Two Ways of Seeing

March 6

(Luke 6:20-26 NIV)  "Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. {21} Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. {22} Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. {23} "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. {24} "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. {25} Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. {26} Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets."

(Matthew 5:1-12 NIV) ““Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, {2} and he began to teach them, saying: {3} "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. {4} Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. {5} Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. {6} Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. {7} Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. {8} Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. {9} Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. {10} Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. {11} Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. {12} Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.””

Many Christians today want the blessings Jesus spoke of, without having to do what Jesus did. But we will never get what Jesus had until we do what Jesus did. Jesus spoke of many good things; things that many of us say we want. But to get to them, we have to do what Jesus taught. And what Jesus taught is that there are basically two ways of seeing and living: materially and spiritually. Living materially makes sense. We work to accumulate. We may give God a share, but materialism drives our lives. The call of the job trumps the call of God. However, there is another way of seeing life, and this is what drove Jesus. We can see spiritually. Unless we begin to see spiritually, instead of materially, nothing Jesus says in Luke 6 will make sense. Christ’s blessings and woes will grate on us. Christianity is the life long process of changing from one mindset to the other. Change your mind! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day