Re: Verse reading–Matthew 5:1-16 (day six) “Blessed are the poor in spirit. . .blessed are those who mourn. (vs 3,4,) At a doctor’s appointment yesterday, I was attended by a young tech who had the word “Blessed” tattooed on his skin. I asked him about it and he told me his story. His happy gratitude is the foundation of our faith. People who know Christ are blessed in Him. People who seek the Kingdom are happier, wiser and more successful. (Now or later or both.) Even admitting that Jesus defines success in a different way, the FACT that we are blessed is undeniable. “He is a REWARDER of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6) I wonder how much weakness we welcome into our lives by leaving this promise unbelieved? How confident are you that you are (and will be) BLESSED to follow Christ and to contribute to an eternal Kingdom? Do you have a tattoo? How about a testimony?
I hope you will forgive me for this lengthy excerpt of something I wrote recently. I submit it in response to the questions, “Do you have a tatoo? How about a testimony?” —
You have heard the old expression, “Live each day as if it were your last.” It seems to be universally agreed to be a good saying. There’s nothing spiritual about it, it’s just plain good advice.
But what does it really mean? Does it mean to appreciate each breath, every flower, every friend, every act of kindness? Does it mean to maximize love and happiness and to share a smile with everyone you meet? I suppose it could.
I say, it means something else.
If you knew that this day was the last day you would ever have, you would do everything in your power to accomplish what you felt was the most important thing in the world to accomplish. You would do everything in your power to say to someone what you felt was the most important thing in the world to say to them. You would do everything in your power to make it known, to those who mean the most to you in all of life, what you felt was the most important thing in the world for them to know.
I will tell you what I would do if this day were my last, because, for all I know, it is.
I would tell anyone and everyone I could of the possibility for eternal life for anyone who will accept the payment that Christ made for them.
If it was the last day of my life, I would do whatever I had to do to get that message out, anything in my power.
How would I do that? Would I climb a mountain? If I had to. Would I cross a continent or an ocean? If that’s what it took. Would I put a message in a bottle and throw it out to sea? Carl Sagan said that Voyager was a bottle launched into a cosmic ocean. Come to think of it, I don’t think Voyager is proclaiming God whatsoever.
I find a happier metaphor to be that of tying a note to the string of a balloon. It just seems more fun to me. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m sending up a note tied to a balloon. And I want you to find it.
Do I seem to be telling you to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins? Do I seem to be saying to you to find God’s promises to you in the Bible and to trust them? Do I seem to be saying to you, “Be reconciled to God!”?
I’m only too happy to!