This morning I was directed to “The Beatitudes”. Nothing new here with regard to being blessed. I did however come across a couple of significant reminders.
“1Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.” – Matthew 5:1 (ESV)
You see here, Jesus sat down and spoke first to His disciples. He addressed His devoted followers first. He grabbed His team and made sure that they knew He appreciated them and that they were important to Him. Jesus then shared what we know as the rest of “The Beatitudes” ending with the following verses.
“11Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:11-12 (ESV)
What I am reminded here is that Jesus wants us as His disciples to know that they/we are important to Him. So much so to be addressed first and take precedent over those that are just gathering to be amazed.
As disciples of Christ, we are blessed on account of just that, following Christ. We are blessed as we do the work of Christ. We are blessed thanks to Christ.
Are you being persecuted and experiencing “all kinds of evil against you”? Are you a disciple of Christ? Are you aware of the blessings you receive on account of Jesus?
Trevor's Thoughts 