THE “BE” ATTITUDES August 2023
Scripture Reference: Matthew 5:1-12 (NKJV)
And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Everyone has a main goal for their life. Various factors influence whether that goal is materialized or not. God has given us His expectations that we must exhibit as we journey through life. Therefore, He gives us the attitudes that we should BE.
To BE is to exist. It opposes dormancy and indicates the action of life and alertness. It is an awareness of growth, breath, productivity, excretion, sensitivity, and adaptation.
In movies, it is the presence of conflict that creates and propels the plot, desires, attention and guessing at the resolution. Interesting characters are used to feed our adrenaline, conquer the culprits and cause the good guys to overcome struggles in the story and in the end, win the victory.
In one of Shakespeare’s plays: As You Like It, Act 2, scene 7, we read the following words: All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Also, in the movie SARAFINA, the hero Sarafina concluded that, “Actors don’t act. They just be”.
On our life’s pathway, God’s plan is that because we are His artwork, we are expected to be good players, and walk accordingly, (Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, we must just BE the attitudes that Jesus taught in Matthew 5.
Jesus saw both the internal and external needs of those who had followed Him. As is His character, He provides everything that is necessary for our physical as well as our spiritual life. So, He gave them a lesson about the attitudes they should display.
The magnitude of Jesus’ impact on the crowd allowed the entire audience to hear Him regardless of where they were sitting. He has a way of communicating with our spirit and downloading appropriate directives. We will then be programmed to discern what He has for us and become sensitive to God’s leading.
It is innate for us to consider how we will be rewarded for any task that we undertake. To clarify any concerns, Jesus stated that the downcast, disillusioned, and discouraged are to have the attitude of being blessed because their reward is the Kingdom of heaven. If our focus is on the goal, we can be encouraged to know that our experiences will produce perfection and stability in God. Thus, we grow from strength to strength.
Take note that in Matthew 5:3 Jesus speaks of the downcast, the poor in spirit, receiving the Kingdom of heaven, whereas in verse five He speaks of the humble inheriting the earth. The model prayer in Matthew 6, speaks of God’s will being done both in heaven and in earth. So, either way, His will is that He is exalted through our attitudes towards each other and by our acts of worship to Him.
When we go through the process of suffering, we are being shaped into honored vessels that God requires. Why do we desire the Kingdom, (righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, Romans 14: 17)? By these things we serve Christ. Above all, joy in the Holy Ghost allows us to discard the desire to linger in the discomfort that troubles bring.
Loss causes us to be hurt to the core, but God provides, not a band-aid, but a remedy. We can take the attitude that we will be comforted because our Savior was thinking about us when He gave His farewell speech in John 14. The disciples would be worried about Jesus’ departure to heaven, so He promised to send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, whose job was primarily to soothe us, teach us and remind us of God’s word. When we mourn, we have the assurance that the Comforter is available to us.
Food is the only remedy for hunger, therefore another attitude that will be rewarded is that our hunger to live right in God’s sight, will be satisfied. One of the tests that the enemy presented to Jesus, was for Him to eat during His fast. The enemy was then reminded that spiritual hunger is more important than physical hunger.
In the Garden of Eden, Eve was also enticed with what was presented as being good for food. Even babies gravitate towards a pacifier, their toe, a finger, or a toy in their mouth. So then, to gratify our hunger for righteousness (right living) our soul needs nutrients that are only received from the Word of God. The milk and meat of the Word help us walk in faith and show mercy.
To the extent that we need God’s mercy and forgiveness, He expects us to give the same to others. In Matthew 18: 23-30 we read of someone who was pardoned for a huge debt, but subsequently, he was merciless to his debtor. God did not countenance that kindly, because He examines our heart.
The pure in heart shall see God. That pureness translates into cultivating the right attitude about circumstances and acknowledging God’s work in all our experiences. The conscious selection of what we consume makes for either purity or defilement of our inner man. It takes diligence to guard the inner me, thus being pure in heart. Our effort will be rewarded in that we have the promise that we shall see God. Titus 1:15 speaks of our perception of things. It behooves us then to look for something positive in every situation. This will help to keep our heart pure since our goal is to see God.
Our present character trait (attitude) fosters our state of being. We say things like: God is love; God is faithful; God is able; God is good; God is a rewarder. Since those words tell the very essence of who God is, He cannot be otherwise. Importance is placed on the word are: “BLESSED ARE”(plural form of the word IS which describes our current state) in each of the verses in the Scripture Reference, Matthew 5. God expects that we must exhibit who God says we ARE.
Romans 12:18 tells us that what lies within us fuels the possibility of us being peacemakers. In choosing to look for good in everything, that kind of ATTITUDE allows us to chase after peace as well as being at peace. That is one of the steps that lead to our reward. This speaks to growth and the production of desirable fruits. A productive life in Christ, leaves no room for stagnation.
Everyone’s desire is to have a family name that is known for wealth and integrity. Although we had no choice of the family in which we were born, God gives us a choice to select His family. What an honor! There are distinct features that outsiders use to identify family members. Will our display of the way we must BE, identify us as people who are living the blessed are the …… kind of life? Just like a combination of ingredients produce a desirable, mouth-watering cake, every quality that God says we are, merge to produce the blessed life.
In the Bible, there are people who left an exemplary record through their faith walk. (Abraham, Elijah, Joseph, and Hannah). On the other hand, some notorious names that we would not want to be associated with are Judas, Cain, Jezebel and Pilate. When family members display deplorable behaviors, we cringe and may not want to be associated with that family name. In our pursuit of peace, God gives us a new family name: sons of God. Such a name, we can wear proudly. That heritage exposes us to innumerable rights and privileges:
* The Kingdom of heaven and earth belongs to us. (vv.3,5,10)
* Comfort is ours when we mourn. (v.4)
* We have an inexhaustible supply of the Word of God. (v.6)
* Mercy is available for us. (v.7)
* Purity of heart will be rewarded with our seeing God. (v. 8)
* Our new name is Sons of God. (v. 9)
* Great reward awaits us in heaven if we suffer wrongfully. (vv.11,12)
In the meantime, we can rejoice in the knowledge that our reward in heaven is great. Let us, therefore, make a conscious decision to cultivate the BE ATTITUDES.
Dr. O. A. James
REFLECTION
The Beatitudes do not seem to be consistent with human nature. Discuss.