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Washington Monument - www.wikipedia.org |
Since our Nation’s 238th
Birthday approaches and we see activists and militants rising, I had thought to
write about the coming persecution. However, in my study, the Lord showed me
something I never knew.
Reading the Sermon on the
Mount passage in Matthew 5, because verses 11 and 12 deal with persecution, it suddenly
occurred to me, I always saw these as separate people. In my mind, the poor in
spirit, the mourner, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
the merciful, the peacemakers, and the persecuted, were each unique and
distinct. I thought we just needed to find which mold we fit into and that was that.
Because Matthew was set in
a time before the crucifixion of Christ, I didn’t realize the poor in spirit,
the meek, the merciful, etc. become this way by the power of His Holy
Spirit. These are attributes of Christ; qualities we cannot sustain on our own.