Saturday, November 20, 2021

Today’s Reading: Matthew 5:1-6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled. 

Matthew 5:6

Reflection: In His famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches that His Kingdom citizens are those who are aware of their need for God. They are poor in spirit, spiritually depleted and in need of the richness of God’s grace. They are mourners, deep with grief, in need of comfort that only God’s presence can give. Those in God’s Kingdom are blessed because they have found true fulfillment in a relationship with God.

People of God’s Kingdom are willing citizens who have pledged their life to Him and dedicated themselves to Him wholeheartedly. They have come to God in their emptiness and have been filled to the brim. Now, they can be gentle, because they can depend on God’s power and sovereignty. They can exhibit righteousness, because they have first been covered by the righteousness of God. They are vessels overflowing with God’s goodness because they have been so filled by His Spirit. They know the gift that is a life with God because they remember what their life was like without Him.

Jesus the Son of God came to earth because He saw our need for Him. He saw that we were lost in sin and without hope, depleted and wearied in a fallen world, and burdened by grief and pain in it. By His death on the Cross, He paid the price that sin required in order that we could abide with Him in His Kingdom. We are invited by Jesus to be a part of God’s Kingdom, to be under rule of the Good and Perfect King.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your teaching which reminds of my need for You. I thank You for allowing me to be a part of Your Holy Kingdom and Your good work. As I abide with You, Lord, help me to continually trust in Your providence and provision, that my life would testify of the fullness and joy that can be found in Your Presence. In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN.

Bible-in-a-Year Reading Plan (credit: Biblestudytools.com): Matthew 5:1-20; Exodus 28:1-29:46; Proverbs 13