REFRESH

Holiness is a word that needs to become popular once again!

To be "pure in heart" is to strive to live a holy life. How do we do this? We make every effort to walk in right relationship with God as outlined by Jesus in the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes give us a roadmap for holiness and to be "pure in heart." What is the result? That we "shall see God." Wherever the will of God is done, there He is present. It is a "right now" presence and a future hope for the day we will see God, face to face.

Mercy is not self seeking. We do not show mercy to someone so we will receive it back. We show mercy because it is right living and it is what God requires of us. We show mercy because God shows mercy to us each day. And God is wise in what He requires of us. Not showing mercy and holding on to wrongdoing often harms us much more than helps and interrupts the work we could be doing for the kingdom of God.

Is your ambition to reflect God's glory or your own glory? It is a good question to consider. If we seek our own glory, we negate the kind of righteous living that satisfies us. If we pursue a relationship with God where we seek to align ourselves with the character of God, we will be satisfied. It may not be easy, but it will be good. It is the only place were where peace can be found.

Mary and Joseph were chosen by God. They had to navigate parenting the Son of God! Mary nursed him, they played with him, trained him up, taught him, and kept him from harm and danger initially. Ultimately they had to let him go – to trust they had done enough to enable Jesus to fulfill the life that both Mary, Joseph, and God expected Him to live.

Jesus was born into a loving family surrounded by helpers. What a wonderfully common occurrence. However, we know there was nothing common about this birth!

Meekness is not weakness! A meek person is not a coward. A meek person is not a people pleaser. Rather a meek person is a follower of God. A meek person is one who falls in under the authority of their Creator. A meek person submits to the will of God.

In our submission to God, in our meekness, in our humility before God, we find rest - rest for our souls. We find guidance. We find direction.

Though we may sin, though we may dishonor God with our actions - If we mourn those, if we repent, we have a Father who forgives. From forgiveness comes comfort – as we rest in the presence of God's forgiveness. Forgiveness produces a boldness to speak the name of Jesus to the world. We can become like David, Peter, Paul, - In repentant forgiveness – proclaiming to the world the comfort and mercy of a God who loves and cares.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3. The kingdom of heaven comes wherever God's will is being done. Wherever we are living according to the will of God. It comes when we live a life of obedient service, a life or placing the teaching of God above oneself. It is a life of obedient selflessness knowing that there may be difficulty in this world, yet a life of dependence on God for spiritual sustenance, as we live and seek to encounter God and his purpose above our own.

In the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5, Jesus gives us the roadmap of HOW to live our lives. The beatitudes are armor, they are our compass. They are direct from Jesus, and following them will lead to a life of peace and refreshing even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances.

Through significant "ups and downs" Joseph stood firm in his relationship with God. This relationship enabled him to remain consistent in difficult and wonderful circumstances. "God is never caught by surprise or unaware of our situation." -Stand Firm, What to do when life knocks you down. Mark Flattery. pg. 209