City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 5:3-12 (NIV)

Megan’s Musings

In this series, Jesus called the beatitudes a map, if people want to find Him, they look for those who have these qualities: those who know they need Jesus, regret their past wrongs, are kind, do what is right, are forgiving, desire to follow God with all their hearts, actively work for peace, and are persecuted in the Name of God. All of them are blessed because they have God in their lives and put His Words into practice. Their lifestyles lead others to Jesus. 

But sometimes, the destination is correct, but the map isn’t. Once I had an Uber driver who intended to take me home, but we ended up on the wrong place because he followed the wrong directions. I eventually made it to my destination by paying attention to the roads and helping the driver along the way. Direction, not intention, determine destination (quote paraphrased from Andy Stanley). We intend to live a blessed life, and it requires focus on our part to go in that direction. 

Application

Living a blessed life is a GPS to lead others to Jesus. Is your map leading others to Jesus? Maybe the GPS needs to be reconfigured, or old roads erased and new ones drawn. 

Prayer

Dear Jesus, help me to live a blessed life so I can lead others to You. In Your Name I pray, amen.