Upper Room Daily Devotions ~ Tuesday, 5 November 2013 ~ “Blessed Are The Humble” ~ READ: The Beatitudes Matthew 5

Upper Room Daily Devotions ~ Tuesday, 5 November 2013 ~ “Blessed Are The Humble” ~ READ: The Beatitudes Matthew 5:1 Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

3  “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.✡

4  Blessed are those who mourn,

for they shall be comforted.✡

5  Blessed are the gentle,

for they shall inherit the earth.*✡

6  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,

for they shall be filled.

7  Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall obtain mercy.

8  Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they shall see God.

9  Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they shall be called children of God.

10  Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

11  “Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12  Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.(Messianic WEB)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.~-Matthew 5:3 (NRSV)

I had just completed several frustrating trips around the hospital parking lot looking for a space when I saw a man heading for his car. I positioned myself to move into his slot, which I, of course, considered mine. Suddenly a young woman quickly and expertly maneuvered her car around several parked cars and into the slot I was waiting for. The woman hastily exited her car, flashed me a smile, and moved off rapidly toward the hospital. I don’t know what she meant to communicate with her smile, but I gave it a very negative interpretation as I sat there doing a slow burn. Later, in my quiet time with the Lord, I realized my reaction should have been much kinder. Perhaps the woman was in the midst of a life emergency, and her smile was an appeal for me to understand or to forgive her. Whatever the situation, I realized I needed to respond in a way that was pleasing to the Lord. Jesus, with infinite wisdom, gave us the guidelines and directions in the Beatitudes that would help us to live humbly and be more like him. And in 1 Peter 5:5 we read, “All of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”~~The Author ~ Walter N. Maris (Missouri, USA)

Thought for the Day: Hasty assumptions can derail Christlike actions.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to live humbly and to be your witnesses in all circumstances. Amen.

Prayer Focus: Someone who needs my understanding

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