For the next eight weeks, we dare you to complete this The Kingdom Challenge. Each week read a Beatitude, and challenge yourself to put that Beatitude into practice. And don’t let this way of life end after eight weeks. Keep living The Kingdom Challenge. Make a permanent change in your lifestyle! After you’ve completed it, we want to know about the difference it has made in your life. So write a short paragraph and fill us in! Send it (along with your photo) to: susie@susiemag.com and label your e-mail KINGDOM EXPERIMENT.

1.    “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3).
We live in a country full of luxury—cell phones, ipods, and brand new clothes. For some of us, we will never know poverty. So how do we become poor in spirit?

When Jesus said you are blessed when you are poor in spirit, he was saying that when we get to a place of dependency we’re fortunate. Because when we need God, we are more likely to trust in him completely.

So this week work on depending on God for everything.

Week 1 Challenge
Take a trip through your room and find something valuable, something you depend on, something you feel you can’t do without. Practice what it means to depend on God by giving it away and not replacing it. 

2.    “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). 
This one may seem confusing.  Is Jesus really asking you to be sad?  Not exactly. Jesus is talking about the mourning of sin and brokenness.  Take a look around your high school. Your school is full of brokenness. No one has a perfect life and we all struggle with sin and temptation.

Jesus is challenging you to not only think and pray for your own struggles, but for everyone around you as well. This week, take time to mourn for the broken world around you.

Week 2 Challenge
Handwrite a letter or call someone in your life who is struggling or broken.  Listen to their story and do your best encourage them.  Try to keep in mind that God will be doing a lot of comforting through you.

3.    “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5).
First of all, what does being meek actually mean? Many times it is connected to being a pushover, weak, or timid. But is that really what Jesus is asking us to be? A pushover? Not at all.  Moses was described as “the meekest of all people on earth” (Numbers 12:3) but he was far from a pushover. After all, he did stand up to Pharaoh, part the sea, and lead God’s people out of slavery.

Meekness is strength that is under control. True meekness is a difficult virtue to grab a hold of. It’s staying true to what you believe without being arrogant. It’s becoming both servant and leader. It’s recognizing those who are overlooked, and serving those on the edges.

This week, practice meekness.

Week 3 Challenge
Choose the least likely players for your dodgeball or kickball team in gym this week or ask someone who is usually left out to be your partner for a school project. Allow modesty, and a gentle spirit to help you reach out to those who often get overlooked. Doing this will say, “you’re just as important as I am.”

4.    “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matt. 5:6). 
Most of us live comfortably, even during hard economic times. So the idea of an urgent, life-threatening need can be distant for many of us.  We don’t know what it means to truly be hungry or thirsty.

What Jesus is saying is be so hungry for righteousness that your very existence depends on it.

This week hunger for righteousness by learning to depend on Christ more than anything.

Week 4 Challenge
What are some other things you choose to depend on rather than God? Make a list of things you tend to depend on then ask God for strength and wisdom to depend on God instead of these things.

5.    “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matt. 5:7).
What it comes down to is this: God’s greatest desire for us is to copy the mercy He has shown us. The true follower of God mimics the actions of Jesus. A follower is transformed when he or she receives mercy, making it then a natural response to show mercy toward others. That’s why it’s a good thing we have the perfect example of mercy in Jesus himself. It doesn’t get any better than a messed up sinner being shown mercy by God.

This week try and show the mercy Jesus has shown you.

Week 5 Challenge
Think of some pet peeves you have based on what others do. Recognize that you have your own behaviors that drive others crazy. And because you know this, make room for others’ quirks by refusing to whine or complain about them.

6.    “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Jesus is talking about more than just actions here. He is talking about being pure inside and out. Your mind. Your heart. Your actions. Everything. This is, by no means, an easy task. You cannot become pure on your own. Instead, Christ desires to do this good work in us, through a relationship with him.

The choice to be pure in heart becomes a matter of allowing him to change us so that we can see him in the world around us. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Week 6 Challenge
If you don’t already have an accountability partner, seek out a trusted friend and set up times to meet regularly.  Use these times to share joys, struggles, temptations, and everyday life.

7.    “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9).
When Jesus said blessed are the peacemakers, he was being intentional about his word choice. Notice he didn’t say peace-lovers. He said peace-makers. He was asking us to be participants in the work of restoration and healing. To leave our couches. To actively pursue peace in our relationships and our world.

Peace represents wholeness and oneness. How can you help bring wholeness and oneness into your life and the life of the people around you.

Week 7 Challenge
The Scriptures say it’s a pretty good idea to be “quick to listen and slow to speak” (James 1:19). This week hold your tongue in arguments, even when you think you are in the right. Once you have listened, calmed down, and prayed about your response, then speak your mind. Be the active peacemaker in a conflict.

8.    “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10).
We are blessed to live in a country where we are not persecuted because of what we believe. We can met in a church and worship together in safety. So, how can we make this Beatitude real in our lives, today?

What would happen if we really lived the way Christ calls us to live? When we live out all these Beatitudes, from meek, to pure, to merciful—our lifestyle will publicly be at odds with our present culture. We will stand out and sometimes that means we will stand alone. But God will always be there and his blessing will be there as well.

Week 8 Challenge
Chances are, you sit with the same crew every day for lunch. Make some room at your table and invite someone lonely to join you. And don’t just let them sit there awkwardly by themselves. Include them in the conversation. Your friends may give you a hard time, but this is what Kingdom-living really looks like.

Challenges taken from The Kingdom Experiment: Youth Edition available at thehousestudio.com.

Rachel McPherson is the co-author of The Kingdom Experiment: Youth Edition and lives in Kansas City with her husband, Jason.