‘Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.’ Matthew 5:1-2 NIV
I think it is wonderful that Matthew has captured this teaching moment of Jesus’s when he is talking with His disciples along with a large crowd along. These were great moments that Jesus was able to use so He could share why He was here, Who He was and what path His followers to travel. The beatitudes are a wonderful way that Jesus uses to explain what it means to be a citizen of God’s kingdom. The character we should possess, the actions we should take and the beliefs we should hold.
The Beatitudes are a list of 8 distinct ways to think, act and believe. What you will notice about each one of them is that they are the exact opposite of how the world has taught us to think, act and believe. As Christians we are blessed to be given the opportunity each and every morning to be able to choose who we will listen to that day. We can choose to listen to the world and all that it has to offer, such as anger, chaos and confusion or we can choose to listen to God and what He has to offer, such as love, calmness and clarity. The choice is truly ours and ours alone.
When we choose to follow the world and all that it wants us to experience, we are choosing to be ‘of the world’ and that separates us from God. While we follow the world’s way of doing things, it may look like we are getting ahead in our careers, or being successful in relationships, however, that is just a facade. What is truly happening behind all the noise that the world produces is the slow decaying of our souls, the slow transition of us giving our lives over to the devil and the evil powers of this world.
When we choose to follow God and all that He has to offer, we are choosing to walk in line with His will and purpose for our lives. We are able to take that time and move closer to God. We will be successful in all that He wants us to do, not just successful in temporary moments of our life. The difference is that the success that God has waiting for us is a type of success that we cannot even imagine we are capable of having. As we walk each and every day with God, we grow closer to Him, we grow in our faith, we mature in our spirits.
So this morning, or whenever you are reading this, now is your time to decide who you will follow – the world or our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is your choice and yours alone but I encourage you to choose carefully because your decision each day has eternal repercussions.