The first question to ask is a simple one: do you feel a hunger and thirst for righteousness? Maybe you’re not sure. What would this look like or feel like in your life? Let’s consider it in three different ways. (1) In your own conduct Do you feel a strong desire to live righteously – …
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Let’s look at the fourth of Jesus’ “Blessed are…” statements. He promised that the gospel message was good news for “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” and also that they “would be filled”. What did he mean by this? Those who hunger and thirst It’s not immediately obvious what he meant here. Was he …
What should meekness look like in the life of a Christian in 2024? And how might your life need to change in order to embrace it? Meekness takes effort Meekness isn’t a characteristic that comes naturally to human beings. Some people’s nature is to be loud and proud and self-confident, eager to put themselves out …
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Hi everyone. Let’s look at the third of Jesus’ “This is good news for…” statements in Matthew 5. Who are the meek and what does it mean that they will inherit the earth? Meekness The first point to make is that, for Jesus, meekness did not mean weakness. One commentary puts it as follows: Meekness …
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Times of mourning or suffering are some of the hardest moments for anyone, and this is no different when you’re a Christian. Knowing that God loves you and has promised you eternal joy and happiness doesn’t lessen the pain in those moments of loss or hardship. When you find yourself struggling in those moments, what …
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Hi everyone. Let’s look at the second of the eight “blessed” statements Jesus made in Matthew 5. We’ve already seen, while looking at the previous verse, that “blessed” carried a meaning something along the lines of “This is good news for…” Who was Jesus referring to in this verse? Who were “those who mourn” in …
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We’ve considered what Jesus was referring to when he said the “poor in spirit” were “blessed” and the “kingdom of heaven” was theirs. Now I want to think more specifically about what this means for you and me living in the 21st century. Are we poor in spirit? What would that even look like? Commonly …
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Hi everyone. Let’s begin our look at one of Jesus’ most famous teachings in Matthew 5:3. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is the first of eight ‘blessed’ statements that Jesus made while speaking to his followers. Each of these statements presents a certain characteristic or quality …
Nihilist to Christian