ATTITUDES THAT SHAPE DIVINE HAPPINESS

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“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…”—Proverbs 23:7
 
Our attitudes shape our mind-set—our focus.  How we view certain things affects every area of our life.  Jesus taught different attitudes than the religious leaders.  We are able to see the marked contrast of attitudes between the world’s thinking and our Lord’s viewpoint in Matthew 5 -7. 
 
The word "beatitude" comes from the Latin beatitudo, meaning "blessedness." The phrase "blessed are" in each of the beatitudes implies a current state of happiness or well-being—an attitude, as well as a promised future reward.  The expression held powerful meaning of "divine joy and perfect happiness" to the people of the day.  In other words, Jesus was saying "divinely happy and fortunate are" those who possess these inward qualities / attitudes.
 
Today we will highlight the Be Attitudes in Matthew 5:3 and 10
 
(v. 3) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Poor in spirit / kingdom of heaven
 The word “poor” is speaking of being inferior, inadequate, or lacking, such as when we speak of poor attendance or poor health.  Jesus was telling those who recognized their spiritual inadequacies to be happy because help had come. They could receive new spirits (2 Corinthians 5:17) by letting the kingdom of God come within them (Luke 17:21 and Romans 14:17).
  
 (v. 10) “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.  Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Revile, persecute and all kinds of evil / great reward in heaven
 Persecution is an inevitable part of the Christian life (John 15:18-20 and Philippians 1:29-30). The only Christians who don't suffer persecution are those who aren't living godly lives (2 Timothy 3:12). Persecution is from Satan and is designed to uproot God's Word in our lives (Mark 4:16-17) by taking our eyes off of Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3) and, therefore, making us fall into strife or despondency (James 3:16).
 
There are many forms of persecution. Having our lives threatened because of our faith in Jesus is one way we can be persecuted, but it is not the most damaging. History shows that the church has always flourished under persecution with increased numbers and zeal. During intense, life-threatening persecution, people's priorities get straightened out, and the Lord assumes His rightful place. This always works for our good, regardless of what our outward circumstances might be.
 
A far deadlier form of persecution is simply people speaking evil of us or separating us from their company, as Jesus mentioned in Matthew 5:11-12.  It is deadlier because it's more subtle. Many who would never directly deny the Lord will fall into self-pity or strife because of someone's criticism. This will render us just as ineffective as would a negative reaction to our lives being threatened.
 
It helps to recognize that it is not us whom they are persecuting, but rather Christ in us (Acts 9:4). We are actually becoming partakers of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10) and will share His rewards (Romans 8:17-18, 2 Timothy 2:11-12, and Hebrews 11:26). With this in mind, we can actually shout and leap for joy in persecution (Luke 6:22-23 and Acts 5:41).
 
These “be attitudes” give us a clear picture of the true disciple of God.
 
Prayer—Father I repent for attitudes that do not reflect You, and I ask You to refocus and reshape any attitude that is not aligned with how You think, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.