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Living the Beatitudes

 

This week we started a study on the Beatitudes. At the end of the hour, we were all challenged to pick one of the character qualities and focus on it for the week. I thought carefully about them all and eventually decided to focus on ‘meek’ (quiet, humble, well-mannered, patient and so on). When I don’t agree with something, or feel that I don’t deserve certain comments I will speak up. Now I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing. However, I can get a bit loud and frustrated and don’t always like to let things go in the interests of peace. So I definitely need a meek spirit at times. A few hours later I was shopping at the supermarket and God certainly gave me plenty of opportunities for being meek. Then later on, my husband expressed an opinion I didn’t agree with—again, a chance to practice being meek. I find I sometimes have to be intentional about practising these things as it is so easy to let something slip out of your mouth or to continue in habitual behaviours and actions. However, God is patient with me and enables me through his Holy Spirit to continue to grow and change. I sympathise with Paul when he said that the very thing he wants to do, he doesn’t do—he has the desire to do good but doesn’t do it. Like Paul, I lament the sin living in me (Romans 7:15-20). I have a long way to go, but I am not the same person I was and praise God for that. I expect to be made perfect when I finally go to Heaven. So be encouraged and thank God for continually working in you and for loving you anyway.

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