Today’s devotion is based on Week 2 of “Tough Love”: Challenges Perspective! (WATCH HERE)
Here in the south, you can often times hear people use the phrase, “Bless their heart!” As I reflect on the use of the phrase, it seems to be used in a situation where something not so good has happened or someone has done something understandably dumb. So in the midst of a not so good situation or a somewhat dumb move, a person says “Bless their heart!” I think what is implied is this, “I hope something good comes to you out of this” or “They were so well intentioned that they deserve favor at least for the good intentions that got them in a sticky situation.” If any devotion readers are more educated in southern phrases, please correct my understanding.
What’s the point in bringing it up? We all want blessings…even in situations that seem antithetical to being blessed. We want good things in our lives and to affect those whom we love. If given the choice between blessing and curses, we would choose blessing every time.
The challenge as our heart yearns to be blessed, is sometimes our heart is misguided to seek blessing (sometimes equated with “happiness”) in things that are only a quick fix but not a long term sense of contentment, peace, and spiritual sufficiency.
As Jesus likes to do, he reverses our natural thinking to point us to where blessings for our heart and life can truly be found.
The most famous list of blessings is the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5. A second listing of four statements of blessing is in Luke 6, another of Jesus’ sermons. Jesus doesn’t just look at the crowd and say a pithy, “Bless their hearts” but rather indicates where true blessing is to be found. The first is this:
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
The world around us wants us to believe that blessing is merely wrapped up in the material things around us. It’s easy to drive by a large house with expensive cars and think, “They are blessed” and look at our lesser house and 15 year old cars and wonder how do we get that kind of blessing. The “quick fix” to blessing we think is to have a successful job and career in which we earn a lot of money and are able to enjoy the nicer things this life has to offer. However, the danger is this: We try to fill the void in our hearts with the material things of this world. We seek to fill our spirit with a feeling that we are successful, have arrived, or have status in this world.
Jesus changes our focus from the material to the eternal. He directs our hearts to be filled with these two things: First, you have the status of a child of God and heir of the kingdom of God. This is something way beyond any material blessings the Lord may allow you to have. Second he reminds us that true value and worth is found in the treasures of heaven, not the treasures of the earth. Things on this earth can be swept away, burned up, and given away when you die. Your membership in God’s kingdom as a gift of grace is what is worth far more than anything this world could offer.
Want true and lasting blessings? Detach your heart from the material things of this world. Let your love and life’s mission be focused on following Jesus and enjoying the spiritual blessings of his kingdom…forgiveness, grace, eternal life and more. These are the realities that leave our spirit filled, satisfied, and completely blessed.
Apply: Is there something in your life that you are looking to fill your soul other than the love of Jesus? Write it down and ask the Lord to replace the void with the truths of his kingdom.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for making me your child through baptism and including me in your kingdom. Help me to always fill my spirit with the truths and grace of your kingdom. AMEN.