Monday Meditations Archives

Eleeo

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Matthew 5:7

This mercy, this eleeo, was new for the Greeks and Romans.
They understood giving alms.
But they understood power more.

This was also a new idea for the Pharisees.
They understood righteousness.
But they understood optics even more.

It is not the Golden Rule.
Not, I’ll be merciful to you, so you’ll be merciful to me.
That’s self-serving.

It’s not simply feeling sad for someone.
Or wishing you could help.
That’s empty.

It is taking action.
It is identifying with the suffering.
It is accompanying them through it.
It is offered with understanding and acceptance.

It is what Christ did for us.
That’s why we receive mercy.
That’s why we show it.

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And tho’ this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph thro’ us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow’rs,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Thro’ Him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

Martin Luther, 1529, translator Frederick Hedge, 1852

Read Psalm 31:1-8

(This can be a tricky hymn due to the inverted sentence structure. The second verse may be my favorite. The battles we fight in our own strength end in loss and failure. The battles Christ fights on our behalf are another story. Lord Sabaoth is His name. God chose Him as the victor. He willed it. It’s a done deal. And it’s not cowardly shirking to let Him take on our enemies – our Enemy – while we remain in the fortress. God’s word stands above the decrees of kings, prime ministers, and presidents and Congresses. It is as everlasting as the kingdom it proclaims. A kingdom we can enter into. Amen.)

Dikaiosune

By Paula Leave a Comment

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

Hunger and thirst are daily needs,
Not periodic, not seasonal, not passing.

Blessed are those who are driven each day toward righteousness.
Toward discipleship.
Toward obedience.
Toward Christlikeness.

Blessed are those who hunger for right-standing with God,
Who thirst for insight
Who long to put into practice
What God reveals,
What God requires,
What God refines.

Self-righteousness will never satisfy,
But to BE
To DO
To SEE
Like God…

That is Blessed.

So how hungry, how thirsty are you?

Praus

By Paula Leave a Comment

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

Meek is not mousy.
The meek are not doormats.
In the Greek it is praus

It means gentle but disciplined.
It means powerful but kind.

To be meek is to be surrended but not beaten down.
It is confident, but not arrogant.

After all, Jesus was meek.

But the meek receive
Instruction
Forgiveness
Blessing
Grace
Love

And, in turn, the meek are
brave enough,
resolved enough,
committed enough

to give
Instruction
Forgiveness
Blessing
Grace
Love

Parakaleo

By Paula Leave a Comment

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Mourn.
In an era of hyperbole, perhaps we have lost the meaning of mourning.

It is not a response to inconvenience or frustration.

It is a response to suffering and injustice, knowing that sin is the root cause of both.
It is a realization of what awful price my own sin cost my Lord and yet I choose to sin again and again.
It is a resignation that things will not change until the Kingdom comes in its fullness and God reigns on earth as He does in heaven.

It is having a heart broken
For loss and separation.
For justice denied or justice that will not come.
For corruption of morals and character.
For the mistreatment of the innocent and the cowardice that fails to defend them.

Mourning is not fleeting or shallow.
Across distance or time, it connects our heart with the heart of another
And with the heart of God Himself.

And then He sends comfort.
The Greek root word is parakaleo.
The same word is used for the Holy Spirit when Jesus promised His coming in John’s gospel.
The Holy Spirit moves us to pray, to give, to reach out,
To be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that is suffering.

When we do that … the Kingdom is that much nearer.

PS – Parakaleo is one of my favorite words/ concepts in the New Testament. It makes a great study. Hmmm. In fact, it would make a good retreat topic. If you want to know more about retreats, or how to do one for yourself, check out this ebook The Personal Worship Retreat Guide.

Makarios

By Paula

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

The Greek word for blessed is makarios.
It is wholeness, joy, well-being, and peace, much like shalom.
It is a contentedness that comes from the assurance of a right relationship with God.

It comes from a recognition that we are totally
Dependent,
Destitute,
Hopeless,
Helpless.

When we acknowledge our spiritual poverty,
Our moral bankruptcy
Our complete insufficiency …

God blesses.
He blesses us with the kingdom of heaven.

Present tense, not future.
Makarios

Eleeo

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Dikaiosune

Praus

Parakaleo

Makarios

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