Jesus Saviour, Pilot Me

The new series at my church is going over The Kingdom, and God's Government in the heart, and the world. Without delving into an overview of the whole series, I am going to skip straight to something that came to mind today and is worth pondering. The Beatitudes.

As my pastor was talking, a few things he said led me down a rabbit trail which I followed further as the afternoon went on. Now to connect all these thoughts it may seem a bit...unrelated, but bear with me. As believers we are called daily to strive to let Christ infiltrate our entire lives, not only certain parts or on particular days of the week, but to tear down our walls and let him change us. We are called to live under the reign of God. It should be common sense that our entire lives fall under that umbrella of Gods control, our personal lives, relationships, and even our marriages. It seems to me that often marriage can be one of those easy areas of life we selfishly want to keep control over. As if we could run and regulate a relationship/marriage better than Christ could...

Marriage is an example and reflection of Christ and the church, and His love. Should we not use biblical principles to make our marriages work correctly, the way the Lord intended them? As we went through the beatitudes this morning I couldn't help but think it was an excellent summary of how we should live within our marriages. First off - lets define blessed and go through the main beatitudes. I'm going to quote the study notes in the ESV, "Blessed is more than a temporary or circumstantial feeling of happiness, this is a state of well-being in relationship to God that belongs to those who respond to Jesus' ministry." As we go through the list of beatitudes I recognize how selfless they are, and that they are always a reflection, ultimately, of Christ. "The poor in spirit are those who recognize they are in need of God's help. Those who mourn...loss resulting from sin should lead to mourning and a longing for God's forgiveness and healing. Meek are 'gentle', those who do not assert themselves over others in order to further their own agendas in their own strength...those who trust in God to direct the outcome of events. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The pure in heart. Peacemakers. Those who are persecuted...God is pleased when his people show that they value him above everything in the world, and this happens when they courageously remain faithful amid opposition for righteousness' sake...."

These are all aspects of who Christ is calling us to be, how we are to live our lives and traits that will lead to having a blessed life - one approved by God. If we pray for a blessed marriage, shouldn't we apply these truths? Shouldn't we recognize our sin, our need for Christ, be pure at heart, be peacemakers, be meek, and acknowledge that we will have times of persecution and times of trouble - but remain faithful (both to Christ and our spouses)? Regardless of whether or not I, or anyone reading this is married currently or not, as believers we should be reflecting these principles in our friendships, relationships, and preparing for our future marriage. If we don't start now, it's not likely saying the words "I do" and signing a certificate are going to change your character and habits in one swoop.

One things I've learned is that the Kingdom calls us to live backwards, or upside down from the rest of the world. If you try to do anything backwards or upside down (walking, biking, writing, driving, running...etc.) it takes a significantly larger amount of concentration, time and energy to do. This life living under Christs reign never claimed to be easy. Its no wonder people don't understand why we live and do things the way we do...its opposite from everything an unbeliever knows. Living by law is pretty easy and straightforward, and in many instances can even let you get away with more by finding loop-holes and having the "right" to legally get away with things even if they hurt others. Living by the beatitudes takes much more discipline, patience and selflessness.

Lets do our friends and future spouses a favor by approaching relationships and marriage with ethics based on relationship rather than law.