January 23, 2025 Morning Devotional
Morning Devotion: Read Luke - The Beatitudes
Luke 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
Jesus came down to them from the mountain and began to teach and heal. This is, as recorded by Luke, the sermon on the mount. You will find the sermon on the mount in Mathew as well.
Blessed are the poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Does that mean all poor people go to heaven?
No, read Revelation 20:12a And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:
We find in Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is speaking about the poor in Spirit, the humble in spirit the beggarly or the beggars. It gives you the idea of one who realizes they have nothing spiritually and their desire is to have something spiritually. I have never met a beggar who wanted nothing. I have met beggars who needed everything and had nothing. That is what the Lord Jesus is talking about.
He did not come to save the righteous, the self righteous who think they do not need Christ nor heaven nor spiritual things.
Luke 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
What about you, do you realize your need of a saviour? for you are the very one Jesus is calling.
Luke 6:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
The poor in spirit hunger and thirst after righteousness and guess what, they will be filled with righteousness. Jesus is the righteous one.
2Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Do you hunger for righteousness or do you think you are good enough?
The true believer in Christ Jesus knows they are only righteous in Christ. That one fact should drive that believer toward Christ who our righteousness. It should drive us to Him to please Him who gave us salvation and righteousness.
Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
The choice is still yours,
Pastor Cook
