One of my very first jobs as a Nurse was working Labor and Delivery at a county hospital…and through those countless deliveries of babies, I can never recall a newborn bringing anything with them! Conversely, I’ve never seen a U-Haul trailer hitched to a hearse headed towards the cemetery. The Lord wants us to be satisfied with whatever we have here on earth… that it’s not about the “things”, but what we do with those things God gives us. If I may paraphrase Job… “I came with nothing, I will leave with nothing…the Lord gives and He takes away…but regardless of it all…I will praise His name.”
Psalm 86:11 ” Teach me Your way O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.”
Guide me in the path of Your faithfulness Lord. Let my heart be so united with Yours that I will not falter to the left or to the right, but will walk fully trusting in You and Your awesomeness. Amen.
Matthew 5:10 ” Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
I can probably dare say that most of us have never truly suffered for the sake of the gospel…have never had to denounce the world, claiming only Jesus, and endure the consequences. Have Never sworn our allegiance to our Savior, and shed blood over our stand. In I Peter 3:14 it says, “But even if you should suffer for what is right you are blessed.” Doing what is right may not be easy, or popular…but you will be blessed because of it.
Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”
Peacemakers advocate harmony instead of hostility, agreement rather than anger, and tranquility in place of turmoil. A peacemaker will seek for the well-being of others…even if that means loving their enemies, and praying for those who persecute them. As it says in James 3:18, ” Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.”
Matthew 5:8 ” Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
To be pure in heart means that every motive, desire, and thought is conformed around what the Lord would want of us. It means that our hearts would be free of the pollution and guilt of sin, and our hands clean. And in that bright and radiant state of holiness…we would then see His beloved face and live forever in His presence.
Matthew 5:7 ” Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Compassion towards others…in the world today, it may be a little difficult to find at times. We are so very concerned about ourselves and our needs, that we don’t even take the time to be kind to the check out clerk at the store, or the elderly person struggling with the heavy grocery sacks in the parking lot. But the Lord will judge us according to our mercy, or lack there of. His mercy in judgment of us will be based on how merciful we were to others while on this earth…to the degree we were merciful, He will be towards us.
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Our bodies need food and water on a very regular basis, we can’t eat once a year and live. So it is with our relationship with the Lord…we need to spend time in the Bible daily, being filled with His Word. That Holy nourishment is every bit as important to our well-being as food and water. That’s why He extends the invitation to “Come all that are hungry and thirsty, for you will be filled.”
Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
When I first hear the word meek, I think of a spineless, unassuming person, that’s too cowardly to do anything. But then I remember a chance meeting I had with a former CIA agent. He wasn’t that big of a man, he didn’t say but a few words, his demeanor was very unpretentious…but he commanded the entire room by what he didn’t do. He knew who he was and who he represented… and that self-confidence was almost palpable. Jesus was the same way…He didn’t have to prove anything. His real strength came from knowing who He was. And that should be true of us also, knowing who we are through Christ Jesus, and aware that in our weakness we are made strong in Him.
Matthew 5:4 ” Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
Everyday we miss the mark and sin…but the big question is…how does it make you feel when you do sin? If you are unaffected and apathetic when you sin, too soon the sin will become very commonplace, and lead you down the wrong path. But if when you sin you are truly sorrowful, and ask the Lord for forgiveness… He will encourage you to get, brush yourself off, and try again.
Matthew 5:3 ” Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
In our mortal state, we are helpless, destitute beggars…spiritually bankrupt and lost. But if we acknowledge our dire situation, and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He will become very present and involved in our life. Suddenly, the Kingdom of God will dwell within our hearts, and we will be taken from beggar to joint heir with Jesus.
Safetypinlove 