There is something about Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son that makes feel like never forgetting what the Father has done for me. Time has a way of making us forget what kind of conditions we've been delivered from.

I've been reading the Beatitudes over the last couple days and would like to share some thoughts. I don't believe I will have the kingdom heart the Lord called me to if I depart too far from Matthew 5-7.

Blessed are the poor in spirit:
This word "poor" means destitute. I was spiritually destitute when I came to God. All the riches I have now are based on my continued dependence and faith on him.

Blessed are they that mourn:
I should be broken over my sin. Too often modern theology creeps into my thinking and I justify myself and not God. He showed me how he felt about sin when his son died on the cross. I don't want to trample his mercy under my careless feet.

Blessed are the meek:
Paul defined meekness when he said, "use not you liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve on another." Kingdom meekness willingly sets aside its rights for another.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness:
God increase my appetite! One of the first things to go in one who is sick and dying is their appetite. I want the spiritual vibrancy that comes from having a holy appetite. This could be seen as a desire for outward holiness.

Blessed are the merciful:
I remember the condition of the unregenerate mind. I know what the dominating power of sin so I should always view my brother from that perspective. Better yet from God's perspective.

Blessed are the pure:
Father let my motivation, thoughts and actions spring from a heart that has been made holy by you blood! Christ calls citizens of the kingdom to inward holiness. Not my will by your will be done.

Blessed are the peacemakers:
to the extent that it is possible I want to live at peace with all men. And when I meet someone who is still an enemy with God (Rom 5) I want to do my best to bring peace and reconciliation.

Blessed are the persecuted (falsely and for righteousness):
It is easy to bear punishment for things I know I deserve. There is actually something cleansing in it (to the conscience). I use to ask my parents to discipline me when I confessed some misdeed. But its altogether a different story when I know I've done nothing wrong and someone slanders me or maligns me in some way. Here is where trust in the king of the kingdom comes in - vengeance is mine, I will repay. Gulp! Do I have the trust and confidence in my God that he will plead my case? I want to. As a lamb to the slaughter is dumb...what an example Christ left us.

We are human beings not human doings. As new creatures with the abiding nature of the father dwelling in us we should naturally grow to have these characteristics.

I was reading Leviticus 26 today and noticed, of course, the blessings associated with obeying God's will. What struck me is the connection between Revelation 6 and Leviticus 26. The curses that would come on the people of God parallel what happen to the church, pictured by the various colored horses in Revelation. The church, following the first century where it went forth conquering, suffered from division (sword). Men, seeking their own fame, divided God's people. Paul prophesied of this in Act 20 when he said, 'even of your ownselves shall some arise speaking perverse things and will draw away disciples after themselves.'

This division created a famine for the word of God. Instead of 'feeding the flock of God' men began to bite and devour each other (like beasts). Instead of planting the word and reaping bread, which could have been used to nourish the people, they spent their time warring. This produced the black horse period of the church where the word of God was measured out to his people. They did not receive the nourishment they needed to fend off disease. In Leviticus, when it describes the period following the sword, it said that the people would flee to the cities for protection. The church that is racked by division will cloister themselves within the walls of a 'city'. In human thinking this would be the appropriate step, but in God's thinking it looks like your attempting to circumvent his correction. He wants his people to be unified, but not in cities of separation from those they're warring against. Instead of protection, the people of these cities starved from lack of bread. Without any source of fresh water or outlet for waste they became diseased.

The pale horse represents the diseased church. It is full of wild beasts not lambs, divisiveness not unity, famine not fullness and disease not health and wholeness. Every church, in every age, in the past, today and in the future will be susceptible to these conditions. What can we do to prevent or overturn these corrections?

First we must repent to God for our divisions and then to each other. Change our occupation from warrior to farmer, from city builder to agrarian. This begins in our homes. This is the church within the church. If I cannot have peace with the spouse who I have seen how can I have peace with one I have not seen. Fathers, mothers and children working in the garden of their home to create, through the help of the Spirit of God, the peaceable fruit of the Spirit.

Secondly, probably concurrently, we begin to seek peace within our local assembly. Look for things that promote peace. No agendas, or soapbox or bully pulpit (Rob, king of the soapbox and lord of the bully pulpit, listen to yourself!). The bible should be promoted. The will of God should be promoted. But everything that is peripheral should be left on the periphery and not made central to our faith. There are truths and then there are saving truths. We need to focus on saving truths. Saving truths will cause division, but its not initiated by the faithful child of God, but by the one who rejects the will of God in his life. I know division can occur when trying to determine a saving truth, but we must not allow it. Trust God for unity.

Finally, when we begin to express the unity that is ordained by God we will reach out to others. Others includes churches in our fellowship so that we can achieve a deeper unity, churches not in our fellowship that are seeking a higher life in Christ and eventually to those that are locked within famine and pestilent ridden churches (Revelation 18). Notice what happens in Leviticus 26 when Moses is talking about the blessings that God would pour out on his people. He said, '5 of you will chase 100 and 100 of you will put 10,000 to flight'. That's a five hundred percent increase in effectiveness when 100 will work together over that of 5.

God will reap the world with people that are willing to abandon their personal liberties and freedoms for others. Love will not continue to draw the sword and build city walls, but will extend itself sacrificially. Let's come out of the city - we may get killed, but that's the pattern the Lord has left us.