John Shirk

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in Matthew 5, verses 10 to 12.

Jesus said, “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.”

Jesus suffered and died for us, and through the generations, many believers have suffered and died for Jesus. Their righteousness shines as a bright light of faithfulness and devotion to Jesus. Persecution may take on different forms and severity. However, if we are persecuted in any way because of our witness for Jesus, we have words of assurance from Jesus Himself that we are blessed by God and can look forward to a great reward in heaven.

The Blessing of Heavenly Reward reveals the goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in Matthew 5:9.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Jesus is the ultimate peacemaker who came to bring us peace with God. Through faith in His name, we become a child of God, which is the blessed place to be.

When we follow Jesus, we follow the way of our Teacher who trains us to be peacemakers. He calls us to live peaceably with others as far as it depends on us. He moves us to be a voice of reconciliation for other parties in conflict with each other. He also gives us a platform for the Gospel, inviting others to find peace with God.

The Apostle Paul was a voice for peace in his letters to the churches. He wrote in Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

The blessing of being called a child of God reveals the goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in Matthew 5:8.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

When we become a follower of Jesus, we still have room for growing in godly characteristics. God’s grace forgives us of our sins at the moment of conversion. Then, as we walk with Jesus and follow Him, His grace also purifies our motivation to please God.

Love replaces selfishness as our main motive-Love for God and love for people. Fixing our eyes on Jesus helps us with pure motives.

Seeing God is the blessed place to be. As we focus on living for Jesus, our spiritual vision is cleared for doing God’s will until we see Him face to face.

The blessing of seeing God reveals the goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in Matthew 5:6.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Having the righteousness of Jesus is the blessed place to be. Just as an appetite for food leads us to seek food to eat, so an appetite for righteousness ultimately leads us to trust in Jesus. Our own righteous acts are like filthy rags to God, but the righteousness of Jesus covers our sin and has great value for motivating our faith into action.

Today, we can take the words of Jesus to heart, receive His gift of grace, and find satisfaction in the flavor of God’s goodness.

The blessing of Christ’s righteousness reveals the goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in Matthew 5:5.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

The idea of meekness has to do with strength through restraint. Jesus was the perfect example of this. He had 72,000 angels at his disposal. He could have called on them to rescue Him from the cross, but He did not do that, because Jesus had the big picture in view. He knew that without the shedding of His blood on that old wooden cross, there would be no Savior. Jesus invites us to follow in His footsteps of meekness as a bright light to shine the grace of God.

Meekness is the blessed place to be in the eyes of God. Psalm 37:11 points out that the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace and prosperity.

The blessing of Inheritance reveals the goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in Matthew 5:4.

Jesus said, ,“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

The comfort of Christ is the blessed place to be.

The grace of God is a comfort to the person who is wounded by grief or pain or heartache. Jesus felt anguish in the Garden before He was crucified. He knows what it is like to experience emotional stress. Jesus wept by the gravesite of Lazarus. He also wept over Jerusalem. He can sympathize with us in moments of sadness. That is a present reality.

The comfort of Christ also has an eternal blessing for His followers. In the New Heaven and the New Earth, Revelation 21:4 pictures God dwelling with His people. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” So, in the picture of eternity, God’s comfort will be our source of healing.

The blessing of Christ’s comfort reveals the goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in Matthew 5:3.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

To be poor in spirit is to recognize that we are spiritually bankrupt without the grace of Jesus Christ. It is a humble place to be. It is the blessed place to be. To be poor in spirit is to be rich in faith, because we believe in the worthiness of Jesus to save us from our sin. We depend on the reliability of His love.

Poverty in spirit leads us to possess God’s Heavenly kingdom in the realm of eternity. This inheritance will not perish, spoil, or fade. It is our real and lasting hope.

The blessing of the Heavenly Kingdom reveals the goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in John 8:12.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Jesus is the source of light to give us hope and direction. When we put our faith in His love, we are given spiritual light to understand God’s purpose for life, and to walk in the light of His love. He shows us the way forward in the path of His righteousness. He gives us opportunities to shine His light in our relationships.

Jesus instructed His followers to let our light shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.

Light reveals the Goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in John 7, verses 37 to 39a.

On the last and greatest day of the Festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us. His influence on the believer’s life is strong, reminding us of the words of Jesus, guiding us into the truth, and building godly character. He is the power source of our witness for Jesus as we share the reason for our hope. The Holy Spirit helps us to live out the Christian faith in productive ways.

Jesus said to His followers in John 14:15, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever-the Spirit of truth.”

The Holy Spirit reveals the Goodness of God and is a reason to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Focus on God’s Goodness is found in Acts 3:24 and 25.

Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’

Peter spoke this message to draw attention to the relevance of prophecies in the Old Testament pointing to Jesus.

Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the prophets were declaring that the Messiah would come. He would be the Savior for our sin. He would be the blessing to undo the curse. The prophets were inspired by the Holy Spirit to accurately predict the coming of Jesus and His mission.

Second Peter 1:19 says, “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”

The Prophets of the Old Testament reveal the goodness of God and are reasons to give thanks in the Year of Gratitude.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com