Recipe for Success
The Recipe for Success
Do you ever get caught up in trying to prove yourself? Do you long to be in control? Do you have an arrogant independence that to the world looks strong and powerful, but to God it reveals much about your lack of dependence on Him? We say we believe, yet we live like the lost.
As we take this walk through the Beatitudes, we can quickly see that Jesus is presenting an upside-down kingdom. The world’s way is to seek fame and wealth, but God’s way is for us to recognize our own helplessness and spiritual poverty. We have clearly been influenced by our culture and just like the world, we place value on performance, position and power. But when we turn that upside down, those things fall to the bottom; they are not what matters at all.
As believers, our perspective should be different. We should not see as the world sees. Jesus reframed the idea of greatness for us. He said the first shall be last and the greatest among them will be the servant. He taught us about unmerited favor and grace. He told the disciples that they were all brethren and the desire to be over another is rooted in pride. As He sat on the Mount of Beatitudes and taught His disciples, He gave us the recipe for success in this upside down kingdom.
Caution! Be careful. We can quickly decide we are going to work on these attributes so that we can promote ourselves to spiritual maturity. Remember, God is not asking us to perform – He asks us to surrender. The past couple weeks we talked about the beatitudes that tell us to be poor in spirit and to mourn our sinfulness, this week we are on Matthew 5:5…
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed means to be happy, to have the favor of God. Oh, we want His favor, don’t we? Well, this scripture tells us those who are meek have His favor. Who are the meek? The meek, aka the humble or the gentle, are submissive believers who are willing to set aside their desires, feelings, and opinions in exchange for the greatness of God. They often ask themselves that old popular phrase, What Would Jesus Do? They are not weak or cowardly, but instead surrendered to the authority of God. Meekness mirrors surrender. What does surrender look like? It is letting go of all that is ours, emptying ourselves and seeking to please and serve God because He is our greatest love.
The meek shall inherit the earth. We are striving to earn our position, when God has already given us everything. We don’t need worldly things – approval, control and self-sufficiency. God gave us Jesus and He is everything we have ever wanted and everything we will ever need. When we make Him our Lord and our Savior, we surrender to His authority; we humble ourselves and we elevate Him and His reign over this life we are living.
What is the recipe for success in the upside down kingdom?
It requires us becoming
poor in spirit - allowing our pride and self-sufficiency to be stripped away;
mournful because we are sensitive to our own sinfulness;
and growing to become meek and gentle.
These ingredients lead us to our next step on our journey where God creates a hunger and a thirst for Him within each of us. We will talk about that next week. Meet me here. Same place, same time.
Can you relate to looking in all the wrong places for success? I would love to connect with you and see if we can find a new definition of success for you.
Hi Friends!
Thank you for reading this blog post.. We are here to help women stop worrying about all the things that do not matter and instead focus on what matters most - our relationship with Jesus. We need each other. You may also be interested in checking out Engage for More.
We are walking around in a lost and dying world. Maybe, just maybe a message on a t-shirt might make a difference to a stranger and change the course of her eternity. You are invited to visit the Marketplace where you will find the book - Saved by Grace, Now What? and graphic tees.
We need each other. Let’s encourage one another as we learn to take steps closer to our Savior! Check out the Engage for More Inner Circle where we are growing a community of like-minded women.
Be sure to subscribe to this blog and you will receive a weekly post in your email. And check out the Engage for More Podcast - available on all podcast platforms. (Listen here.)
Do you know Jesus? If there is any question, download the Plan of Salvation and read through the scriptures. I would love to chat with you about it. Feel free to reach out to me.
Let's stay connected. Follow Master What Matters via our Facebook page, Facebook group, Instagram, and subscribe to us on YouTube .