Scripture Reading:

Matthew 5

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1. What’s your first impressions about this chapter?

2. What happened in this chapter?

3. What’s a verse or passage that stuck out to you?

4. What is your prayer to God brought on by this chapter?

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Be Attitudes | Lemuel Ayudtud

Chapter Notables:

1. Jesus begins His teaching ministry with what is now known as “The Sermon On The Mount” which begins with the “Beatitudes”.

2. There are 9 ways to be blessed, a teaching on what to do and how it will return to you back. - verses 3-11

3. The Salt And Light Team (The S.A.L.T.) - verses 13-16

4. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law - verses 17-20

5. New ways to look at Old things (this is what you heard, this is how you should take it) - verses 21-48

“Your attitude will determine your latitude,” someone said a long time ago. Guess what? It’s the truth.

Your attitude is how you respond to things you see or experience. It determines your acceptance of frustrations, fears, functions and motives. Attitude is how you turn up to situations and or the way you react. It’s almost intuitive and instinctual. Most of us, given a situation, will respond spontaneously to a moment from our imbedded attitudes.

Oxford Dictionary defines attitude as a “settled way of thinking and feeling” that’s directed to something or someone. It’s a “mental state”. It makes sense then that Jesus began His ministry by preaching repentance followed by this “Sermon on the Mount” on, you guessed it, attitude.

Maybe Jesus was telling us that the true repentance doesn’t begin with the do’s and don’ts about sin. It’s not about lying and cheating and others that repentance needs to tackle. Maybe when it comes to Jesus, repentance is a pivotal experience of turning from sin but before any sin can be addressed, our attitudes must be first adjusted.

In fact Jesus addresses some sinful things recorded in the law in the latter parts of the sermon, but before addressing those, He began His sermon with the “Beatitudes”. (Actually redefines the approach to those sins, contrary to previously understood meanings and approaches to those sins.)

Let’s consider it: what is turning from cheating, lying, stealing and all of that if you have a bad attitude about it all anyway? Sure you don’t steal anymore, but your heart is hating on people who have something you don’t have. Or maybe you’ve stopped cheating, but you’re still thinking about the idea of it. Yeah, you’re trying to treat people as nice as you can, but on the inside you’re measuring them on their outward appearances and your prejudices.

The “Beatitudes” are really the foundation for true repentance. A repentance that comes from the heart, led by the Spirit and governed by the Word of God. And all the “blessed’s,” all 9 of them, are telling us that every attitude approach will reward or return to us a meaningful and divinely directed life. So that:

1. If you are “poor in spirit”—humble and gentle, understanding that what you have is truly not yours—then the kingdom of heaven is yours. That means you will have access to the invisible and miraculous.

2. If you are touched by the weaknesses and infirmities of others, then you will receive comfort for yourself and others.

3. Even if you are strong and self sufficient, if you operate in a way that don’t show people up, then what God has placed in the earth you will reap from.

4. If you are constantly seeking for truth, fidelity, equality, and a godly way to live and treat others, then you will be filled because you will see the reward of your grace and love for others. Joy and gladness will fill you.

5. If you are compassionate and burdened by the weights that people carry—in their brokenness and needs, you will receive the same from God and others.

6. If you do things without using others, from a heart to just give, then you will see God reward you openly, and give back to you more than what you’ve sown.

7. If you seek to have unity and community, to see separated families and people mended and reconciled, then you will be viewed as God’s offsprings—being His hands, feet and mouth.

8. If you will not resist being used or even abused because you’re standing up for the disenfranchised, the weak, the wounded, the maligned—acts of righteousness, the very people Jesus chose to protect while in His humanity, God will stand by you. Yours in the kingdom of heaven.

9. And if you do all this for the Name of Jesus, not for yourself or for an organization or for an entity, then you can rejoice and be happy knowing that you are walking in line with the prophets of old who stood for God even at the face of certain death. At the end you will receive a reward from God that cannot be measured.

These are the attitude of those who follow Jesus. Ultimately, the right attitude will help you express the love of God to the world. It’s your attitude that will erase hurts of people that were caused by others, even other church “people”.

So adjust your attitude. Check your attitude against His “be” attitudes, repenting from who you think you are to who He wants you to be. Rising from the low-lying personality to a high flying child of God because of an adjusted, godly attitude.

Lord, sometimes my attitude is really sideways. Father, you know me and my ways. Only you can help me change the deep-seated tendencies of mine. Help me to surrender my attitudes to your leading. When You check me by Your Spirit, help me to yield and not fight. Help to surrender and submit. Teach me to walk in blessedness and in abundance not in lack. I know You’ve already placed it in me, so help me to let it flow out—from Your joy that gives me the strength. In Your Name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.