WHAT CAN WE EXPECT AS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST?

GREETINGS IN THE NAME OF JESUS:



Matthew 5:3-11 is called the Beatitudes.  In this passage of scripture from Jesus is found the basic concept of what we can expect as a Follower of Jesus Christ especially as we grow closer to Him in Spirit.  While there is no doubt we will be blessed when we come to Him at first because we are all poor in the Spirit, we will also suffer many changes in our lives when we give ourselves over to His control.  We don't realize that we may well go through a period of mourning over the loss of some of the things that we always before thought were pleasures.  It may be friendships or habits that we need to lose to become closer to Jesus.

  We may find ourselves in situations where we are called out for no longer partaking in certain things by friends we have had who start to pull away from us because we are perceived as being too meek to be among their crowd any longer.  After a while of allowing God's Spirit to influence us, we will become hungry to learn and become thirsty for the word of God and greater knowledge   It is at this time we will start to change on the inside to the point that God's Holy Spirit is being displayed in our lives automatically through things like mercy and kindness.  We may not personally see the changes, but I can tell you that the world around you will see them.  While we will obtain great mercy from the Spirit of Christ and a peace that we don't always understand we can be assured that the world will begin to pull away from us in ways we never thought we would ever see.

 As our hearts change and become molded by God to become purer in our intent and our outlook on what is good and right in life the world around us will begin to recognize us as peacemakers and begin to throw slurs and remarks at us simply because of the goodness it sees of  God in us.  The only reason for this is that this world hates God, and because we belong to God this world will also hate you.  Now we may question if this is fair? NO! Of course, it is not fair, but then this world is not fair even though it spends most of its time being very two-faced about it.  We can, however, rejoice because we are known as God's own, and this world is pulling away from us because it recognizes we are no longer a part of the death and destruction that it brings upon itself.

  In truth, this world hates us because we remind it that God still has mercy and love reserved for those who will bow and humble themselves to Him.  What the world hates about that is that they cannot have it their way!  To confess their sins and humble themselves would mean that they are indeed wrong and God has been right all along.  We are literally the truth that God has set on a high hill to show this world what it could be like to be forgiven and in the graces of a Good and loving God.

The hardest part is for them to accept what Jesus did for us all, and then to name Him Lord over all things...but they will sooner or later because every knee will bow and every tongue will confess.  God has already told us what to expect when we give our lives to Him as far as this world is concerned, but we have no imagination as to the blessings we will receive from Him for being His Child in Heaven.  May you richly bless God through your life in Him.



THE UNWORTHY SERVANT