Luke 6:20-21

Luke 6:20-21

And after He lifted up His eyes into His disciples, He said, “Blessed are the devoid of wealth, because the kingdom of God is yours.  Blessed are the ones who hunger now, because they will be filled.  Blessed are the ones who mourn now, because they will laugh.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Blessed are the devoid of wealth.  In other words, blessed are the people who don’t even have an opportunity for materialistic gain.  It’s easy to work in a solidly middle class job, watching the ends barely meet the means most months, and feel like this teaching applies to me. But it doesn’t.  The reality is that I am nowhere near the category of “devoid of wealth.”  I have a reliable home.  I have running water that is free of parasites and sickness.  I have a reliable car to drive.  I do occasionally have money in my wallet.  I do have regular meals, some of which I can afford to have someone else prepare and serve to me.  No, I’m not devoid of wealth.  I am rich.  I am not as rich as many, but I am still rich.  When Jesus says this parable, He’s not talking about anyone here in America.  Jesus is talking about the people in the world for whom clean water and a single meal in any given day are not foregone conclusions.  Theirs is the kingdom of God.  Me?  This doesn’t make me outside the kingdom of God.  But it does mean that I will struggle between keeping my eyes on the kingdom and letting my eyes stray into the material world around me.

Where are you on the “devoid of wealth” scale?  How do you struggle with materialism?

Second Thought:

Blessed are those who hunger.  The reality is that I don’t fit into this category, either.  I can rely on three square meals a day.  There are plenty of people in the world that cannot.  However, there is a way that I do fit into this category.  From a spiritual perspective, I am absolutely hungry.  I am no longer fed by the things of the world.  I realize that nothing in this world can bring me true satisfaction that will last forever.  I hunger for the satisfaction that only God can bring.  Because I hunger on a spiritual level, I can know that Jesus’ promise is for me.  I will be filled.  In fact, I am filled on a daily basis by being in the word and having conversations about how God is active in my life.

Are you hungry?  Are you filled?  How does this apply to you?

Third Thought:

The third group of people are a people that I understand well.  I often look at the world and mourn.  I mourn because so often I see people behaving contrary to God’s will – people who are intentionally choosing to do so as well as people who don’t even care to think about whether they are doing so or not.  I mourn because I see so many people focused on themselves.  I mourn because I see so many people focused on the materialistic world.  I mourn because I see so many people blatantly ignoring the common good.  I also mourn because I am occasionally among those people, too.  But Jesus says those who mourn will laugh.  I know I mourn now because I live in a sinful fallen world.  But one day the world will be made anew.  One day when God has stripped our sinfulness away from us and brought Him into a dwelling place with Him, then I will laugh.  Blessed are the ones who mourn now.

Do you look around and mourn at the world around you?  What makes you mourn?  How do you deal with knowing that one day you will laugh but you’re a more blessed to mourn today?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 6:22-24