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The Sermon on the Mount, Day 9
Read through today’s recap and practice the exercise at the end:
Before we move into the next portion of the sermon on the mount let’s stop and consider what we’ve discovered:
- Jesus announces the arrival of God’s available Kingdom, the true “promised land.” That was his gospel (Mt 4:12-17).
- Jesus proves the reality of God’s new rule by demonstrating power over human brokenness, suffering, and disease (Mt 4:23-25).
- Jesus points out that the lowest of the world, and even the persecuted, can be considered “blessed” by this new access to God’s present Kingdom (Mt 5:1-12).
- Jesus says the people who are blessed by God’s present Kingdom constitute a new humanity, becoming the “salt and light” of the world (Mt 5:13-16).
- Jesus says this new humanity who are blessed by God’s presence and power will fulfill the law and exceed the righteousness of man’s most stringent efforts (Mt 5:17-20).
As we move into a part of Jesus’ sermon that describes the greatest set of ethics ever taught we will be tempted to think that Jesus is calling us to do our very best to live that way. But that, of course, is impossible and would require us to forget everything we’ve learned up to this point; namely, that the real gospel – the real “blessing” – is God Himself (Gen 15:1). The only way, then, to be the “salt and light” that Jesus describes is to be with God, living under his good rulership as our King.
So then, how are we to be with God?
The 17th century Carmelite monk, Brother Lawrence, is well known for having written about this exact question in his little collection of letters titled, The Practice of the Presence of God. In one passage he reveals that through his years of devotion and worship he has learned the secret to remaining in God’s presence:I have quitted all forms of devotion and set prayers but those to which my state obliges me. And I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and a general fond regard to GOD, which I may call an actual presence of GOD; or, to speak better, an habitual, silent, and secret conversation of the soul with GOD, which often causes in me joys and raptures inwardly, and sometimes also outwardly, so great that I am forced to use means to moderate them, and prevent their appearance to others.
So, for Brother Lawrence, the blessing of God’s presence was attained merely by turning his heart toward God, and giving God his “fond” attention. This internal practice allowed him to enjoy a sense of God’s personal presence in the midst of everything he did.
Your exercise today is to practice God’s presence. What is the best way for you to be close to God? Christians through the ages have practiced a variety of exercises, and you may already know what works best for you, but if not, here is a list of possibilities to get you started. Afterwards, come back here and share what you did and reflect on the experience:
- Set aside time and space to pray, uninterrupted, in a conversational fashion. Confess your sins. Give God your praise and gratitude.
- Read a favorite praise passage of scripture; something from Psalms, Proverbs, or anywhere that focuses on glorifying God.
- Set aside time and space to sing favorite songs of praise to God.
- Journal your prayers and thoughts to God in conversational way, much like you might write in a diary.
- Write something creative – a poem, a song, or a story – as an expression of your love, faith, and gratitude.
- Draw or paint something that expresses your praise and gratitude for God.
- Serve someone today as though you were serving God. Don’t tell them why, just provide them with something they need without expecting anything in return.
- Go somewhere inspiring and meditate on nature. You could go to the beach, to the mountains, to a lake, or some other setting that calms and inspires you. Consider what that setting communicates to you about God’s character.