Week 2 | Day 4 THE BEATITUDES Matthew 5:1-12 | Luke 6:17-23

Somewhere on a hillside north of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sat down and began to teach what we now call the Beatitudes. Before He explained the Law and Prophets in the Sermon on the Mount, He described the kind of heart that actually belongs to the Kingdom. It starts with seeing ourselves as spiritually bankrupt—“poor in spirit”—so that we turn to God alone for mercy. That recognition leads to mourning over our sin, which births meekness, a deep hunger and thirst for righteousness, and then outward traits of mercy, purity, peacemaking, and even a willingness to be misunderstood and persecuted for His sake. The Beatitudes aren’t a ladder we climb to earn salvation; they’re the marks of those who have received the King’s grace and are living by the values of His Kingdom.

APPLICATION

1. Admit Your Bankruptcy

Begin where Jesus begins—confess your spiritual poverty and your need for His grace, not your goodness.

2. Allow Your Sinful Condition to Break Your Heart

Don’t minimize or excuse sin; mourn it before God and let Him comfort and cleanse you.

3. Cultivate Meekness and Hunger

Choose humility over self-assertion, and ask God to give you a growing appetite for His Word, will, and ways.

4. Practice Mercy and Peacemaking

Reflect the Father’s heart by forgiving freely and working for peace, not division, in your relationships.

5. Expect and Endure Opposition

When following Jesus cost you, remember: “Blessed are you” when you suffer for righteousness—He sees, and your reward is in heaven.

PRAYER

God, Thank You for showing me what a true Kingdom life looks like in the Beatitudes. I confess that on my own I am poor in spirit and unable to live this way and I need Your mercy and forgiveness. Grow in me meekness, a deep hunger for righteousness, and a life marked by mercy, purity, and peace. Shape my life to reflect the values of Your Kingdom so that others see You in me. Amen.