• New Testament Reading: Matthew 5:1-20
• Old Testament Passage: Micah 6:6-8
• Points to Ponder

Start with the Heart

As Jesus gathered his disciples together and began to teach them, he started not with what they
needed to do, but with who they needed to be. These are called the “beatitudes” because each one
begins with “blessed are”, but I think a better way to remember their intent is that these are the
“attitudes that need to be” in each one of us.

God wants to bless us by meeting our spiritual needs. Yes, he knows what we need physically and he
does promise to provide for those needs, but he is far more concerned about our eternal destiny than
he his about our physical reality.

Every disciple of Jesus is called to be the kind of person God will bless. As these qualities truly
describe who we are on the inside, then on the outside we will indeed be “the salt of the earth” and
“the light of the world” and our righteousness will indeed surpass that of the Pharisees and teachers
of the law.

• Questions to Consider: Do the beatitudes describe the person that you are? If not, why not?
If you’re not sure, what can you do to find out? Are you salt or have you lost your saltiness? Are
you light or is your lamp under a bowl? Do people see your good deeds and praise your Father in
heaven?