Matthew 5: 1-12
Jesus is teaching with his disciples close at hand. Teaching the masses, but also informing his closest friends and helpers. Jesus begins laying out the blueprint for what we are to be if we are to be Christ-like, Christ in a world that so needs the benefits of changed and transformed people.
The poor in spirit. What is poor in spirit? To me, it's the person who has Christ and knows of our spiritual poverty if we are to draw upon ourselves and not God. It' s the person who knows that they don't know it all, or act that way. The people who strive to fill their impoverished faith with the Spirit only Jesus can give. What does he say of them? Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Only if we realize our constant, forever longing for the growing and increasing of God in us can we bring God's kingdom into our lives and the world we touch each day.
He states next that those who mourn will be comforted. Mourning doesn't seem like much of a positive, motivational lifestyle, but Christ is telling us - mourning is a human emotion. Mourn for what counts - mourn for those who do not know Christ. Mourn for those who suffer living out of God's will, mourn for the people who are hung up on the temporary and don't invest in the things eternal. Have a mournful heart for all the people that are not getting the best Christ has to offer. This concern and compassion for others enacted into showing others Jesus will comfort us as we go about our lives.
The meek - the humble lowly Christian that takes on the spirit of a simple child, with unwavering trust and faith in God's work, serving others will inherit the earth. How do we inherit the earth? By working for others - not for our gain, but for the advancement of God. We place the focus in our lives at putting others first and all else follows. Seek first God, love others and literally, the best of life will be yours. Not an easy life, but a blessed life of future and promise.
How many of us really hunger and thirst for righteousness? To seek this so much that you would starve to death without it? The promise with this one is simply - you will be filled. Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened....Jesus reminding us that all we have to do is ask and we will receive. We sometimes make this a lot harder than it should be. So, how do we thirst and hunger for righteousness? Righteousness is simply us being made right with God. To be made right by the grace of Jesus Christ; something that we can't do ourselves. We have to come to God's table he has before us and have our hunger and thirst conquered through His endless supply of love and grace. Seek that which we have to have to sustain us in a life in and through Christ.
The merciful will be shown mercy. How many times does God show us this principle in scripture? Give and it shall be given to you. Bless and you will be blessed. Forgive and you shall be forgiven. Serve and you will be served. God has such a neat way of knowing just what we need and has created us and all around us with an order, a systematic arrangement of action/reaction, cause/effect, mistakes/ consequences. Do you want to be shown mercy? Show mercy to others. One of the parables Jesus speaks of tells of the man pleading to be forgiven of a huge debt from a lender. The lender relents and releases the man from his debt. Sometime afterward, the "debt-free" man approaches someone who owes him money, demands payment and throws the man in prison for not paying him. When the original lender hears of the man's action, things don't go very well....Be merciful, show love. Not to get back things, but to live our lives as to show Christ to others.
The pure in heart. Anyone out there pure in heart? Can we be? These will be the people who see God. I think where it is going here is not saying we have to be "sin-free" or we will not see God. Again, I feel it goes back to so many things Christ spoke of - motive. People with pure hearts don't have impure motives. We do slip up and sin, we do things we shouldn't or don't do things we should, but our daily motive is not to get up and sin boldly each day. People with pure hearts don't have thoughts of manipulating for their gain, cheating to get things, using their friends and co-workers to satisfy their prideful needs. When we clear our hearts of the impure motives, we can truly look past those things and see God.
Anybody a peacemaker? I wonder if this applies to a parent of more than one child? What can you do except be a peacemaker when you battle sibling rivalry? Anyway, being a peacemaker, to me shows an active lifestyle of making sure you convey peace around you. You don't wait for a battle to build up and occur and then step in to moderate peace. You instill peace in the daily things you encounter by putting others before you, buy trusting God more and by just taking that extra step of being a tolerant, joyous spirit that exudes peace everywhere you go.
Have you ever been in a crowd, heard or seen something that totally went against your grain as to knowing what is right and what God would have done? Have you spoken out, only to be looked down upon or cast out from the group due to your stand? Welcome, you are the persecuted based on your righteousness. It isn't easy to stand at times in front of your buddies, boss, co-workers and colleagues when you see injustice and speak up. Bless you my child, you are blessed and you bring the kingdom of heaven here on earth. You bring to earth the thoughts and actions of heaven.
Blessings again can come to you from above when you are reviled for Jesus. This is kind of a continuation of the verse above. When we are righteous in Jesus' name, people see it as different, unworldly, supernatural to be exact. Where most of the world will go when they see this is into the worst behavior as possible - they will insult you, persecute you, lie about you and do evil things to bring you down. All because they don't understand and because the dark cannot stand the light. Keep up the faith, the blessings are there and you will be victorious in your strife. Find a way to see the future promise for the present discomfort and keep your head high, serving Christ instead of converting to the world and its ways. You are in good company, Jesus says - you will be in the high esteem of the prophets who have blazed a trail ahead of you.
1.
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2.
and he began to teach them, saying:
3.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12.
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 is teaching with his disciples close at hand. Teaching the masses, but also informing his closest friends and helpers. Jesus begins laying out the blueprint for what we are to be if we are to be Christ-like, Christ in a world that so needs the benefits of changed and transformed people.
The poor in spirit. What is poor in spirit? To me, it's the person who has Christ and knows of our spiritual poverty if we are to draw upon ourselves and not God. It' s the person who knows that they don't know it all, or act that way. The people who strive to fill their impoverished faith with the Spirit only Jesus can give. What does he say of them? Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Only if we realize our constant, forever longing for the growing and increasing of God in us can we bring God's kingdom into our lives and the world we touch each day.
He states next that those who mourn will be comforted. Mourning doesn't seem like much of a positive, motivational lifestyle, but Christ is telling us - mourning is a human emotion. Mourn for what counts - mourn for those who do not know Christ. Mourn for those who suffer living out of God's will, mourn for the people who are hung up on the temporary and don't invest in the things eternal. Have a mournful heart for all the people that are not getting the best Christ has to offer. This concern and compassion for others enacted into showing others Jesus will comfort us as we go about our lives.
The meek - the humble lowly Christian that takes on the spirit of a simple child, with unwavering trust and faith in God's work, serving others will inherit the earth. How do we inherit the earth? By working for others - not for our gain, but for the advancement of God. We place the focus in our lives at putting others first and all else follows. Seek first God, love others and literally, the best of life will be yours. Not an easy life, but a blessed life of future and promise.
How many of us really hunger and thirst for righteousness? To seek this so much that you would starve to death without it? The promise with this one is simply - you will be filled. Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened....Jesus reminding us that all we have to do is ask and we will receive. We sometimes make this a lot harder than it should be. So, how do we thirst and hunger for righteousness? Righteousness is simply us being made right with God. To be made right by the grace of Jesus Christ; something that we can't do ourselves. We have to come to God's table he has before us and have our hunger and thirst conquered through His endless supply of love and grace. Seek that which we have to have to sustain us in a life in and through Christ.
The merciful will be shown mercy. How many times does God show us this principle in scripture? Give and it shall be given to you. Bless and you will be blessed. Forgive and you shall be forgiven. Serve and you will be served. God has such a neat way of knowing just what we need and has created us and all around us with an order, a systematic arrangement of action/reaction, cause/effect, mistakes/ consequences. Do you want to be shown mercy? Show mercy to others. One of the parables Jesus speaks of tells of the man pleading to be forgiven of a huge debt from a lender. The lender relents and releases the man from his debt. Sometime afterward, the "debt-free" man approaches someone who owes him money, demands payment and throws the man in prison for not paying him. When the original lender hears of the man's action, things don't go very well....Be merciful, show love. Not to get back things, but to live our lives as to show Christ to others.
The pure in heart. Anyone out there pure in heart? Can we be? These will be the people who see God. I think where it is going here is not saying we have to be "sin-free" or we will not see God. Again, I feel it goes back to so many things Christ spoke of - motive. People with pure hearts don't have impure motives. We do slip up and sin, we do things we shouldn't or don't do things we should, but our daily motive is not to get up and sin boldly each day. People with pure hearts don't have thoughts of manipulating for their gain, cheating to get things, using their friends and co-workers to satisfy their prideful needs. When we clear our hearts of the impure motives, we can truly look past those things and see God.
Anybody a peacemaker? I wonder if this applies to a parent of more than one child? What can you do except be a peacemaker when you battle sibling rivalry? Anyway, being a peacemaker, to me shows an active lifestyle of making sure you convey peace around you. You don't wait for a battle to build up and occur and then step in to moderate peace. You instill peace in the daily things you encounter by putting others before you, buy trusting God more and by just taking that extra step of being a tolerant, joyous spirit that exudes peace everywhere you go.
Have you ever been in a crowd, heard or seen something that totally went against your grain as to knowing what is right and what God would have done? Have you spoken out, only to be looked down upon or cast out from the group due to your stand? Welcome, you are the persecuted based on your righteousness. It isn't easy to stand at times in front of your buddies, boss, co-workers and colleagues when you see injustice and speak up. Bless you my child, you are blessed and you bring the kingdom of heaven here on earth. You bring to earth the thoughts and actions of heaven.
Blessings again can come to you from above when you are reviled for Jesus. This is kind of a continuation of the verse above. When we are righteous in Jesus' name, people see it as different, unworldly, supernatural to be exact. Where most of the world will go when they see this is into the worst behavior as possible - they will insult you, persecute you, lie about you and do evil things to bring you down. All because they don't understand and because the dark cannot stand the light. Keep up the faith, the blessings are there and you will be victorious in your strife. Find a way to see the future promise for the present discomfort and keep your head high, serving Christ instead of converting to the world and its ways. You are in good company, Jesus says - you will be in the high esteem of the prophets who have blazed a trail ahead of you.
1.
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him,
2.
and he began to teach them, saying:
3.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
12.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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