dealt with vilification and loathing from people. Too many, mostly in other countries have been persecuted and even martyred for Jesus. And the problem grows. There will come a time soon when even in countries like the USA persecution will become more common and even more widely accepted than it already is.

Jesus described the end times. John, Paul, and Peter all described the end times. We can see signs of it now. But the fact is that persecution and revulsion of Christians has gone on since the church began. If you haven’t faced the hate of the world, perhaps you haven’t truly followed Christ.

Jesus told us people would hate us. John 15:18-19 says,

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

So let’s look at the fact that Jesus says we can be happy and envied for the persecution we will face as His followers. The word persecute in all three verses is the word diókó. Diókó is defined as to pursue, to earnestly desire to overtake, to aggressively hunt down. It is interestingly enough the same word used to describe Israel’s pursuit and passion for the Law in Romans, to describe the way we are supposed to pursue hospitality toward one another also in Romans, and the word Paul uses in Philippians chapter 3 to describe his pressing on toward the goal. But most often the word is translated with the negative connotation of persecution. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).

Righteousness is the same word from Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” The word dikaiosuné is defined as justice, righteousness of which God is the author. It is God’s approval. (Help's Ministries Inc, 2011).

So people who are persecuted, aggressively hunted down for God’s justice and approval are blessed because the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. The Kingdom of Heaven is described in the gospel of Matthew by Jesus through parables. Jesus mentions it in Matthew 13:11 in answer to the disciples’ question of His use of parables. “And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

Those who believe in Christ are the ones who are able to have the faith and discernment to see the Kingdom of Heaven around us. A little further on in Matthew chapter 13 Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a farmer sowing good seed while his enemy secretly sows weeds in the farmer’s field. Rather than gather the weeds and risk hurting the good seed, the farmer says to wait until harvest time when the weeds will be revealed, gathered and burned. As followers of Christ we understand the secrets of the story, that false followers, false prophets, and false teachers will receive their punishment when we receive our reward.

Jesus also compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed, a tiny seed which when planted grows into a plant so large it is like a tree and birds can rest in its branches. He also said it is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened. (Matthew 13:31-33). The Kingdom of Heaven looks small yet it grows into something much bigger than imagined, something that does good for others, something that provides sustenance for many.

The kingdom of heaven can’t be perceived by those who don’t accept Jesus. But it is good, amazing, and it grows. It doesn’t stay small and inert. The Kingdom of Heaven doesn’t stay secret. It is revealed to people who are willing to hear it. And it holds great promises for believers. When Jesus was teaching us to pray in Matthew 6:9-10 He said,

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.”

The Father’s will is done on earth just as it is in Heaven when we ask it. Heaven is not our future destination, a place we go after we die. It is where God dwells. It is here and now, all around us. And it is within us. Believers live in the Kingdom of Heaven right now and God lives in us! 1 John 4:7-16 says,

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

When you live out love as Jesus commanded and the Spirit enables, when you seek righteousness you manifest God. You glorify Him and people will see Him. You are living in the kingdom of Heaven and offering it to others. But so many have hard blind/deaf hearts and those people will hate you and persecute you.

The last beatitude is in Matthew 5:11-12

 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

When you are hated because you testify that Jesus is Christ, you can be happy because you have the hope of eternity and that reward is great! In Heaven, our treasures are stored and will be bestowed on us one day when God makes a New Heaven and a New Earth and we will rejoice with God in perfection.

God tells us He saves our real treasures for us in Heaven with Him while we live on earth. In Matthew 6:1 Jesus says,

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”

He tells us not to stockpile treasures on earth because all that is just temporary. He says in verses 20-21 of the same chapter, “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Eternity is described for us in Revelation 21 where God will give us our reward, the treasure of crowns God has for us. (2 Timothy 4:8. James 1:12, 1 Peter 5:4).

Revelation 21: 3-4 says,

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

In that New Heaven and New Earth where we will spend forever, we will be whole, sinless, completed. Hebrews 22-23 tells us we will be able to be with God without fear.

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,”

So even though we are persecuted, hated, and slandered we can be happy. We should be happy. We have the Kingdom of Heaven now and we have the promise of Heaven for eternity. Persecution for righteousness, hatred for Jesus sake is proof of God’s love in you, of the Spirit of God in you, and the promise of eternity. You may cry tears of sadness and pain now, but one day God Himself will wipe those tears away and you will live forever with Him as yours and you as His.

Rejoice and be glad Believer, you have so much reason to rejoice. Celebrate and be happy! Though you are poor in spirit in desperate need of grace, you have all the riches of the kingdom of Heaven. While you mourn and grieve, you are comforted by the hope of eternity and forgiveness. Although you are meek and depend on God’s strength the world is yours. Because you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you are overflowing with it. Since you are merciful you are given mercy. Because you have a pure heart you will see God. As you are a peacemaker, you are a son of God. And even while you are persecuted and hated for righteousness and Christ, you’re reward is great. Believer, delight, cheer, and dance, you have Jesus. Jesus is all you need. No matter how weak, poor, faint, or desperate you are, Jesus is enough. No matter what you go through or how difficult your circumstances, Jesus is all you need. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 reads,

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Be blessed. Rejoice and be glad.

References:

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 1343. dikaiosuné. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/1343.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 1372. dipsaó. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/1372.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 1377. diókó. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/1377.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 1515. eiréné. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/1515.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 1518. eirénopoios. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/1518.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 1653. eleeó. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/1653.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 2513. katharos. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/2513.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 2588. kardia. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/2588.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 3701. makarios. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/3107.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 3983. peinaó. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/3983.htm

Helps Ministries Inc. (2011). 3996. pentheó. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/3996.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 4151. pneuma. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/4151.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 4239. praus. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/4239.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 4434. ptóchos. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/4434.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 5207. huios. Retrieved from Biblehub; Strong's exhaustive concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/5207.htm

Help's Ministries Inc. (2011). 5526. chortazó. Retrieved from Strong's Concordance: http://biblehub.com/greek/5526.htm

John Chapter 15 Verses 12-17

It was the night Jesus would be arrested, the day before He would lay down His life for the salvation of the world. He was teaching the disciples on the last evening as their Rabbi. Verses 12-13 read,

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Earlier in the evening, before the Seder, Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, told them that the servant wasn’t greater than the master and so they should also be humble and serve. They should wash one another’s feet as He had washed theirs. He then gave this same commandment, “love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34). He gave them the commandment again after supper but instead of talking about servants and masters, He spoke about friendship. His words had to bring back the memory of Jesus, their rabbi, bending down with only a towel on His waist doing the most humble of acts and calling it love.

But now Jesus followed it up by saying, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus showed His love for the disciples by washing their feet, and act of great humility, then told them to love one another as He loved them. Now He told them again to love one another as He loved them but this time He told them the greatest display of love was in laying down one’s life for his friends. He was getting ready to do just that.

The disciples knew that Jesus life was in danger. He had not been able to teach and speak publicly in Jerusalem because the Sanhedrin had decided they wanted Him dead. Jesus had told them He was going to return to the Father. They knew His death was a real possibility but they also still thought He would somehow overthrow the Roman Empire and free Israel. He certainly was about to begin His royal kingdom and free many people from bondage. But it wasn’t going to be the way they imagined. Jesus was preparing them for His death, but they wouldn’t grasp all His words and comfort until afterward.

So Jesus continued to teach, He told them about the unique friendship He offered. Friendship with God. Verses 14-15 say,

“You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

In the old covenant, Israel served God. He had plans and purposes that He didn’t always tell His servants. The faithful served God and sometimes He called them Friend, as in the cases of Abraham and David. Those servants who not only obeyed God but sought a relationship with Him were His friends.

But in the new covenant, Jesus extends friendship to everyone who will accept it. Being in a relationship with God, being friends with Him, God trusts us with the secrets of His Kingdom, He lets us in in the plan, and we partner with Him in it. We serve people to show them God’s love. We serve one another. We work to bring the lost to a relationship with God.

That is awesome. You are God’s friend! You don’t get to choose your family. You are born to them. You love them and they love you and it is a special relationship. But unless you were adopted, your mother and father didn’t choose you. Servants are chosen but there is distance between the master and servant. The servant has no choice in obeying the master if he wants to maintain that relationship. But friendship is special. It is different. You choose your friends. You choose to begin that relationship and maintain it. Friends become partners in life by election. Here is the thing about your friendship with God. He chose you! He said, “I want to be your friend.” Almighty Awesome Holy God picked you to be His friend.

He loves you. He adores you! He appreciates you, and enjoys you. His love is perfect, it is tangible, and it is awesome. Verses 16-17 read,

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

He chose you and expects you to live up to that high calling. He makes it possible because He is with you. You abide in Christ and Christ abides in you. That is how you can bear fruit. You live out the love of Christ in you and His Spirit allows you to work with God to fulfill the Father’s plans. He said you are His friend and all you have to do is ask the Father as Jesus’ representative to the world and He would give it you!

Does He give you what you ask because you are good, because you deserve it, or because you asked in just the right way? No, He gives it to you because He loves you, you are His friend and partner, and because you are loving people as He loves you.

John Chapter 15 Verses 1-11

Jesus and the disciples had left the Seder but He continued to teach them. Perhaps they had gathered together in the Garden of Gethsemane or perhaps He taught them as they walked there. Jesus had a lot of important things to say.

He begins with an illustration of fruit vines. Verse 1 reads,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser”

Jesus called Himself the true vine. He didn’t say a vine, but “the true vine.” He is the original genuine vine. Without Him, no other vines could have been grown. All the branches stem from Him and have their origin and root in Him.

Then Jesus referred to the Father as the vinedresser. According to Chron.com, the job description of a vinedresser is “an agriculturalist involved in the daily pruning and cultivation of grapevines.” He works daily and year round to ensure the vines produce grapes. He prunes, keeps pests away, irrigates, and harvests. Without the vinedresser, the vines wouldn’t produce good fruit.

In verse 2 Jesus tells says,

“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Bearing fruit means to display or manifest the consequences of Salvation. As you continue your walk with Christ, the Spirit transforms you more and more and you show the effects of it. You mature, you act differently, speak differently, you even begin to want different things for your life than before salvation. That is the fruit. And God knows the difference between real fruit and fake fruit. You can fake it with the world, but you can’t fake it with God. Wax fruit might look like the real thing but it can’t make wine.

Believer, pruning isn’t fun by any means, but it means that you are producing fruit and that God wants you to produce more and better fruit. If you aren’t being regularly disciplined, shaped, or pruned, it is not a good thing. It doesn’t mean you don’t need it. It means you aren’t producing fruit and you are not part of the true vine. You never surrendered yourself to Christ if you bear no fruit. The Father, our Vinedresser will take whatever fruit you bear, prune you and make you produce better fruit.

Jesus was talking to the disciples and that includes you and me, Believer. He told them they had already been forgiven of their sins and they had to continue following Him. Verses 3-6 read,

“Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned”

Abide means, to wait for, to endure without yielding, to bear patiently, to accept without objection, to remain stable or fixed in a state, to continue in a place, sojourn, to conform to, to acquiesce in. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). We wait in Jesus, accept Him, stay patiently in Him and acquiesce or submit to Him and He does the same in us. He waits patiently in us, He accepts us without question, He submits to us. Jesus does that! Do you see how amazing that is? Jesus, the Son of God abides in you!

And moreover, He makes it possible for you to bear fruit. The branch can’t produce fruit without the vine. It withers and dies. It has no source of life without the vine. Dead branches are of no use to Vinedresser, He tosses them into the fire.

Jesus promises more than producing good fruit if you abide in Him. He promises that you will be used and that you will glorify the Father, or reflect the Father’s image to the world. You will make the Father known to those who wouldn’t have known Him. How will you do that? Verses 7-8 say,

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Asking the Father whatever you wish doesn’t mean you can ask Him for a Porsche and He’ll give it to you. If you abide (wait, acquiesce, and conform) in Jesus and Jesus words abide in you, you will ask for what would please the Father. You will ask for what would make His love known. You will ask for what will expand the Kingdom of God.

Believer, don’t be afraid to ask the Father for anything. Ask and it will be done for you! Jesus promised this a few times. Too often I catch myself not asking for the big stuff, being timid about it. No! Ask God to heal the cancer! Ask God to provide for the poor family about to be evicted. Ask Him for miracles! Let Him be glorified. What glory is there to God if you pray some weak faithless prayer like, “if it is your will let the doctors heal Joe.” God will always do His will. Pray for a miracle. Pray with knowledge of who God is and how deeply He loves. Pray, “Thank you Father that you are Healer. Heal Joe. Sickness leave Joe now. Father, refresh him and heal Him in Jesus’ name.” You don’t have to give God permission to do His own will. If He doesn’t want Joe healed for some reason, He’ll let you know. God will tell you what and who to pray for. If you abide in Jesus and Jesus abides in you, don’t you imagine He will tell you His will, that your desires will conform to His and that His power and strength is with you? When you pray like that, when you ask God for whatever you wish, you will bear more, bigger, and better fruit. You will mature.

Apart from Jesus you can do nothing! But in Him, nothing is impossible. Nothing. Ask the Father whatever you wish and it will be done. The Father’s love is perfect, boundless, and lavish. He is love. And through Jesus, that love is heaped and poured on you. That love is amazing. It is active and tangible. Sometimes that love means pruning, but it always means the best for us. Abiding in Jesus means abiding in the love of the Father. That can give you joy even through the pruning. It gave Jesus joy through His suffering. He knew the Father’s will was being done. Verses 9-11 read,

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

How do you abide in Jesus? Keep His commandments. Jesus kept the Father’s commandments. He loves the Father with His soul, strength, heart, and mind. He loves us the same way. Jesus commanded that we love others as He loves us. In doing that, we abide in Him. By doing that we can have complete joy regardless of the circumstances.

John Chapter 14 Verses 12-17

One of the most amazing promises of the Bible is John 14:12-14, where Jesus says,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

Have you ever thought about it? Have you ever mulled it over? Jesus says that if we believe in Him we will do the works the He does. But He doesn’t stop there. He continues with “and greater works than these” That is incredible! But it is true. Jesus did great things while He was walking the earth. What are some of the miracles He performed? He fed 5,000 men with a couple fish and a five loaves of bread. He healed men with leprosy. He healed the lame and the blind. He freed people from demons. He spoke into people’s hearts and lives. He raised people from the dead.

According to His promise, if you believe in Him, you will do all those things too. Remember belief isn’t about agreeing He exists. Belief is about trusting Him, acknowledging in your core that He is Christ, the Son of God, your savior, and depending on Him. It is remarkable to me that I should be doing all those amazing feats.

What could you or I possibly do that is greater than Jesus? Seriously? Yet He didn’t just say, “You can do greater things” or “You should do greater things.” He said, “You will.” What is it that you and I could possibly do? When Jesus returned to the Father He gave us a job. Matthew 28:18-20 reads,

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus considers that of the greatest importance. That is a hefty job and it was the last thing Jesus commanded before ascending to Heaven. It is a considerable undertaking but He makes it possible. He gave us a gift. He didn’t leave us here to fight it out alone, to wander lost and hope we were getting it right. The Holy Spirit came and He unites with those who believe. He fills up those who follow Jesus. He guides, comforts, transforms, and empowers us. Jesus describes Him in verses 15-17.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

We don’t just have God with us. He is not distant, looking down on us from Heaven hoping we do well on our mission. He is living within in us. God is inside you, Believer! Because He is in you, you can do the work of Jesus. You can reveal God to the world. You can do all those awesome and wonderful things Jesus did. Jesus loved people with every fiber of His being. He healed the sick. He comforted the hurting, even when He was hurting.

Are you doing that? Or is the power inside you quenched and grieved, stifled and depressed? Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” What are His commandments? They are simple. John 13:34 says,

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

And we just read Jesus parting words, our great commission from Matthew’s gospel. We are to make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all that Jesus commanded.

We cannot love one another without active implementation of the gifts we were given. Jesus didn’t love others by saying a prayer as He passed them by. He loved by connecting to and relating to people. He loved by meeting their needs. He loved by pointing people to repentance and directing them to the Father. He loved by teaching people what God wants. God wants love and relationship not sacrifice and ritual. Hosea 6:6 reads,

“For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
    the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Examine your life and ask yourself if you are truly loving others as Jesus loved. Are you doing the work of Jesus? Maybe you are doing your own work. Maybe you are doing the work of your church. Who is being glorified by your acts? Is God being glorified when you can’t say no to every favor asked of you and work yourself into a tizzy? I doubt it. Is Jesus being glorified as you sit in your church pew and pray for the orphans and widows?

Even acts that seem great might not be loving others as Jesus loved if anyone but God is getting the glory. When you adopt the needy family for Christmas, is it you, your church, or God being praised? When you heal a broken arm is it you or God being exalted? When you feed the homeless man is God being adored?

Are there any works to examine? Is there active love happening in your life? If you love Jesus, then you should be loving others. You love Jesus by loving others. You are not saved by works. That is clear. But your love for God is manifested by good works. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” (Verse 12). He said whoever believes in Him will do the works He did. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you love Jesus and you believe and follow Him if you are loving people in a concrete manner like Jesus. Don’t dupe yourself by saying your relationship with God is a private one and that God knows your heart and that is enough. Yes, God knows your heart, but He wants others to know His heart and He wants people to see you are His disciple. John 13:35, the verse directly after Jesus tells the disciples to love one another as He has loved, says,

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So I challenge you to love others tangibly as Jesus loved and loves. I challenge you to do at least one great work today, and each day. I challenge you to unleash the power of God within you and obey Him in a way that might even frighten you a bit. Ask the Father anything in Jesus’ name and watch what Jesus will do for the person you lavish His love upon.

John Chapter 14:1

Jesus was teaching the disciples after Judas had left the Passover Seder to betray Him. He had just told them that He was going somewhere they could not go and then He had told Peter that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed three times the next morning. The disciples were upset, to say the least. In verse 1 Jesus says,

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

When Jesus tells them to believe in God, He doesn’t mean believe like you believe in Santa Claus. He doesn’t mean believe God exists. He means believe as in trust, have faith, confidence, and rely on Him. To believe in something is to hold a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, value and ability of it.

The character Gus Portokalos in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding believed in the product Windex. He used it for everything. He trusted that the product worked, that it cured every ailment from psoriasis to poison ivy. It is that kind of belief that Jesus was referring to. Believing in God, of course is much deeper than a cleaning product. Gus believed Windex cleaned windows and cured skin problems. Belief in God is not an opinion it is a core principle and conviction. It is a fundamental trust. We can believe in God and all the things He promises us He does.

Believing in God and that Jesus is God means:

 We can trust His goodness. We know our sins are forgiven and we are saved by grace. 1 John 1:9 reads,

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We can know we have eternal life and place in Heaven. Romans 6:22-23 reads,

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We can rely on the truth that He loves us and wants good for us. He wants us to be transformed to the image of Christ and whatever difficult things we go through will work out for that noble purpose. Romans 8:28-29 read,

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

We can trust that God is always with us. We do not have to worry about anything or put our hope in anything else. Hebrews 13:5 reads,

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

We can’t do anything that would mean God would stop loving us. Romans 8:37-39 reads,

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We can be certain that no one and nothing can take you away from God. John 10:28-30 says,

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

So believe in God. Believe in Jesus. He never fails to live up to His promises. He is Sovereign Holy God and He loves you! You can have confidence in Him, rely on Him, and put your faith in Him. Are you worried, frightened, or troubled? Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1).

John Chapter 5 Verses 1-18

Jesus had gone to Jerusalem for a Jewish Feast and while there He went to the pool at Bethesda. People who needed healing of any kind would gather around the pool and wait. At various times and angel would come down and stir the waters of the pool. Whoever entered the water first when the angel stirred the water would be healed. Verses 5-6 tell us,

“One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

It was Jesus who initiated this encounter. Jesus saw the man’s need and asked, “Do you want to be healed.” Of course we would all assume that the man wants to be healed. That is the reason he is at the pool. But sometimes those questions can make you reflect on what you really want. Do you want to be healed? Do you want to move past this and experience a fullness of life you couldn’t before? Do you want to remain in your current state and stay with what you know even if it is crippling you?

Verse 7 reads,

“The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”

Have you wondered why Jesus didn’t heal everyone at the pool? Why did He choose this man? Here lies an answer, the sick man had no one to help him. He was alone. He wanted to get to the pool, he wanted to be healed but he couldn’t do it without intervention. This man needed Jesus.  He answered Jesus’ question by giving him an explanation of why he hadn’t been healed yet instead of a yes or no. Rather than ask for Jesus to stick around and help him into the pool, he presented his need and let Jesus be the one to offer to help him. But Jesus knew His need, and Jesus knew a better way. Verses 8-9 read,

“Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.”

Jesus met this man’s need immediately. He knew the man wanted healing and that He was his only hope of having the need met. But what was this man’s response to this amazing gift? It turned out that this took place on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders had taken what was mean to be a beautiful day of honoring God and turned it into a day filled with rules to ban any activity that might be considered work. They couldn’t even light a candle. They had taken the Lord out of the Sabbath.

As the man was leaving he came across some leaders who said, “Whoa! Dude, it’s the Sabbath you can’t be carrying your bed! It’s against the law!”

Immediately the man answered, “But I was just doing what the man who healed me told me to do. It wasn’t me it was him!” But Jesus was nowhere to be seen and the man didn’t know who had healed him. The man was about to get in trouble for breaking the rules and instead of dealing with it, instead of praising God for a miracle he says, “It’s not my fault, I was just doing what I was told.” Neither this man nor the Jewish leaders stopped to praise God for the healing. They were too concerned with rules and punishment.

Verse 14 reads,

“Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

Jesus found the man at the temple. He could have avoided him but Jesus is loving and forgiving. He reminded the ungrateful man of the miracle and told him to sin no more. The miracle would not be complete without Jesus revealing Himself to the man. The healing and forgiveness was from Jesus, the Son of God. This man had to know where his healing came from. He had to know that God was his Healer and that He had been offered this new life because of the Great and Mighty All-Sufficient Lord. Without this second encounter, the miracle wouldn’t be complete. The man would be healed but God was not glorified and the man wouldn’t have been given a choice to change his life and walk with Jesus as a believer.

What was the man’s reaction? Did he immediately run to the priest and make an offering for his healing? Did He praise God and tell everyone of the miracle that would forever change him? Verse 16 tells us.

“The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.”

The man wasn’t grateful. He chose not to believe Jesus. He chose not accept the gift of forgiveness. So what did Jesus do? Did He take back the healing? Did He condemn the man? No, Jesus healed the man out of love. His love is deep and perfect and was not lessened because the man reacted in such a human way. Jesus doesn’t take back the gifts He gives. Even though the man’s betrayal stirred up the Jews against Him, Jesus stilled loved the man and still let Him have His opportunity for a new life. Jesus used the betrayal to further glorify His Father even though it put Him in danger. Verse 16-18 read,

“And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”

The Jewish leaders were no longer simply concerned about Jesus. Curiosity had turned to fear and fear to anger and hatred. Now they were out to kill him. Jesus didn’t let that stop Him from speaking truth, loving people or glorifying God. He used the chance to teach them. We will read His response tomorrow.

John Chapter 1 Verses 35-51

Jesus knows you. Jesus sees the real you. He see the person He created, the gifts, the talents, the personality and the potential. He knows you from your molecules to your mind. He knows everything about you. Encountering Jesus is life changing. He revolutionizes you and your future. What the world sees as a quirk, He sees as an asset. What the world sees as a flaw, Jesus uses to transform the world.

In John chapter 1 we read about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Verse 35 says, “The next day.” But from reading the other gospels, we know that at least 40 days had transpired between Jesus’ baptism and the following events. So either the encounter with John the Baptist was a different encounter than the baptism or “the next day” means on another day at a later time. I tend to think the latter is true. Cultures have different ways of expressing ideas including time. My Jamaican friend always says, “the other day” even when she is referring to months or years past. So to me this makes sense.

Verses 35-37 read,

“The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.”

These men had been waiting their entire lives for the Messiah, and they had been following John the Baptist and learning about the Messiah from Him. So when John pointed Jesus out to them, they recognized Him, believed, and followed. They were seeking the Christ, and they found Him. They no longer needed John’s tutelage, they were following the Lamb of God Himself.

The two disciples, Andrew and another went after Jesus. Jesus asked them what they were looking for. They answered by calling Him Rabbi and asking where He was staying. This was sort of like saying, “Teacher, we plan to go with you wherever you’re going, is there a floor for us to sleep on?” Jesus took them with Him and they stayed with Him the whole day.

Andrew went and found his brother Simon and brought Simon to meet Jesus. And immediately upon meeting Simon, Jesus changed him. We do not remember him as Simon, we know him as Peter. Andrew knew his brother was just as passionate to find the Christ as he was. He couldn’t let the chance go for Simon to know Jesus. And when Jesus met Simon, He said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). (Verse 42).

Simon was changed at that first moment. Jesus spoke prophetically to this man, although he couldn’t have known or understood at the time. He changed his name to Peter, which means rock. After Jesus’ ascension impetuous passionate Peter became the leader of the Christian movement. And Jesus let him know, He saw him for more than the world saw him. He saw Peter’s potential and future. He saw past his sin, and he saw what some considered flaws as the gifts they really were.

It was soon after that Jesus met Phillip and called him to follow. Phillip went and found Nathaniel and said, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

Nathaniel was a very frank individual and he answered, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathaniel didn’t bother putting a filter on his thoughts, he was direct. Nazareth was a tiny poor place with a poor reputation. Other Jews considered the town immoral and conquered by the Romans. But Phillip encouraged Nathaniel to come and see for himself. Nathaniel may have been forthright and even blunt but he was not closed. He went and met Jesus. Verse 47 records Jesus reaction to Nathaniel.

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”

Jesus saw what many people considered a flaw, Nathaniel’s candor and called it something good. Jesus saw Nathaniel for who he was created to be. He saw him through love. Nathaniel replied, “How do you know me?”

And so Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

Before Phillip called Nathaniel, Jesus already saw him and chose him. Before whoever led you to Christ told you about Jesus, He already saw you and called you and knew you. He knew Nathaniel already. Now Nathaniel would have a chance to know Him.

Nathaniel was amazed that Jesus had known he’s been under a fig tree and said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

I picture Jesus laughing kindly and saying, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” Then Jesus speaks a truth deeper than they could recognize at that moment. He gave them a glimpse of the glorious future. Verse 51 reads,

“And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Jesus changed the lives of the men who followed Him. He saw them for who they were. He saw them for who they could be and would be. He is El Roi, the God Who Sees Me (Genesis 16:13). He sees you too. He knows you. He loves you. Those things you might not like about yourself, He loves. Those things the world thinks are imperfections, blemishes, and defects, Jesus sees as gifts, talents, and the tools you will use to serve Him.

Jesus knows you! Jesus loves you! He loves you, not in spite of who you are but because you are who you are.