Daily Devotionals

Devotional: June 3rd

For Reading and Meditation:
     Matthew 5:1-11

Today we begin a study of one of the most powerful and profound passages in Scripture - the Beatitudes. They form the first part of the Lord's teaching in what is known as the Sermon on the Mount and were addressed to His disciples. My hope is that our study of the Beatitudes will have a great impact on our spiritual lives and that we will be blessed by the discoveries we make together. We begin our theme by laying down the thought that the eight principles which comprise the Beatitudes are the best prescription for mental and spiritual health it is possible to find. Dr James Fisher, a well-known and widely travelled psychiatrist, went throughout the world looking for the positive qualities that make for good mental health. He said: "I dreamed of writing a handbook that would be simple, practical, easy to understand and easy to follow; it would tell people how to live - what thoughts and attitudes and philosophies to cultivate, and what pitfalls to avoid in seeking mental health. And quite by accident I discovered that such a work had been completed - the Beatitudes." What an amazing admission! I would go so far as to say that once a person absorbs the principles which underlie the Beatitudes - and lives by them - then that person will never again fall prey to serious depression or despair. How sad that so often the Christian Church has to refer its depressed and discouraged people to the mental experts of the world when we hold in our hands the blueprint for healthy and abundant living.

My Father, help me to come to You at the beginning of these studies like a little child - open and receptive. Show me how to open my heart and my hands to receive Your prescription for mental and spiritual health. Amen.

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