Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.
The true servant of God possesses an insatiable appetite for what is right, a passionate drive for justice. Spiritually speaking, the servant is engaged in a pursuit of God...a hot, restless, eager longing to walk with Him, to please Him. That's who Jesus referred to when He said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).
So then, gentleness includes such enviable qualities as having strength under control, being calm and peaceful when surrounded by a heated atmosphere, emitting a soothing effect on those who may be angry or otherwise beside themselves, and possessing tact and gracious courtesy that causes others to retain their self-esteem and dignity.
And the promise for "those who mourn"? The Saviour promises, "they shall be comforted" (5:4). In return for the compassionate mourning they have given, comfort will be theirs to claim.
This spirit of humility is very rare in our day of strong-willed, proud-peacock attitudes. The clinched fist has replaced the bowed head.
The introduction to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is no doubt the most familiar section of His message. Commonly called "The Beatitudes," this section is the most descriptive word-portrait of a servant ever recorded.
When Jesus walked the earth, He attracted a number of people to Himself. On one occasion, He sat down among them and taught them some bottom-line truths about how He wanted them to grow up.
Christ gave us the example: "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). To be a servant of God, we must be a servant of people.
Wouldn't you love to live courageously in spite of the odds? Doesn't it sound exciting to be divinely powerful in day-to-day living? Aren't you eager to become independently authentic in a day of copycat styles and horrendous peer pressure? Of course!
As we allow God's truth to pierce the tough, hardened barriers we have erected in our minds, we receive surprising benefits. We saw yesterday that God gives us His divine power (2 Corinthians 10:4). He also grants us what I call authentic independence.
As the truth of God's Word penetrates our hearts, it displaces those secular mental barriers we have erected over the years. In fact, we receive several very exciting benefits.
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