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| Perhaps I’m wrong about the other Beatitudes. Perhaps receiving God’s mercy is a reward for being merciful. Perhaps peacemakers deserve to be called the children of God for all their hard work. But in my own life I have found that I can’t be merciful or peaceful or pure in heart until I first begin to experience the overwhelming love and grace of God. And there have been times when I was the scum of the earth, foundering in sin, and in the midst of that, mercy was there for me too. All of this is good news to me because Jesus was there for me, and is still there for me. It is important to be humble, and strive for righteousness and justice. It’s okay to “work” at these things. But no amount of effort on our part can wholly do the trick. We must be changed from the inside out. That is the good news of the Beatitudes. That is the good news of the gospel. I don’t know what to tell you when the help doesn’t seem to come right away. I have no answers. I do know Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is here—now. I do know that Jesus doesn’t want you to be sad or sinful. And I believe that when the time is right, and even before the time is right, Jesus will mend whatever needs mending in your life. You are blessed, yours is the kingdom, because Jesus is here—now. Blessed are the spiritual zeros. Not because being a spiritual zero is something to be desired. And not because we’re supposed to be humble and that will make us righteous. But we are blessed because Jesus is here. It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay. Continued... |
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