The Be-Attitudes of Authenticity

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them. Matthew 5:1-2

Authenticity is vital to your spiritual life. As a Christian writer and blogger, it has been one of my chief virtues to keep in mind as I write. I pray I would never write a word of advice, direction, or encouragement to you I have not applied to my own walk with the Lord.

To me, authenticity as a Christian means consistently becoming more like Jesus. It does not mean pretending to be perfect. Instead, I strive to be the real deal and still live a life worth imitating.

I do not feel society, my readers, or even my children, are looking for a portrait of perfection. But the world needs to know and recognize authentic Christians they can imitate. We are all looking for fellow Christ-followers to keep in step with as we strive to walk closer to God.

So what does an authentic Christian look like?

One place where we can find a list of traits God is looking for in His authentic followers is in the Beatitudes. You will notice how each beatitude contradicts society’s way of life, but you will also see the example of each trait in Jesus’ life. Therefore, if our goal is to be authentic in our faith and become like Christ, applying the beatitudes to our way of life is a good plan. So let’s take a closer look at each of these attributes.

Poor in spirit – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When we put aside pride and admit before God that we are entirely destitute without Him, we are poor in spirit. Only God can give us entry into the kingdom of heaven.  James 4:7-10 teaches us to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil, walk near God, and remain humble before God. This is how to become poor in spirit.

Mourning – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” In a recent review at work, I rated myself as “needs improvement” in an area where I felt God had challenged me. It is in the area of always staying humble and kind. I am deeply sorrowful when I allow a prideful attitude to creep into my voice or withhold kind words. When we mourn our sin, God is ready to give us comfort. In my review, my boss rated my performance in the same area as “exceeds expectations.” I am grateful for a God who gives me the grace to perform above my sinful heart’s desires during times of frustration.

Meekness – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” So who are the world’s most powerful people? You can find a list put out by Forbe’s HERE. But before you go check it out, let me warn you, Jesus is not on the list.

All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Matthew 11:27

Unless the people on the Forbes list know God, they will not inherit the earth. Fortunately, we are on a much more important list. The one put out by our Father, which puts us in line to inherit far more than the world can offer.

Righteousness – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” In Philippians 3:7, we read how everything the world offers is garbage in light of what it means to know Christ. The world provides us junk food, and Christ offers proper sustenance.

Mercy – “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” In the previous example of my performance review at work, we see an excellent example of mercy in the results.

Pure in heart – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” So many people find deception acceptable. They live by the motto “if the ends justify the means.” Meaning it is okay to do something wrong if the ultimate result is something good. God is looking for the pure in heart, those who value truth at any cost. How great a reward it will be to see God!

Peacemaker – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” My sister, Amy, is a beautiful example of a peacemaker. She will put her own needs aside to make ways for others to be comfortable. This comes into play often during family gatherings. Often, she will give up her seat to make someone else more comfortable. If tensions begin to rise, Amy will notice and offer up kind and encouraging words. A peacemaker is a person who sacrifices their comfort to diffuse chaos..

Persecuted – “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Rachel Scott was a 17-year-old student who was tragically killed by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold in Colorado’s 1999 Columbine High School shooting. Rachel was killed because she professed, to the shooter, her faith in God. Hours before she died, she had written in her diary the verse: “Greater love has no man than this, that a man would lay his life down for his friends.” (John 15:13).  We can celebrate the fact that Rachel is now in the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed

What does it look like to be “blessed?” Based on the Bibical examples above, would you say it look like a life without problems? Perhaps abundant laughter and fun surround those who the Lord blesses? To Jesus, blessed goes much deeper and broader than worldly expectations. To Jesus, “blessed” means giving us hope, peace, joy, and love, regardless of what the world awards us. To Jesus, blessed means being authentically His.

The deeper meaning of blessed motivated me to write, A Warrior of Hope and A Warrior of Peace. In my ache for true joy, I am writing the third book in the Advent of a Warrior series, A Warrior of Joy. I encourage you to check these resources out HERE!

Heavenly Father, we count it a blessing when people insult or persecute us because of YOU. We rejoice and are glad because great is our reward in heaven. It is an honor to walk in the shadow of the prophets before us. Please help us to live authentically in step with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.