University of Houston: How the Beatitudes changed my attitude

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When I first read the Beatitudes, I was utterly confused. I couldn’t grasp how these traits were needed to gain the kingdom of heaven. I understood being pure at heart or peacemakers, but mourning and poor in spirit?

Lately, I have been going through the Beatitudes again, and some of those questions rushed back up. “Lord, what does it look like to be poor in spirit or to be meek?” God showed me firsthand these past few weeks, but not before he put my heart and motives in place.

At this point it’s about mid-semester, and ministry had been going relatively well. Weekly small groups were going, one-on-ones were flowing, girls weren’t cancelling, and everything outwardly was good. One night, someone preached on Moses going through the desert with the people of Israel. In the end, they’re about to enter the Promised Land, but God said, “Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you.”

Wow, would I go up knowing that God wasn’t going to be there? I felt the Lord press that question on my heart, and I asked: Am I after God’s presents and blessings or am I after his presence? He started to reveal to me what my true intentions were, as if he were peeling back each layer like an onion to show my heart. I genuinely met with Jesus and asked him to transform my heart to be for him and to not just go because it was my duty.

The Beatitudes in the flesh

The next Tuesday, during our weekly free lunch at the Baptist Student Ministry, Jesus showed me the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes in the flesh. Christine is a student I see most free lunches. She typically would either play Ping Pong or say hello. That day, she walked in and poured her heart to me. She let me pray over her, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Right after that, I met Jade, with whom I shared my testimony about how I got involved with the BSM. This is the same story I’ve told many times during free lunch, but the first time I heard her say, “I want that.” Now I am reading through Mark with Jade and showing her what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

Later that week, I was about to meet with one of the girls I’ve been discipling who has been fervently following Jesus. She told me she felt led to disciple a girl close to her and has started that week. “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

Amazing encounters


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All of these amazing encounters were not a product of what I could conjure up, but it was listening to the Lord while I soaked in his presence. It was when God positioned my heart toward him that I could finally hear from him where and who he was leading me to. Even when I felt inadequate, Jesus showed me in my weakness that he is made strong.


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