When you hear of someone that is "blessed," what do you think? Is it that things are going well for them, whether financially, health, family, or all of the above? Would it shock you to know that God wants things to work out for you to the point where you will experience ultimate satisfaction in life? At the beginning of Jesus' public ministry, he ...
In the current day age of the selfie, Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5 runs contrary to the values of the world. The world says, “Blessed are those who believe in themselves,” but Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit.” Jesus says that the poor in spirit are blessed because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The place they find ...
In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, how could he say that blessed or happy are those who are going through tough times or are in a place of mourning? We are blessed in the deepest darkest of valleys because God is with us and comforting us....
Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek! You're going to inherit the earth." The posture of the meek may not come naturally, but it's something any of us can learn, not by looking around at the world and trying to be more like them, but by looking at Jesus and training to become more like Him....
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Jesus was aware that the people sitting in front of him then and us today are searching for the things that will satisfy our souls. We can not find it in power, possessions, or popularity. We find it when we are in right relationship with God and...
God demonstrates His mercy toward us while wronging Him and others, not holding it against us. Every day we have the opportunity to extend that same mercy to the world around us. When we walk around absorbed in ourselves, we dismiss the mercy God showed us. But when we adopt the lifestyle of our Savior, we won’t be able to deny showing mercy to o...
When you trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior and surrender your life to Him, He places a new heart inside you. He replaces your "heart of stone" with a "living heart," and who you are and what you do is fueled by the condition of your heart....
Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." Being a peacemaker is being concerned more about living out the calling God has placed on your life as a child of God. To become peacemakers, we must first see the need for peace and where peace comes from. In other words, to give something away, we first have to posse...
Jesus ends the Beatitudes with, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. " The disciples faced persecution for following Jesus. They could have run from it, but they chose to embrace it. We can do the same thing by choosing allegiance to Jesus over the things of this world, giving Him all of...