Welcome to the 10-day study on the Beatitudes for Women! I am glad you joined us!
The event is happening via Facebook Live videos. Each day there will be a new post to share the FREE printables! A brief synopsis of the video chat is shared below.
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Day 8 synopsis:
Blessed is the woman of prayer.
She will live in communion with God and her brothers and sisters.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (New International Version)
“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.” (The Message)
At one of the most lonesome times in my life I dedicated my days to prayer. I did so by starting a prayer journal. I use one page for each day. At the top I wrote things I was grateful for and wanted to thank God for. And then I listed people / circumstances I wanted to pray about.
Of all the thoughts shared in this Beatitudes study, and if I could leave one thought with you it would be the importance of prayer. I was chatting with someone recently about a struggle… and I wished I could offer words of wisdom, consolation, SOMETHING… and I said “I don’t know what to say or do to help… except to pray. That’s what I can do.”
In fact, prayer has become so important to me that not only do I pray every day I spend the first day of each month dedicated to prayer. And while I may have to go to work and function outside of the home that day – my mind frame stays focused on prayer. My prayers are very informal… I pray while I’m driving, walking, cleaning up the office… I typically will have worship music on and I talk to God like He’s in the room. It’s not a super formal thing for me unless I want it to be. And for that purpose I’ve set up a space in my home specifically for the purpose of having a prayer closet… and it’s actually IN my closet.
Starting early January I’m going to do be joining a friend in her 21 Days of Prayer event that she’s doing via Facebook Live videos…. wanna join me there?
Blessed is the woman of prayer.
She will live in communion with God and her brothers and sisters.
Welcome to the 10-day study on the Beatitudes for Women! I am glad you joined us!
The event is happening via Facebook Live videos. Each day there will be a new post to share the FREE printables! A brief synopsis of the video chat is shared below.
Click on image to enlarge / save.
Day 7 synopsis:
Blessed is the woman who journeys towards the fullness of Christ.
She will live in the freedom and light of the Lord.
So, what exactly does a journey towards the fullness of Christ look like? I would recommend it’s living out these Beatitudes: be filled with faith and hope, be a woman of relationships, extend love to others, walk in His word, be discerning, be a woman of peace & reconciliation… and one more which we’ll talk about tomorrow (prayer).
And as you know, today’s Beatitude is about journeying TOWARDS finding our fullness in Christ. So what does the Bible say about that? Let’s read about it in Colossians 2.
Spiritual Fullness in Christ – “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness…” (Colossians 2:6-10)
And here’s a gem of a scripture!
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
Blessed is the woman who journeys towards the fullness of Christ.
She will live in the freedom and light of the Lord.
Welcome to the 10-day study on the Beatitudes for Women! I am glad you joined us!
The event is happening via Facebook Live videos. Each day there will be a new post to share the FREE printables! A brief synopsis of the video chat is shared below.
Click on image to enlarge / save.
Day 6 synopsis:
Blessed is the woman of peace and reconciliation.
The strength and joy of the Lord will be hers.
What did you think of when I said “peace and reconciliation?” Yes, that means we’re going to talk today about forgiveness. I think I just heard a collective sigh.
“…If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The sub-title over these verses is “The Ministry of Reconciliation”, and these verses were written to the church. We’ve all been given this ministry.
In these verses we are being asked to consider extending the same level of forgiveness to others as has been given to us. We didn’t deserve it, but we are recipients of it, and the least we can do is extend it to others. Our entire foundation as Christians is built on forgiveness. Why do we struggle with it so much?
Think on this tenet of our faith today… thank you for joining us!
Welcome to the 10-day study on the Beatitudes for Women! I am glad you joined us!
The event is happening via Facebook Live videos. Each day there will be a new post to share the FREE printables! A brief synopsis of the video chat is shared below.
Click on image to enlarge / save.
Day 5 synopsis:
Blessed is the woman of discernment.
The wisdom of God will be her riches.
What is a “beatitude”? It consists of two parts / two phrases: First, a blessing in the form of a quality or experience. And second a promise of reward. Typically the first half is known to create character to develop the promise which is stated in the second half.
In the NIV version of the Bible the word “wisdom” is found 219 times! I used BibleGateway to look up verses on the topic… and I’d like to challenge you to do the same. What do you say? Spent 10-15 mins looking up about 5 verses on the topic of wisdom? See what the Bible says about the eternal gift of wisdom and think on that today.
We’ll see you tomorrow for Day 6 of the Beatitudes for Women study.
Welcome to the 10-day study on the Beatitudes for Women! I am glad you joined us!
The event is happening via Facebook Live videos – in Facebook just do a search on #beatitudesforwomen.
And then come back here – because each day there will be a new blog post where I share the FREE printable for the day! A brief synopsis of what I shared in the video is below.
Click on the below image to enlarge. Then right-click, and “save image as” to save to your device.
Click on image to enlarge / save.
Day 4 synopsis:
Blessed is the woman of the Word.
She will be a Word of God for others.
We’ve talked about what a beatitude is… it consists of two parts. The first being an experience, trait, or quality. The second half being the result or reward of the first half.
I personally equate being a “woman of the Word” to being seasoning. Bear with me here… follow me. What is a “woman of the Word”? I think of it as someone who studies God’s word, listens to God’s word, ponders God’s word, reflects God’s word, and so on. And when we do that we are different from the majority of people around us. This reminds me of the verses in Matthew 5 about us being the “salt and light” of the earth. We make a difference in our world because we react differently, respond differently, think differently, etc… we are the seasoning.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16
It’s no coincidence that the above verse was immediately following the Sermon on the Mount.
Welcome to the 10-day study on the Beatitudes for Women! I am glad you joined us!
The event is happening via Facebook Live videos – in Facebook just do a search on #beatitudesforwomen.
And then come back here – because each day there will be a new blog post where I share the FREE printable for the day! A brief synopsis of what I shared in the video is below.
Click on the below image to enlarge. Then right-click, and “save image as” to save to your device.
Day 3 synopsis:
Blessed is the woman who welcomes.
She will be kindness, the sign of the love of the Lord.
Remember the last time you truly felt welcomed? Like people were stumbling over themselves to shake your hands or hug you or introduce themselves and get to know you. Maybe it was at a meeting you attended, a local business / establishment, a new church you visited, a business event, a new Doctor’s office…
Was the person who welcomed you a friend or a total stranger? I ask this question for an obvious reason. We don’t have to be friends or already know each to be outwardly warm and welcoming.
We are encouraged to be warm and welcoming and kind and a sign of love with everyone… everyone. That’s hard sometimes. I know. I’m a guarded person. And even a suspicious person sometimes. And unsure of myself. And nervous about meeting new people sometimes.
I am going to read a few verses from Colossians. These are words from Apostle Paul to the members of a local church in the town of Colossae. He was encouraging them here…
Colossians 3:12-14 “… Dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”
Blessed is the woman who welcomes.
She will be kindness, the sign of the love of the Lord.
Welcome to the 10-day study on the Beatitudes for Women! I am glad you joined us!
The event is happening via Facebook Live videos – in Facebook just do a search on #beatitudesforwomen.
And then come back here – because each day there will be a new blog post where I share the FREE printable for the day! A brief synopsis of what I shared in the video is below.
Click on the below image to enlarge. Then right-click, and “save image as” to save to your device.
Day 2 video synopsis:
Blessed is the woman of relationships.
She will be a bond of unity and a sign of the fullness of God.
Phil 2:1-4 (MSG) “If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.”
The Psalms and Proverbs also provide encouragement on the relationship front… there is example after example of good, healthy relationships. And all we can do is put others first in this beatitude.
I love the part of the verse I read from The Message that calls it being a “deep-spirited friend”. Come alongside the people in your life, family, co-worker, neighbor… whoever it is. Listen to them… with your heart, not just your ears. Soak in what they’re saying. Support them. Learn about them. Build relationship.
My friends… it’s not about us! Put others first.
Blessed is the woman of relationships.
She will be a bond of unity and a sign of the fullness of God.
Welcome to the 10-day study on the Beatitudes for Women! I am glad you joined us!
The event is happening via Facebook Live videos – in Facebook just do a search on #beatitudesforwomen.
And then come back here – because each day there will be a new blog post where I share the FREE printable for the day! A brief synopsis of what I shared in the video is below.
Click on the below image to enlarge. Then right-click, and “save image as” to save to your device.
Click on image to enlarge / save.
Day 1 synopsis:
Beatitudes for Women study
Introduction:
Thank you for joining me today! And I am really excited to share with you what I’m learning through this study. Today I am going to do a brief intro and share the first of the eight Beatitudes of Women. Today’s video may be a bit longer than the rest of the videos over the next 10 days. I value your time and don’t want to keep you too long… I know we have our days in front of us, but please know that I appreciate your time and hope to bring you some valuable information to think on as we learn together.
I’m Lori and I’m a daughter of the King / reformed rebellious preacher’s kid / studier of the Word / equipper of women / your loudest cheerleader / a friend to all / but really just a girl with moxie)
What is a “beatitude”? It consists of two parts / two phrases: First, a blessing in the form of a quality or experience. And second a promise of reward. Typically the first half is known to create character to develop the promise which is stated in the second half. If this is confusing, I think this will make more sense as we dive in.
For some background, some of us have undoubtedly heard about The Beatitudes as shared by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (found in the New Testament book of Matthew 5, pg 1182 in my Bible … giggle ), which may be the most shared and yet least understood sermon. Why is it misunderstood? Because it’s counter-intuitive really. And yet it is the definition of being Christ-like.
One more note on the Sermon on the Mount – as it was shared by Jesus, it was an invitation to a way of living that brings true happiness … a true, deep, satisfying contentment. Striving to emulate these characteristics will propel towards living a life of true happiness and we will find a deep joy in our true identity in God.
All of that said – this list of the Beatitudes for Women is going to read a bit differently than how it reads in Matthew 5. This list was found somewhere in my journeys through life and clearly some creative license has been taken. While I cannot take credit for this version of the Beatitudes for Women I have created some fun free printables that I am sharing on my blog. I’ll post a link in the pinned post to find the blog and the free printable will be shared daily. So let’s dive in…
Day 1:
Blessed is the woman of faith and hope.
She will be a sign of the presence of God among us.
Having faith and hope isn’t always easy, it is? This is the part where “developing character” is going to make more sense. Let’s read that again…
Are you facing a tough decision? Or an insurmountable obstacle? A hopeless financial / relational / physical / emotional hurdle?
How you conduct yourself through this character-developing moment will prove to be an amazing reward. I promise you this. About a two and a half years ago my husband and I were facing some life-changing decisions. These decisions were inevitably going to bring about change to our financial state, our living arrangements, our family situation, etc. And I said “LET’S DO THIS!” And he said – “Whoa – let’s analyze this.” And deep in my soul I knew that I knew that I knew that I had peace about the making this change… we prayer over it, he analyzed it, I prayed for his analysis. And weeks later during an afternoon walk he said to me “Your faith is beautiful.” He saw the depth of my faith, and even though he was still seeking out that faith & hope for himself, he saw the presence of God in my faith & hope.
There is nothing more I could ever ask – but for others to see God in me. Seriously – nothing!
My friends, remain faithful and hopeful in ALL things. The fortitude and peace that it leaves in its wake is astounding. I’m telling you!
Blessed is the woman of faith and hope.
She will be a sign of the presence of God among us.
Thank you for joining us today and I look forward to going through the rest of these together over the next 9 days – with a break for Christmas day. Go in faith…
Starting tomorrow – Tuesday December 20th (and running for 10 days – with a break for Christmas Day) we’ll be doing an ONLINE study: The Beatitudes for Women. Let’s come together from all around the world for this very special event. (No resources needed – all material will be shared in this event).
In the event there will be a daily 5-7 minute Facebook Live video at 7 am Pacific. You can participate live or catch up at your leisure.
The original sermon of the Beatitudes, as we know it, are found in Matthew 5 (and reiterated again in Luke 6). The teachings of Jesus were simple but unique and innovative at the time of his life on earth. He shared in what is known as “The Sermon on the Mount” about salvation … He was relaying that salvation is not found in religious “duties” that must be completed. Rather, Jesus was communicating a message of humility, charity, and brotherly love.
Here we will dive into a unique perspective on the beatitudes for women and dig deep into what that looks like in our own path of life. We will reflect on scripture and what Christ asks of us as women, friends, leaders, mothers, daughters, co-workers, … and more importantly what our legacy will be based on how we live out our lives.
Lori J. Tisdale 