In my walk with Christ, there are some days where I find it easier to believe the worst rather than the best. It could be anything from doubt that I’ve truly been forgiven, or trust that He truly has my best interests at heart; I register them as faulty thoughts yet seem incapable of overriding them. In instances like these, my appraisal of the situation is final. I can’t see past my ‘truth’ even though a faith-led Grace would instantly dismiss them as lies.
“Blessed are you…” (Luke 6:20-23)
Journal
In sharing the beatitudes Jesus, was, in a sense, delivering a motivational speech. Given that He is The Truth (John 14:6) and His Word is truth (John 17:17), He had full confidence in what He said.
Scenarios
- You share the truth and believe it’s true = believer
- You share the truth but believe it’s a lie = unbeliever
- You share a lie and know it’s a lie = deceiver
- You share a lie but believe it to be true = deceived
Do you believe your truth more than The Truth?
Jesus believed every word He ever shared; therefore, to be like Him you cannot proclaim truth from a place of unbelief. Be honest about your unbelief and ask God to help you with it. Don’t do Satan’s job for him by assisting in deception. Ensure that you know the truth so that you aren’t unknowingly deceived. God repeatedly tells you not to have any fear, worry, or doubt because He cannot lie. By allowing those emotions to persist you are suggesting that God is a liar.
- What is it that you find hard to believe about His word?
- Why are His promises true for others but not you?
- What makes your perspective more believable than His?
- What steps are you taking to ensure you aren’t deceived?
- Have you ever dared to believe that what He says might actually be true? How did that go?
Commentary
The Greek word used for blessed in this passage, makarios, means supremely blest, fortunate, well off, or happy – puzzling, right? If I found myself in any of the situations mentioned in the beatitudes, the last thing I’d consider myself to be is ‘blessed.’ Jesus, on the other hand, encourages the multitude to have a positive attitude towards the negative situations they might encounter. The pain and difficulty of each situation isn’t lost on Him. However, His encouragement isn’t given with the intent of superficial soothing, but rather with the desire to instil peace.
It’s true that you’ll find yourself in situations where you feel your lack of faith is justified. You’ll tell yourself that a particular Bible promise can’t possibly be true or even apply to you… yet here, Jesus encourages you to register and process some of the most testing situations as a blessing. If you outwardly share God’s word as truth, but inwardly consider it to be untrue then you’re an unbeliever. Throughout His life and ministry Jesus was in category 1 and that’s where He desires you to be, too.
So…
Your truth may seem convincing, but unless it aligns with His truth then you must acknowledge it as a lie.
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