Thursday; May 12
One of the most popular sections of the New Testament is the Sermon on the Mount – and one of its most well-known parts of it is the Beatitudes. These “blessings” appear to have been spoken by Jesus in an effort to set the expectations He had for His people. As I looked at one of the Beatitudes the other day, I noticed an interesting observation, “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5). Through the years, we have become familiar enough with this verse that we may have a tendency to overlook its irony. The traditional view of humanity is that the power of the strong will produce victory. The harder you work, the most tenacious you are, the more you will accomplish. So, is Jesus discounting hard work and planning? It seems that Jesus is trying to shift the focus of His disciples away from selfish goals and acquisitions to cooperation and lasting accomplishments. Life is more than conquering; it is also about co-existing. We don’t just measure