Blessed

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” - Matthew 5:1-19 ESV

As I read through the Matthew 5 this morning, which documents the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, it occurred to me how much I needed to read and hear the Beatitudes.

I think that sometimes we all need to be reminded of how blessed we are. No matter what we may be going through. No matter our stage in life or economic position, we are blessed if we belong to Jesus. If we are seeking Him first in our lives then no matter what we might face or might be dealing with, we are blessed.

To me, the other cool part about the Beatitudes is what it says about being blessed - where we are in life, what we might be dealing with, and how we should respond and live:

Poor in spirit ~ God blesses those who realize their need for Him.
Mourn ~ Allow yourself time to mourn and heal, relying on Him for your strength
Meek ~ God blesses those who are gentle and humble (Meek doesn’t mean wimp)
Hunger and thirst for righteousness ~ and justice for all
Merciful ~ Showing mercy and grace toward others like we have been shown mercy and grace
Pure in heart ~ clean hands and pure hearts, not lifting our souls to another
Peacemakers ~ Those who work for peace in our world, in our nations, in our communities, in our families, in our lives
Persecuted ~ Blessed are those who are persecuted because they truly live for God

Not that we want to live in some of these ways (I would pass on persecuted when it is within my control), but when we are faced with such thing, how do we act and react... and who do we seek first?

Be blessed... 

Keep the Faith... Carpe Diem.

Photo by Dusty Doddridge