When God comes into our lives, we change.

Our new identity in Christ comes into tension with our old identity in ourselves as the Holy Spirit works in our hearts and minds. This tension arises between who we were and who God created us to be, between us and God, and between us and those around us. The Apostle Paul calls the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives sanctification.

Life in Tension reflects on Jesus’ Beatitudes in the context of scripture. The Beatitudes serve as an introduction to the Sermon on the Mount and lay out Jesus’ priorities in teaching his disciples. Because the sermon serves as a kind of ordination service for the Apostles, the importance of the Beatitudes for the early church, Christian spirituality, and discipleship today cannot be overstated.

Life in Tension is organized as a devotional. Each chapter offers a reflection, a prayer, and discussion questions. Chapters are organized around the nine Beatitudes in Matthew.

This revised edition facilitates ease of reading. It has an updated cover, fewer Greek and Hebrew references, and fewer footnotes than the original edition. Some editing to enhance clarity has also been done.

Hear the words; Walk the steps; Experience the joy!

Key words for this book include: Beatitudes, Christianity, spirituality, Jesus, Bible, devotion, and faith.

Author Stephen W. Hiemstra (MDiv, PhD) is a slave of Christ, husband, father, tentmaker, writer, and speaker. He lives with Maryam, his wife of 30+ years, in Centreville, VA and they have three grown children.