How To Live The Beatitudes: A Practical Guide to Biblical Living
The Beatitudes are some of the most well-known verses from the Bible. They’re also some of the most challenging. In just six simple verses, the Beatitudes present Christians with an entire philosophy of life that can be difficult to integrate into our day-to-day existence. And there’s a good reason why they’re so challenging: The Beatitudes aren’t normal Christian teachings. They go against the grain of what we might expect from Jesus and what we might expect from any religious figure. Rather than focusing on external actions like giving money to charity or praying often, the Beatitudes focus on internal character traits like humility, gentleness, and mercy. And while it may seem strange to have such unusual teachings in the Bible, there is a very good reason why these particular teachings are so challenging and important: They come directly from Jesus himself.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is one of the most well-known religious figures in the world. He’s been written about, read about, studied, and talked about for two thousand years. So it’s no surprise that there’s so much information about him available that you might not know where to start. But before we can really dive into the Beatitudes, it’s important to have a basic understanding of who Jesus is. Jesus is the Son of God, and he is fully God and Fully man. Most people know that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and eternal. And yet most people also believe that God is completely separate from the human race. Jesus is God, who chose to be born of a woman and lived his life as fully god and fully human. He, as a man, walked the planet, interacted with people, struggled just as we do, and lived sinless lives. And Jesus gave his life freely to pay the price of our sins.
What are the Beatitudes?
The Beatitudes are a series of teachings that Jesus gives and recorded in the gospel of Matthew. This is Jesus’s first recorded sermon after he is baptized by John the Baptist and begins his ministry. They’re found in Matthew 5:3-12 and are often recited during the celebration of Maundy Thursday (which is the day before Good Friday). The word “Beatitudes” is actually a translation of the word “Blessed.” And Jesus is blessing his listeners as he teaches them how to live as followers of his way of life. These teachings aren’t like the rest of the gospel of Matthew. Instead of describing the life of Jesus or his teachings, the Beatitudes are a list of statements describing Christians’ ideal way of life.
Why is it so difficult to live by these teachings?
The Beatitudes are challenging to live by, not just because they’re difficult to understand. They’re also challenging to put into practice because they go against our natural human tendencies. If you try to live by the Beatitudes, you will probably find that you have to work against your own nature. This can be uncomfortable, but it’s also a good thing. If you’re living in conflict with yourself, then that means that you’re challenging yourself to grow and change. And it’s important to know just how much the Beatitudes go against our natural tendencies. Many of us will naturally want to slide towards fulfilling our own desires. But when we want to live by the Beatitudes, we must go against our desires and choose to do the right thing instead.
2 Reasons Why It’s So Hard To Live By The Beatitudes
At first, we might think that living by the Beatitudes is a matter of willpower. If we just try hard enough, we can force ourselves to be more humble, merciful, and gentle. But the truth is that living by the Beatitudes is much more than just a matter of trying harder. It’s also a matter of changing the way we think. And the reason that many of us have trouble with this is that we don’t understand the core principles behind the Beatitudes. We can’t force ourselves to change our character traits without knowing what those traits are supposed to be. And we can’t change how we think without knowing what things we need to think about.
3 Strategies To Help You Live By The Beatitudes
If you want to live by the Beatitudes, then there are a few things you can do right now to start on the right path. The first thing you should do is understand the core principles behind the Beatitudes. Then, you should make a commitment to live by these core principles. And finally, you should actively work to grow in each trait that the Beatitudes represent.
Conclusion
The Beatitudes are a challenging set of teachings. They go against our natural tendencies towards greed, pride, and self-righteousness. They also go against our natural laziness, impatience, and anger tendencies. And it’s easy to feel discouraged when we realize just how difficult it is to live by these teachings. But even though it’s hard, it’s worth it. And it’s possible. If you commit to living by the Beatitudes, then you can change the way you think, you can change your character traits, and you can change your life.
