DRAWING NEAR
April 1
Cultivating Beatitude Attitudes
"When [Jesus] saw the multitudes, He went up on the mountain;
and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
And opening His mouth He began to teach them" (Matt. 5:1-2).
Jesus' earthly ministry included teaching, preaching, and healing.
Wherever He went He generated great excitement and controversy.
Usually great multitudes of people followed Him as He moved
throughout the regions of Judea and Galilee. Thousands came for
healing, many came to mock and scorn, and some came in search of
truth.
On one such occasion Jesus delivered His first recorded message: the
Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). In it He proclaimed a standard of
living diametrically opposed to the standards of His day--and ours.
Boldly denouncing the ritualistic, hypocritical practices of the
Jewish religious leaders, He taught that true religion is a matter of
the heart or mind. People will behave as their hearts dictate (Luke
6:45), so the key to transformed behavior is transformed thinking.
At the beginning of His sermon Jesus presented the Beatitudes (Matt.
5:3-12): a list of the godly attitudes that mark a true believer and
insure true happiness. The Greek word translated "blessed" in those
verses speaks of happiness and contentment. The rest of the sermon
discusses the lifestyle that produces it.
Jesus taught that happiness is much more than favorable circumstances
and pleasant emotions. In fact, it doesn't necessarily depend on
circumstances at all. It is built on the indwelling character of God
Himself. As your life manifests the virtues of humility, sorrow over
sin, gentleness, righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, and peace,
you will experience happiness that even severe persecution can't
destroy.
As we study the Beatitudes, I pray you will be more and more
conformed to the attitudes they portray and that you will experience
true happiness in Christ.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Ask the Holy Spirit to minister to you through our daily studies. Be
prepared to make any attitude changes that He might prompt.
For Further Study:
Read the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).
What issues did Christ address? How did His hearers react to
His teaching? How do you?
Drawing Near, Copyright c 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Luke 6:45 (NKJV)
45 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth
good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings
forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Matthew 5:3-12
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 filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain 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 they revile and persecute you, and say all
kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in
heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
http://www.gty.org/Gospel/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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