The Almost Forgotten Beatitude
My bride of nearly 45 years and I attempt to do a devotion together on a daily basis. I confess that we miss a day or two justifying it by saying we are too tired or too busy which in reality is another way of saying we didn’t make the time. Isn’t it interesting to see how easy it is to make an excuse. We compensate for missing by doing 2 devotions the next day. The devotion for Monday titled “The Almost Forgotten Beatitude,” by David Jeremiah made a deep impression on me.
As a young boy growing up in the Eastern Orthodox Church Beatitude referred to the title given to the patriarch.
The Patriarch was addressed as His/Your Beatitude.
As I studied the scriptures a fuller definition of beatitude came into focus. Beatitude is simply blessedness or happiness or any of the declarations of blessedness made by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. There are eight beatitudes listed in the fifth chapter of Matthew beginning with “Blessed are…” The Greek word used in Matthew is, makarios (μακὰριος), that means satisfaction from experiencing the fullness of something, in this case God.
The one beatitude that is missing from the four Gospel writers was recorded by the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:35: And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
This is the only place in the Bible where “more blessed” occurs.
This verse allows us to see how to get to a greater blessing.
In this age where superheroes abound in the movie theaters, I can refer to this beatitude also as super. God created us as receivers because He is the source and the great provider of all spiritual blessings. On the other hand, there is one blessing greater than receiving and that is the blessing of giving. How can that be? When we are giving, we are acting more like our Father in heaven who freely showers blessings upon us. Giving comes in many forms other than money. Elaboration of the other ways will come in a future blog.
Birthday celebrations and Christmas are such a treat for me when I can see how my children, grandchildren and other loved ones enjoy receiving their presents. It gives me a great feeling of satisfaction to see the light of joy in their faces as they receive. Imagine how our Lord feels when he sees us receive but then imagine how much greater He feels when we become more Christ-like and give freely to others. I am glad that Paul found it important and necessary to record what Jesus said on giving and receiving in order for us to enjoy His eternal blessings.
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