The oky’s Podcast

Part 6 - Blessed are the pure in heart
 
The heart. .. 
 
It’s a funny thing isn't it? 
 
In 2014, Selina Gomez made a hit song that repeatedly reminded us that the heat wants, what the heart wants. 
 
Which Emily Dickinsin wrote in the late 1800s saying, “The heart wants what it wants - or else it does not care.” 
 
Both of these writers are saying the same thing. The heart uncontrollably wants whatever it wants. 
 
Think about this, the heart is the only organ that doesn’t ever completely rest. We have a resting heart beat, but we cannot afford the moment for it to completely shut down. If it does, we are in massive trouble. The heart must keep going. 
 
This is the same with the spiritual heart. 
 
It is always in motion. I believe this is the way God designed it. He wanted our heart to always long for something, or else it would never have the opportunity to long for him. We were made to chase after him. 
 
But here is the main problem with the heart. If we don’t control it . . . it will control us. See, the heart is the center of our being. It causes us to long for things, or to want things to change. Our heart controls us more than we ever realize. 
 
It’s why you make impulsive decisions. Your heart is actually faster than your brain. So you make a decision based on what you want, without ever letting it have the opportunity to help you really see what you want. It’s why there is such a thing as buyers remorse. It’s why most people have a day of reckoning when the first payment to something is due. Deep down in their heart, they reasoned that they needed something, when in reality, they only wanted it. But the heart was to powerful to let them slow down and reason. 
 
Sir Isaac Newton said it this way in one of his laws of physics - An object in motion tends to stay in motion, until reacted upon by an unbalanced force. This is his first law of motion. Little did he know, he was also describing the spiritual heart. It will always stay in motion. But where it goes either is impulsively controlled, or directed by an equal force. 
 
In the history of the Israelites, there is moment that we all quote out of context in a super detrimental way. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 
 
That is always such an inspirational verse. Until you learn the context. The Israelites had not only rejected God, but had refused to return to him after the warning of the prophets. They were stubborn and heard hearted. So God wanted to remind them that he had plans for them. And the only way to do this properly, was to allow them the result of their own heart’s rebellion. He told them this as he was sending them into captivity in Babylon. They were about to become captives to the land of idolatry and self consumption, because they were no longer interested in chasing after God’s heart. So, he was letting them become captive to the kingdom of Babylon - a kingdom only concerned with building a name for themselves. But the very next verse explains it all. Listen to this
 
“For I know the plans I have for you,” Declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
 
God was showing them that they had allowed their hearts to bring them to a place they never should have been. They allowed their hearts to control them and lead them away from the heart of God. So, the only way to get their attention, was to let them become captives. This captivity would put such pressure and oppression on them, that it would cause them to look for God again. And, he says, when the result of this becomes them redirecting all of their heart to him - then they would find HIm. 
 
See, our heart is always trying to lead us to whatever it wants. 
 
And like we’ve said about sin, that means it leads us to things that aren’t right for us, but look so good. Let’s put this into practical terms for a moment. How many of you made new year resolutions? You know there is something that you want to change, and you want to see a “better you” so you commit to making this change. Yet a few weeks into it, your heart is complaining and begrudging the fact that you ever decided to start down this path. 
 
And so you thought you would get healthier, but those tacos are calling you. And your heart really believes you need 5 tacos instead of 3. Or you see that Graham Central Station Ice Cream from Handles ice cream shop in Newport, and you can’t help yourself. . . . Oh, that was a little personal there. . . The heart screams for these things. And you have to fight hard to get away from them. . . 
 
So what do you do? 
 
Well, you train yourself. You have to work at directing your heart, so that your heart does’t direct you. This means engaging your mind with your heart. It requires stopping and questioning your decisions, BEFORE you make them. The only way to truly control you heart, is through constant training and dedication to making the right decisions. 
 
But here is the problem. We don’t do those type of decisions long enough for us to get them into our heart. So we mentally want to get healthier, so we try to eat right. But that takes a long practice and a lot of self control to not give into the hearts desire for Ice Cream. 
 
And to be fair, this isn’t just a health thing. You can say the same with your sex life. Maybe you are in a relationship where you say, “I don’t want to give into them again, I want to do things right.” Yet you have set no guardrails and no way of keeping your heart in check so that you don’t follow the same pattern you have walked down. 
 
Or you desperately want to save money so that you can save for a future and take care of living properly, yet you walk around with your debit card on your phone so that you can tap to pay without ever thinking about what you just spent. 
 
Ok, not take this to the context of Jesus’s sermon on the mount as he continues on. He says in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
 
Whoa! Jesus just hit us with a bomb! 
 
Pure in heart. . . What does that even mean? 
 
The word Pure here is the Greek word katharos - meaning free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt, blameless, innocent, unstained with the guilt of anything. 
 
That’s huge! Because he isn’t talking about you, he is talking about your heart. See, we can be forgiven of our sins and made new every day. But the heart will continue leading us wherever it is pointed. So if we have not stopped to align our heart with the heart of God, it will lead us away from him. 
 
So God let the Israelites go into captivity so they could learn to direct their heart. And when they pointed it after God, it began to find him. 
 
And now Jesus says, that if you are pure in heart, you too will see God. 
 
HOW? 
 
What do we do? 
 
There are so many things trying to get your attention. Every day you see things, hear things, think things, that are influenced by social and cultural norms instead of by the heart of God. You can’t control those things. You will drive down the road and see a billboard for something you don’t need. You will see an ad come across your phone that causes your mind to wander, or your thoughts to pervert. You can’t control those things. 
 
But what you CAN control - is the frequency by which those enter your heart. 
 
If you are trying to train your heart to long for God, yet you spend 5 times the amount of time on netflix as you do studying scripture, which do you think is directing your heart more? 
 
If you want the presence of God, but spend most of your day filling your ears with music that is opposed to glorifying God, what do you think the message is that your heart is hearing? 
 
If you spend more time dreaming about what things you want and how you will get them, than you do time praying about what God would want and how you can please him, what do you think your heart is going to pursue? 
 
See, here is the rub. I’ve said from the beginning of this series that Jesus isn’t calling us to DO more, he is calling us to BE. But this step requires something of you. If you are going to have a PURE HEART, it starts with you doing the work to guard your heart. It is why King Solomon observed life and realized his own demise. He says in Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 
 
See, the heart wants what the heart wants. It’s actually how God designed it. Set it in motion in the proper directions and it will actually begin to lead you. And the promise of Jesus is that blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
 
When you find a way to make your heart long for God, it will actually lead you to him. This is a practice of taking it from mindful duty, to heartfelt longing. And you do that by placing the proper influences in your life. 
 
Find time to read the word
 
Set aside time to practice the art of contemplation and reflection
 
Do spiritual and emotional inventory in order to be real with how you are feeling. 
 
Pray, not just for a quick second in order to thank God for you meal, or to ask him to help you with something, but pray and ask God to align your heart with his. 
 
Fast! We’ve made the Christian art of fasting all about getting answers from God for something specific we are walking through. But what about fasting just to get closer to God and to know him more. 
 
Here is a big one - stop watching shows that contradict a pure heart. I know some of you will be turned off by this, but if there is nudity in it - you don’t need to see it! I was at a church this past weekend that I actually loved. But the pastor mentioned a show that I bet at least half of you have seen, that I know has nudity in it. How do I know? ? ?  BECAUSE IT SAYS AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN BEFORE IT STARTS PLAYING! Kristi and I make it a habit that we will not even explore a show that has that word written at the top! Why? Because we want to guard our heart, and allow it the chance to be pure. 
 
See, if you want a pure heart, set up the guardrails to allow your heart the chance to be pure. 
 
Because the beauty is, if you can get your heart to the spot of being pure - it will want what it wants - which will be God. And then, you will see him! 
 
So here is the practice.
 
Start by doing inventory of your life. 
 
What things are in your life that keep your heart from having the chance to be pure? 
 
What things have you allowed in that should be removed all together? 
 
Don’t just get rid of those things from your life. Fill that space with a practice that will help you pursue the heart of God. Train your heart to be PURE! Then, you will see God! 
 
And as you do, you will be able to know what you believe, and why you believe it to be true. 
 
But for now, I love you, and as you pursue purity of heart, may God bless you! 

Part 6 - Blessed are the merciful
 
I wouldn’t say that I am necessarily justice oriented, but there is something about me that hates it when people cut in line, or get favor they don’t deserve. . . 
 
I went to a recruiting job fair the other day for a great position driving a school bus. This is something that I can easily do while planting a church, and will help us with pay and benefits, while also giving me the chance to meet lots of people. But I just happened to look at the email again before going to the location, and it had a link to see the progress of the job. After opening up the link, I became aware that 280 other people also registered to be at the job fair. 
 
So that meant 280 people for just 3 positions. 
 
It was then that I decided I would be as early as possible. So I showed up 45 min early. At which time the parking lot was already buzzing with people arriving for the chance to earn a position. Fortunately, I spotted the side door that had the sign on it and knew the line would start outside the door. So I speed walked with about 5 other people who had the same revelation. 
 
Sure enough, I was able to be the third person in line for the interview process. And in addition, I had already filled out all the paperwork online, so I didn’t have to go to the first step of filling out my background and all the required information they needed to run our driving records. 
 
But about 5 min before the doors were going to open, I was looking down the line of about 80-90 people who had formed behind me, when I saw a lady driving down the side of the driveway we were at. She parked her car, walked slowly toward the door, and got into the very front of the line. The person who was now second in line, didn’t even notice. And the person directly in front of me, seemed to not care. But ME!!!! Oh heck no!!!!! Almost 100 people are here in line, and you think you can just come up and stand in the front? 
 
For the next 5 min, I gave this lady the continual stare down, and made sure my eye burned disapproval into her skull. Who does she think she is? Why would she put herself above everyone else? She can just walk in and to the front of the line like that? 
 
I thought that as the person turned that USED TO BE FIRST, and as he noticed this lady now standing there in front of him, I thought for sure he would raise a fuss. . . But he didn’t even say a word. In fact, I think he greeted her with a smile. 
 
What in the world was this guy doing? 
 
I was just about to help her find the back of the line, when the door swung open and the recruiter greeted everyone and welcomed the fist person in. . . . That is, the alleged first person. . . . 
 
She went in like nothing wrong had taken place, and began the process of filling out paperwork. 
 
As the people in front of me slowly made their way through the line, I quickly grabbed the paperwork and walked right over to where this lady was sitting, so I could keep my eye on her. As I opened the packet and began filling the necessary paperwork out, she immediately raised her hand and got someone to come over to her. “I already have my CDL and have had experience driving a school bus before.” She said as she closed the packet and pushed it away from her. 
 
The instructor explained, “I’m glad you have that experience, we would love to hear about it in the interview section, however, this paperwork is mandatory by the state.” After arguing with the man for a moment, she finally grabbed the packet and began filling it out. Which, I smirked as I handed my packet to the gentlemen standing there and said, “I’ve finished, what would you like me to do next?” 
 
I was the first one done, and excitedly went out to the drive where I did a few physical tests on the bus, and then pulled a few weights to prove I was capable of helping a kid who might be in trouble. 
 
Then it was back inside to wait for the interview. 
 
After sitting for about 15 minutes, the lady who cut in line came in and sat down as well. She was finished with everything and was waiting for the interview segment too. But when the interviewer came in and asked which of us was done with the previous segment first, I was sure to jump up and say, “I WAS!”  
 
But then something happened. They called me to a table and they called the lady I’ve been frustrated with to a table just a few feet away from mine. Both of our interviewers sat down and began asking us questions. A few minutes into it, the other interviewer interrupted my questioning, and asked if I had done the physical test. 
 
I said that I did. 
 
The lady responded that they didn’t offer her the chance to do it. 
 
The two recruiters made conversation back and forth, and before long I was keenly aware of what was happening. The lady did not pass the segment before the interview and was not being considered. They were finalizing her time there and passing her up. And she realized it at the same time that we all did. 
 
To which she burst into tears. She began pouring out her story and explaining some pretty tragic loss that had taken place in her life, and how she desperately needed this job in order to survive. She was hurting, and she needed help. 
 
Now to be honest, there was a part of me that still wanted to tell her that she shouldn’t have cut in line. But there was a massive part of me that felt like crying with her and giving her a hug.   I suddenly felt guilty that I was so ugly hearted toward her when she cut in line. 
 
If she had just told me her story as she cut in line, maybe I would have had a different attitude toward her. 
 
Or better yet, if only I had mercy, I would’t have had to hear her story in order to be loving toward her. . . . 
 
See, merciful is the person who sees others and cares for them no matter how they are treated in return. When I have mercy, I can look at someone and care for them, despite how they treat me!
 
See, but there is a massive problem with my story. 
 
My mercy only presented itself when I found out she had a rough story of her own. Then I suddenly felt the calling to show this woman compassion and mercy. 
 
Which is where most people fail. 
 
True mercy isn’t given as the result of someone’s story. It is given as an act of selfless awareness toward other people’s automatic need. 
 
I can’t tell you of one person that I’ve ever met that didn’t need mercy in an area of their life. Those who are bitter and act like they are bitter - have had something done to them that has crushed their view of humanity and left them feeling unloved. Those who are impatient - usually struggle with confidence or affirmation and are always trying to prove themselves over others. Those who don’t care for the people around them - have often had someone in their life who didn’t show them proper love and compassion. . the list goes on. 
 
Truth is, everyone is trying to just do the best they can with the life they have been given. Even those who seem to take for granted the blessings they have been given, are struggling somewhere in their life to do the best they can. They too need mercy. 
 
See a merciful person is someone who can look at the people around them, and think of others above themself, because they understand that everyone is doing the best they can. 
 
Now I know that some of you have instant thoughts about the guy down the street who drives the newest Audi, has a huge house, and always goes on vacations. What mercy could they need. They just need to learn to be generous. 
 
But you don’t know what they’ve walked through. 
 
You don’t know why they drive so hard to work and feel like they have succeeded! 
 
In fact, some of the wealthiest people I have ever met have also been those who have struggled with loneliness, satisfaction, self worth. You don’t know what they’ve walked through that has given them the drive they have. 
 
Let me simplify it this way. 
 
EVERYONE HAS A STORY! 
 
Until you understand what makes someone tick, don’t judge them for the way they act. Get to know people and give them a chance. Even when they act in a way that makes you feel like they don’t deserve it! 
 
That’s what mercy is! 
 
And Jesus said it this way, 
 
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 
 
So here is the fun thing with this one. When you start to give mercy, you start to understand what mercy actually looks like. And when you understand what it looks like, you begin to see that people actually extend more mercy to you than you deserve. Mercy is all around you, but you often fail to see it because you are lacking in mercy toward others. 
 
So what can we do to practice mercy? 
 
Start trying to figure out people’s stories. If someone is doing something that you think cheats you - get to know them. Find out what makes them -who they are. You never know if you are going to find something that explains why they are so impatient, or hard to get along with, or whatever else it might be that makes them difficult in your eyes. 
 
So practice extending mercy to others. 
 
Because as you do, you will begin to understand mercy in a new way, and you might actually understand what you believe, and why you believe it to be true!! 
 
For now, I love you! And as you practice mercy, May God Bless you!

Part 5 - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
 
Last September Kristi, Gavin and I drove from Naperville Illinois to Beufort South Carolina to candidate at a church. This was before we knew we were supposed to be planting a church. We were exploring every option. We went to an amazing church there that was looking at us for Senior Pastor. About half way through the weekend with them, we realized this wasn’t the right thing for us. It was a great church, larger than I could imagine stepping into as a first time sr. pastor, with strong English, Spanish, and generational ministries. But something wasn’t right. We were already starting to sense God calling us to launch a brand new ministry. 
 
So as we finished the last night with the board and pastors, we felt this awkward sensation. We loved the people and the church, but knew we needed to say no. I felt it, Kristi felt it, even Gavin felt it! 
 
As we got back to the hotel at about 8:30 at night, we were all ready to be home. To be honest, I drove out there because I already had a feeling it wasn’t the right thing, and I didn’t want to waste the church’s money on flying us out. And now we were in the hotel room, ready to go, but dreading the 15 hour drive home. 
 
In addition, Kristi was starting to get sick. She had a fever, and felt awful. Things were just stacking up against us. 
 
So I turned to Kristi and Gavin and said, “do you guys just want to get in the car now and take off?” 
 
It was like something from a comedy. I barely got the words out of my mouth and they both had their bags in their hands fully packed and ready to go. So at about 9 o’clock PM, we drove to the gas station, and then right out of town and home to Naperville. 
 
It was a rough drive! 
 
About 10 minutes into it, both Gavin and Kristi were out cold. 
 
They basically never woke up. 
 
So I navigated driving through the night, driving twisting, winding roads through mountainous terrain, trying my hardest to keep from feeling tired. 
 
But do you know the hardest moment of the drive? 
 
At about 10:30 AM the next morning. . . 
 
The sun was up, traffic was alive, and I could see Illinois just the other side of the broken roads of Indiana. . . 
 
And all I could think about, was laying down in my nice comfy bed. . .  
 
I could feel the cool air-conditioned pillow against the side of my face, and the fan breezing over me. . .This is my favorite way to sleep. And every time I blinked, my eyes begged to stay closed as I envisioned laying in my bed all comfy and cozy. 
 
As soon as my mind went there, it was over. All I could think about was getting home and in bed. Every second felt like an eternity. And each time I looked at Kristi or Gavin completely zonked out, my inner self jealously cried out to be home. 
 
The last hour and a half felt as long as the previous 13 and a half. . . 
 
Everything in me was screaming out! 
 
I stopped 3 times in the last segment of this drive, because I ached and longed for a break! I just wanted to lay my head down and be done with this drive. 
 
Have you ever felt that type of longing before? 
 
It’s a hunger and thirst. 
 
It’s the inner self begging to be brought to a spot of resolution. 
 
In Jesus’s opening to his sermon, we have been walking through the steps he laid out for us to become the person he is longing for us to BE. He started by making sure we remember how broken we are without him. Then he reminded us to mourn the effect of this brokenness, so that we can fully understand the humility inside of meekness that sees our human condition the way it really is. This will cause us to view others properly and want the best for people. 
 
But now, in this fourth trait to becoming his intended human condition, Jesus says these amazing words. 
 
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
 
This is a good time to point out the simplicity of result behind each of these. 
 
You are pour in spirit - you simply get the kingdom of heaven
 
You mourn - you will find comfort
 
You are meek - you get the earth
 
And now, you hunger and thirst for righteousness - you get filled! And what do you get filled with? Righteousness. It’s that simple. If you can hunger and thirst for righteousness, you will get it. And you will be completely filled with it. 
 
First we need to understand what righteousness is. 
 
It doesn’t mean that you are right. No person is able to be fully right. So how can we be filled with righteousness? It’s not being right all the time - it’s wanting what is right all the time. 
 
When you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you learn to see what is right, and always want what is right over what is wrong. 
 
See, here is the human condition. . . We might want right, but wrong never looks bad. If sin looked bad all the time, we would never worry about stepping into it. But unfortunately, sin never really presents itself as bad. 
 
I mean, look at the very first sin we have written in the book of Genesis. God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Yet what does it say about the fruit they were about to disobediently eat from?
 
Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and at it. 
 
All these things were true about the fruit. Whatever the fruit was, God had made it and it looked good. Chances are, it was a fruit they could have already tasted, just from a different tree. God told them not to eat from a specific tree, not a species of tree. What if it was a fruit tree they already liked and so they knew how good it tasted. And now, the fruit brought with it the understanding of good and evil. See this was something they didn’t really have yet. God had not shown them evil in a way they could experience it, so they didn’t really have this knowledge yet. Eating of the tree would give them this knowledge. 
 
It was pleasing to them. So they ate it. 
 
This is how sin usually presents itself. 
 
It’s money sitting out on someone’s desk, that you could easily walk away with and no one would catch you. It’s cussing someone out from the comfort of your own car, so that they don’t really hear you and no one “get’s hurt by it.” It’s taking a hit from a joint to ease the pain, or flirting with that coworker because it makes you feel wanted, or cheating on the test because you need a better grade. . . None of that presents itself as uninteresting. That’s why it’s called temptation. You are tempted to do it because you see the benefits. 
 
The only thing that can outweigh this temptation, is a keen awareness to what is right. By having an understanding of what right looks like and how to follow it, you can fight temptation. But when this hunger for what is right is put to rest, temptation begins to look pleasing. 
 
Adam and Eve knew what was right, But they stopped focusing on right, and looked at the benefits of the sin they were about to commit. So the sin won. 
 
Listen, momentary gratification will always look and feel good. But righteousness is always more rewarding. When you give into instant gratification, you loose sight of the long game. And discipline never comes through shortcuts. You always have to practice and learn discipline. 
 
So what do we do? 
 
Practice wanting what is right. 
 
Learn to stop and question, wonder, what is the right thing here? What would God want me to pursue? What would God have as best for me in this situation? It’s a real battle! Because, again, 2nd best never looks awful at first look. But it still misses God’s best. And when you miss the mark of God’s best, you find yourself in sin. 
 
So here is a simple rule of life that we follow. It says, ‘Want What God Wants.’ 
 
In everything we do, we look to asking what God would want for us. We don’t want to settle for something that isn’t aligned with God’s will. We want to only pursue righteousness. But you can’t just want righteousness, you have to hunger and thirst for it. You have to understand the effects of forgetting righteousness, so that you can say, “Not me! I do not want anything but God’s best!” 
 
This only comes from practicing pursuing righteousness. 
 
And how do we practice? 
 
Every small decision at a time. 
 
I dare you to start asking this question, “What does God want?”
What does God want with my time? What does God want with my resources? What does God want with my talents, my family, my speech, my actions. . . What does God want with all of me? 
 
When you really start asking that question in every area of your life, you begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness. And the beauty is, if you can truly do this, Jesus says, you will be filled! 
 
You will begin to see right, and realize how much more rewarding it is than wrong! You begin finding yourself walking away from things that you wish you would never get entangled by, and you find more freedom! It starts with the simple things, and grows to the bigger things. Before long, you find yourself motivated by righteous living. And, you hunger and thirst for it. 
 
So, ask the question and ask it often. What does God want? 
 
And as you ask this, I pray you learn what you believe, and why you believe it to be true! 
 
Until tomorrow, I love you, and I pray that as you pursue righteousness, May God Bless you!  

Part 4 - Blessed are the Meek
 
Don’t you know who I am? 
 
I used to always say that to my kids when talking about how I would deal with people. I constantly told them that I would just walk into a place and say, “Hey, I’m pastor Michael. . .” As if that merited some sort of response from people. Or I would tell my kids that if they were ever in a jam, just tell people, “well I’m pastor Michael’s kid.” 
 
Now trust me, I said that jokingly. If anything, if they were at our church at the time, and they said, “I’m pastor Michael’s kid,” people would have gotten excited and said, “You are Pastor Michael Escamilla’s kid?” As they admired all over them. . . . 
 
But in all truth, I would be lying if I said I never had that thought in a real way. There were times when I thought to myself, “Don’t they know who I am?” 
 
We all carry a small sense of pride with us. 
 
And it comes naturally. God designed us to want best for ourselves. So we in turn know and believe that we deserve best. The problem comes when we believe we deserve best, over someone else. It’s so easy to think that we deserve best without realizing that it usually comes with a price that other people have to carry. 
 
Jesus, just 3 stanzas into this sermon, has laid out a masterful approach to putting ourselves in a right place. Start by being poor in spirit. Realize that you need a savior. And as you move on from this first step, mourn over the person that keeps you from God’s best. And once you get those two things down, it becomes no big deal to be meek. Meekness comes from our understanding of what we actually deserve, and the grief our sin causes us in the scheme of God’s holiness. 
 
What is meekness? 
 
Its the humble realization that I’m actually not better than everyone else. It’s the reality check that puts me in the place of the rest of humanity and needs the loving mercy of almighty God, coupled with the grace of Father God’s goodness. Here its he fun thing about being meek - it takes us to an automatic place of loving others and advocating for them. Because in our meekness, we see that all people are trying their best to just make life good. 
 
When we can step back from ourselves and see through the disposition that we have failure written into our story the same as everyone else, it causes us to respond differently. The grace give us by Jesus extends out toward the people around us who need grace in their lives too. 
 
When was the last time you looked at someone grumpy, angry, or grouchy, and just said to yourself, “I feel for them, they must be walking through something difficult.” 
 
See, meekness is slow to anger. Meekness allows us to put the needs of others first, even if they re a complete jerk to us. It’s only through meekness, that we are able to love the unloveable. In fact, I think it is meekness that opens the door for the spiritual gift of love. Paul talks of this gift in 1 Corinthians 13. Let me remind you what this love looks like. 
 
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no records of wrong. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
 
First off, this is a spiritual gift. We cannot have this type of gift without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. But in addition, you will not be empowered by the Holy Spirit to have this type of love without Meekness. 
 
Why? 
 
A lack of meekness is in opposition to this type of spiritual gift. 
 
Now here is the best part. Jesus said that if you can find the meekness to think of others in a proper, healthy, light, and in turn, remember your own weaknesses and your own failures, that meekness will cause you to inherit the earth. 
 
What does that mean? 
 
It is only when you are meek, that you will be content with the world. You cannot be satisfied if you are not meek. You will always want more, believe you deserve more, causing you to fight for more. But if you can change your disposition and become meek, you will inherit the earth. You will find satisfaction in the people and things around you, instead of wanting more because you feel like you deserve it. 
 
So here is the practice for today. 
 
Practice meekness. 
 
You are probably asking HOW
 
Simple, think of others first. Find ways to put others needs above your own. Go into school today and think of how you can be a blessing. I pray over my girls as they go to work each day and pray aloud for them to hear. And one of the things I always pray is that their coworkers, boss, and customers are blessed because my daughters are working today. Not because of their greatness, but because of their ability to see the greatness in others, and treat them with the respect due to them. Think of someone in you life, that you can go and honor, by doing the most unexciting thing for them that you can imagine. Not unexciting to them, but to you. Maybe it’s taking out the garbage for them, or cleaning up a mess they made without feeling like they need to know you are cleaning it or that you are angry they left it. Buy them coffee for the sake of kindness. Do something that shows your are practicing the art of putting others above yourself. And as you do, it will help you learn meekness. 
 
And, as you learn meekness, I pray it will help you know what you believe, and why you believe it to be true. 
 
But for now, I love you, and as you go and put others first, may you inherit the earth, and may God bless you!  

Part 3 - Blessed are those who mourn 
 
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. . . 
 
I’ve been sad before, and have even cried. I’ve been hurt deeply to the point of tears streaming down my face. I’ve grieved at the loss of a loved one, and I’ve been completely broken by the actions of someone close to me before. This type of pain is easy to mourn. It hurts, leaves you speechless, and causes deep emotion that doesn’t easily pass by. 
 
I also know that Jesus cares about those emotions. He too has expressed deep sorrow and grieved at the loss of Lazarus, knowing the pain that death has brought to the earth. He grieved  to the point of tears over Jerusalem when he saw the pain they would endure because of their stubborn rejection of him. Jesus knew and modeled pain driven mourning. This proved his humanity as he walked and lived amongst his closest followers. 
 
Yet here, in this sermon on the mount, the pain of loss, and the hurt of disappointment, are nothing of what he talks about as he gives this list of beatitudes. I know it would be easy to just say that Jesus means he is with us when we hurt, but that isn’t justice to the text. 
 
See, here, Jesus is listing a response to our behavior. 
 
Starting with the first beatitude, we learn our desperate need for Jesus. We realize that without his mercy and grace, we are broken people. We become poor in spirit, and in turn receive the kingdom of heaven. 
 
But what happens next? 
 
When Kristi and I were dating, we had one major moment that set the trajectory for the rest of our relationship. We were on a walk one day and were talking. I don’t really even remember what the conversation was about, or what made me frustrated in the moment, it was so insignificant, that it’s not even part of my memory. Yet whatever the frustration was, I was still learning how to overcome a bad temper. See, the 4 years leading up to our relationship, I was a prison guard at a maximum security, adult prison. While working there, I learned really quickly how to have a tough, impulsively angered attitude. I mean, is someone is cussing you out and raising a fuss, it wasn’t like I can just simply say, “ok, well Jesus loves you, please go back into your cell now. . . “ NO! I had to get in their face, yell at them, maybe even talk about their mama. . . . and tell them to get back. I couldn’t be gentle in that environment, or else I would have been run over by the attitude of the inmates. . . 
 
Now at the time of Kristi and my relationship, I was no longer a prison guard. But that didn’t mean the prison guard attitude wasn’t deep in me! So as Kristi and I walked along, she said something that I disagreed with. I don’t even remember what it was. But it made me snap. So as I turned, I kicked a large lump of mulch that was next to a tree. Little did I know, they had just laid that mulch down, and it was a large pile of loose mulch. So as I kicked it, it exploded into the air. 
 
As I stood there watching the smoke clear from this amazing mushroom cloud of mulch ashes, I saw through the clearing a youn lady half was across the field walking away from me. It was Kristi. She got in her car and went home. She left me standing there without saying another word to me. 
 
After walking 3 miles to her house, I threw pebbles at her window and called her down to the driveway. There I we had a conversation where she laid it all on the line. She insured me that she grew up around people with bad attitudes and wasn’t going to have it in her future. So the choice was mine. I needed to figure out which direction I was going to go. 
 
I walked back home from her house that night with a prayer of desperation! 
 
I knew that without a doubt I wanted to change. I didn’t want to lose Kristi, so I didn’t want to be he person I had become. In that moment, I had a broken spirit. I understood the brokenness inside my being that responded in a way I did not want to be. I cried out in deep desperation, grieved by the overwhelming anger and lack of self-control that had overtaken me. 
 
I pleaded with God to make me new. 
 
And while it was because I wanted Kristi to be part of my future, it was more than that. I did not want to be something that I despised myself. I wanted to be made right. 
 
And God comforted me. 
 
Now he didn’t take it all away at once, but, Kristi can testify that from that point forward something was different. God was transforming me from the inside out. All because I saw what was wrong, and grieved the result. 
 
This is the realization that Jesus spoke of when he said blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. He will comfort those who mourn the flesh that controls them. 
 
IN one of my favorite chapters of the Bible, Paul explains his wrestling with sin in Romans 7. He says he keeps doing things that he doesn’t want to do, and can’t get himself to do the things that he does want to do. And the realization he has, is that SIN is controlling him beyond what he can resist. It’s what he calls the human nature. But he gets to a point of mourning where he can’t take it any more. He wants to do what is right, but sin keeps attacking him, and he gives in. So he says this line of mourning that resonates deep in the chest. HE says, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me form this body that is subject to death?” 
 
This is the art of mourning. 
 
It’s the realization that sin is in you, which is not only bad, but it is damaging to the person you are meant to be. This awful thing called sin is eating away at you and causing you to behave in a way that you do not even want to do! What a wretched man I am! 
 
Yet it is this type of mourning that leads to Paul’s very next statement. 
 
When we realize the depravity of our sinful nature, it also leads us to understand the depths of God’s mercy and grace. So building off the first beatitude, Jesus continues, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
 
Paul recognized his sinful failures. But then continued on to realize God’s loving kindness. He says, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me form this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
 
You see, once I become poor in spirit and realize the truth about who I am - that I need a savior- it should lead me to response. I should be able to stop and say that I am messed up! I need a savior. And who will rescue me? Jesus Christ our Lord!
 
That’s when you get the work of the cross. Jesus didn’t just die to pay the penalty for my sin. He died to bring me to a spot of realization that without him I am a wretched man. But with him, I am comforted. He has brought me wholeness.
 
There is a lost art of repentance in Christian culture today. It’s so instantaneous that there isn’t time for transformation. The Conviction of the Holy Spirit should sting! We should feel it and know that something is off. But we have focused on the was of forgiveness through Jesus that it doesn’t give us time to truly repent. 
 
But here is the good news, when we mourn, we will be comforted. When we truly stop and admit our sin, understand the effects sin has on our being, and go to God with a repentant heart, he hears us and pulls us from it. 
 
Now I also recognize there are two types of people listening right now. 
 
Some of you are going about life with easily hidden sin. IN fact, for some of you it’s so hidden that you don’t even recognize it yourself. If I were to ask you if you sinned today, you might even have to stop and wonder if you did or not. Knowing how easy it is to sin, I can venture to say that you probably did sin somewhere. And that sin might seem hidden to you, but it is the fruit of an underlying sin you don’t even recognize. 
 
What do I mean? 
 
Impatience with the person driving in front of you might result in the sin of saying something disrespectful, or acting a certain way out of aggression. But the root of it is much deeper. Deep down, it might stem from a sense of pride, a lack of empathy for others, or even a complacency that keeps you from seeing others as image bearers of Christ. But the truth is, there is something deeper in you that keeps you from responding differently. 
 
I would love it if you took some time in contemplative silence, and just asked the Holy Spirit to reveal this sin to you. Ask him to search you and know you. And in this process, reveal to you the things that drive you in the wrong direction. 
 
But there is also a second type of person listening today. 
 
You’ve been dealing with some sort of sin that you pray and pray and grieve and grieve, and yet you feel like it is not being taken away. You keep finding yourself trapped right back in the cycle of sin that controls you. While I know God wants to deliver you from this cycle, and I know you are earnestly seeking him, you need to know that he is still comforting you. You might not be healed from the sin, but you are healed from the scars that it creates as you keep on battling. So don’t give up! Keep seeking God and asking for him to set you free! And then find accountability to help you pursue that freedom! 
 
But as long as you are looking toward Christ, and looking for freedom while mourning the sin that entangles you, You will be comforted. So keep bringing it to the Lord. And every time you do, you are becoming more pour in spirit. And the promise is, your is the kingdom of heaven. 
 
So no matter what it is you face, whether a quiet hidden sin, or one that is constantly screaming in your face, take some time and get alone with God. Admit the pain your sin has caused. And let him comfort you. 
 
And as you do, I pray you know more of what you believe, and why you believe it to be true. Until tomorrow, I love you, and as you mourn for the presence of the forgiving, loving, and merciful savior, May God Bless YOU!

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
 
The word Blessed here comes from the Greek word Markarios - meaning blessed, or happy, fortunate, and well off. It’s actually a picture of being content and fulfilled. This word blessed is an understanding that you are just fine with where you are at, because you get you, and where you are at. See, this is an awareness that you don’t have to look around and measure up, judge, compare, or even contrast how you would do things, because you are just fine accepting the grace you have been given for the situations you have been place in. 
 
Let me further that thought for a second. 
 
We have been given grace and mercy. The writer of Hebrews tells us in Hebrew 4:16 - to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 
 
What’s the difference between grace and mercy? 
 
Grace is being given blessings beyond what we deserve. It’s the understanding that God is so incredibly good to us as he pours out his favor and kindness on us. 
 
Mercy is not getting what we actually deserve. It’s the understanding that we deserve to be punished for our sinful rebellion, but instead, we were forgiven and redeemed. We should be cast out of the presence of the living God, but instead we were given a chance to build relationship with him. 
 
These two things in our lives, the grace to be cared for beyond what we deserve, and the mercy to be forgiven and spared the punishment we should embody, both lead me to a place of gratitude. When I take the time to understand how good God has been to me, it makes me fulfilled, happy, full of contentment, fortunate. . . It makes me realized how blessed I am! 
 
So Jesus starts with the reminder that Blessed are you, when you are poor in spirit. What does it mean to be poor in spirit? 
 
Poor - the Greek word ptōchos (pto-khos’) indicating a state of helplessness, or powerless to accomplish an end on your own, 
 
Spirit - the Greek word pneuma- referring to the rational of a person, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, or decides. 
 
What Jesus is saying, is that you would do good to understand just how helpless you are when you are left to your own ability to feel, think, or make decisions on your own. You don’t have the power to always make wise, meaningful, thought out actions and thoughts. The flesh drives you to make bad judgements all the time. 
 
It’s the condition of the heart. The heart wants what the heart wants. . . 
 
The sooner you recognize that you aren’t perfect, that you give in to your fleshly desires all the time just like everyone else, the sooner you will be able to find satisfaction realizing the grace and mercy of God! In fact, Jesus takes it a step further. He said, 
 
“Blessed are the Poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
 
Jesus basically said, there is no way to understand the kingdom in which he reigns, if you can’t understand your inability to deserve it in the first place. 
 
This isn’t a moment of thinking poorly of yourself. 
 
This doesn’t mean to evoke a “Woe Is Me” attitude. 
 
It’s a simple reality that Jesus illustrated in John 15 when he said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart form me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” 
 
See, the poor in spirit are blessed and content, because they don’t need to look around and compare what opportunities others have been given, because they realize the breath in their lungs today is a graceful act of a loving God who breaths life into them, in stead of making them pay for the mess they have made around them. And when you understand that, you get the kingdom of heaven. 
 
See without understanding this, you miss the kingdom of heaven because you are constantly thinking you deserve something better than what you actually deserve. 
 
Now, here is an important piece that Jesus wanted them to walk away with. He wasn’t trying to knock them down or tear them down to size by saying this. He was reminding them of his goodness. He was helping them put the goodness of God into perspective. 
 
You will be content and satisfied when you begin to realize that apart from God you can do nothing. You are but filthy rags. . . . But the kingdom of heaven amends this, because you aren’t apart from God. You have the forgiveness, favor, mercy, and grace of God in your life! So you can do all things. You are more than a conqueror. And this grace is no different than the grace of the person who you think has undeserved favor to be in a role and do things that you want for yourself. 
 
So here is the rub. This is what I want you to think about, and then I want you to put into practice. . . 
 
Somewhere you have looked at someone or a situation and have thought you deserve the opportunity to be given the chance. . . . I don’t know your exact context or what you feel slighted from, but it’s human nature. We all want the chance to prove ourselves. This is a drive that will cause you so much frustration, hurt, and pain. If you want to be blessed, if you want contentment in your life, you have to realize that apart from God you can do nothing. So all you really need is. . Jesus. 
 
Two things to overcome this. 
 
First - stop and admit to God that you need him. You don’t need the promotion, favor of mankind, opportunities, or anything else this world has to offer. You just need the presence of the living God. For if you can find this, you will be blessed. So take some time to admit your dependence on him. 
 
But Second - if there is someone that you have been jealous of, someone who you feel like you could do their job better and so you have been bitter, angered by the fact that you don’t get the chance to. .  but they do for some reason. . . . you need a reset of heart. The only way you can do that, is through prayer. 
 
See, I told you that prayer isn’t something we do to earn the favor of God. The blessings aren’t being held out from you until you say a certain amount of prayers and earn your favor. But prayer helps you align your heart with God and get out of your egocentric thought process. So start by praying. Pray for the person you find yourself jealous of. Or pray for the one that isn’t handling things the way you would. Begin asking favor over them and a protection to make wise decisions. When you do this, you will begin to become a person who is poor in spirit. And the result, you will get the kingdom of heaven. 
 
So wrestle with this today. And as you do, I pray it helps you understand what you believe, and why you believe it to be true. And until tomorrow, I love you, and as you learn to be poor in spirit, may God bless you! 

Beatitudes episode 1
 
What does God expect you to do? 
 
If I’m honest, There is a dangerous pressure that I have witnessed being placed on kids, and even adults, that sounds like this - God is going to use you to do great things! 
 
I mean, I hope that is true! And I pray that over every one I come in contact with. But I refuse to say it. Do you understand the pressure it puts on someone when you say God has great things in store for them that he wants them to do. . . It puts pressure to perform, and an unreal expectation to do something that actually has nothing to do with us. 
 
Does God really want people to DO great things?
 
Maybe you’ve been told this or have had someone speak over you that God was going to use your story to do something great in the lives of others. 
 
Again, I pray that to be true. But is that what our story is for? 
 
Are we supposed to hold it out like some sort of power source designed for some great purpose? Here is the problem, when we put that pressure on someone, it causes a misalignment of purpose and motivation. 
 
Let me explain what I mean. 
 
God never set expectations on people to DO. 
 
The problem with today’s society is that everything, including relationship, is a performance based transaction. Society begs the question, “What can you do for me?” It is why people are primarily friends with those who agree with them and have the same ideologies as them. We have been tricked into thinking that the way someone performs is contingent on their ability to be loved and befriended. It is why you don’t want to be friends with that person that you “just don’t get anything out of the relationship.” 
 
The tragic part is that this creeps into our relationship with God as well. 
 
How many times have you thought to yourself that you would read your Bible more so that you could have more of God’s love. 
 
Or have you fasted, just because you thought that if you didn’t, you wouldn’t get the blessings of God? 
 
Now don’t get me wrong, Fasting is important, and we will talk about it soon, but fasting doesn’t secure a blessing. God doesn’t need you to read a certain number of verses in order to pour his blessing on you. And you aren’t expected to do something great for God in order to be called His. . . . 
 
But while you aren’t called to do. . . . You ARE called to BE!
 
God isn’t concerned with what you do, but he is extremely alert to who you become! 
 
There is a verse in Ecclesiastes that I love that says this, 6:10
 
“Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago wha tech person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.” 
 
This is the wisdom of King Solomon. He is making sure we understand that God has put time and thought into what each person would Be. He made you intentionally the way you are. This isn’t a list of things to do. It doesn’t come with a task list that you check off in order to fulfill your purpose. 
 
It is a hopeful formation of you as a person.
 
God wants you to BE who he designed you to BE!
 
And what exactly is that? 
 
Well, a uniquely formulated image bearer of Yahweh - the Creator God. 
 
God has ordained that you would become a person that represents him and is full of his presence. And the best part, is that you don’t have to focus on doing anything. You just have to become who God created you to be. 
 
This is why Jesus starts off the very best sermon ever preached with a list of BEattitudes instead of DOattitudes. 
 
Listen to this list in Matthew 5:1-12
 
Over the next couple of days, we are going to walk through this list of beatitudes one at a time. And as we do, the goal is to help you identify the type of person that God has called you to be. But I want to start by doing a practice that I believe will help you. 
 
Open your Bible and re-read this list. But as you do, slow down and ask God to reveal to you where you have tried to Do instead of trying to Be. 
 
Let me say it this way. . If you are pursuing a relationship with God the Father, the Living God who breaths life into all things. . . . He is so pleased and proud of you! Reading a set number of verses, or fasting a specific number of days won’t make him more proud. It will help you grow deeper and understand God’s ways more, but that’s a bonus for understanding who you are and who God designed you to be!
 
So I’m going to pray over, and then I want you to read this list again. And as you do, I pray that Holy Spirit reveals areas in your life where you are trying to accomplish, instead of just letting God help you become. And as we study this section together over the next few days, I pray it helps you to understand what you believe, and why you believe it to be true. But for now, I love you, and as you become who God designed you to be, May God Bless you!