River's Edge Community Church

Friday is a day where we focus on cultivating God’s wisdom.

My prayer goal for this week is _________________________________________.
My prayer goal for last week was _______________________________________.


Let’s pray:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Read the following passage from Matthew 5:3-12
     “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
      Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
      Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
      Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
      Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
      Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
      Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
      Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
     “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Reading for Wisdom
Today, we continue to think through what our spiritual lives ought to look like by focusing on the importance of an on-going, consistent pattern of growth.

When we read, we are seeking to grow wise, to have the text mentor us so that we will be able to live out God’s Word in our day-to-day lives. The text trains us in righteousness and equips us for good works. And as we seek God’s face and listen to his voice, God fills us with his grace and begins to develop in us the mind of Christ so that we may live his will out loud.

The values of Jesus’ kingdom are dramatically different from the values we embrace. Go through this list and provide what we normally value in place of the perspective Jesus gives here.

Why do you think Jesus values these characteristics? For instance, what is it about “meekness” that Jesus puts such a high value on it? What does “meekness” do in us that allows us to grow in Christ?

Which of these characteristics is strongest in the church in America? Which are weakest? Why do you think that is?

If this is a picture of discipleship, what does that say about what it means to follow Jesus?

Thoughts to Ponder

"If you plan to build a tall house of virtues, you must first lay deep foundations of humility."  (Augustine)

"The decision to grow always involves a choice between risk and comfort. This means that to be a follower of Jesus you must renounce comfort as the ultimate value of your life."  (John Ortberg)

One Thing
What do you think it means to hunger and thirst after righteousness? Without a doubt, you can’t hunger after righteousness without embracing all of the Beatitudes, and so hungering and thirsting after righteousness means putting on all of the Beatitudes. More than that though, it means longing for both personal holiness (desiring to do God’s will) and social justice (seeing God’s kingdom over all the earth). Today, we urge you to hunger and thirst after righteousness by seeking to do God’s will in every decision. Throughout the day, ask yourself what it would it look like to do God’s will in this situation. Throughout the day, meditate on one of the verses from the Beatitudes. Throughout the day, pray that God would give you a heart that is soft to his touch. Throughout the day, look for places where God is revealing himself to you. That’s what it means, in part, to hunger and thirst after him.


Closing Prayer
Abba Father, pour out your love upon us so that we may love you and love our neighbor as ourselves. Our hearts are also small. Enlarge them with your glory so they are fit for you. Open our eyes to your love so that we will always walk in your ways. Fill us with your Spirit that we may be your people. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.