The call is to obey and teach the commandments, Jesus tells us. The reward is that we will know the fullness of his reign and glory. The commandments he refers to here are the Beatitudes: the blessings to be poor, meek, clean of heart, to mourn, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be a peacemaker and be persecuted for the sake of righteousness. Considering how this compares to the easy-to-understand and sacred “You shall nots” found in the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes may be more nuanced, more difficult to embody. Yet, there is an expansion—a fulfillment—of the old in these commands. “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (v. 17), Jesus says.
So, how do we obey and teach these commandments? We could start by asking Christ to make us poor, meek, pure, mournful and persecuted peacemakers who hunger and thirst for what’s right.
Blessings Sr Julia for the reminder that I have blessings to share with others all the time. When people need comfort, I pray that I am there to bring comfort to those people. When people need food, prayerfully I am able to provide extra food to them. When a person is thirsty, I pray that I am here to provide them something to drink. I pray that all people will have a heart filled with love, compassion, humbleness, to be blessed with the gift of gratitude all the time.
AMEN!
Amen. :)
Amen!
Amen Sister Julia
Sr. Julia thank you for your comments. I believe God sees the goodness of peoples hearts and knows when they are fulfilling his wishes as best we can. We still need to be good functional human beings in order to give to others and be a true follower of God. Blessings to all the LFF, especially those with extra needs these days. May the Holy Spirit fill the hearts of all and lead us to a heavenly earth.
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*** Jesus did not come to make the Old Testament obsolete, but He fulfilled the laws in the OT because we (human) couldn’t and can’t in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think I (Jesus) have come to get rid of what is written in the Law or in the Prophets. I have not come to do this. Instead, I have come to fulfill what is written.” *** The laws in the OT are for a purpose in Matthew 5:18, “What I’m (Jesus) about to tell you is true. Heaven and earth will disappear before the smallest letter disappears from the Law....
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