The Beatitudes - a perfect mix of heart attitudes toward God & men

I want to take a few minutes to look at these 'blessed' phrases our Lord used when teaching His disciples.  I am hoping you will take this brief trip with me.

1. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God."  Those who know - who are certain - that unless Jesus enriches them, they don't have an ounce of righteousness; these are the ones who are blessed.  Jesus is speaking of an attitude of heart which admits one's need for God.  It is no accident that this 'leads the pack' in these beatitudes.  True humility opens the gates for the lord to come in and make us rich toward God instead of poor in spirit.  And the reward is to possess - or better yet - be possessed by the Kingdom of God.  This Kingdom is a place, a spiritual place where Jesus is Lord!  Jesus always rules perfectly, justly, compassionately, etc.  One would have to be crazy not to want to live in His Kingdom.

2. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  The Lord is not speaking of those who have suffered a reversal or a loss of one they love.  Of course God wants to comfort these.  But He is driving at those who are truly sorry over their sin.  When we see the Lord accurately, when we know Him for who He truly is, by comparison "our righteousness is as filthy rags".  It brings a godly sorrow that leads us to repent = confess & turn from sins that are an offense to the Lord & His sacrifice.  The reward is that they shall receive the comfort of Jesus.  To receive His forgiveness is comfort indeed.  I remember it well when I was born again.  John was right when he wrote, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  It is something a person can actually feel inside when, one is sincere in their godly sorrow.  Thank you Lord for such comfort.  It is hard to describe how wonderful it is to know for sure that God has pardoned you.

3. "Blessed are the gentle (or meek), they shall inherit the earth."  Meek is a great word but the meaning has been lost in our modern English.  It now means timid and almost reprehensible behavior.  The old English word however, was wonderful in scope and power.  It had a 2-fold meaning.  First, it meant to be cheerfully willing to do whatever God wanted.  You tell me how 'pleasant' it is when you are in leadership and need the cooperation or obedience of another (depending on circumstances) and they are resistive, defiant,or worse.  Being truly willing to do whatever Jesus wants is an amazing quality.  Second, it means to esteem others more than ourselves.  This also is a beautiful quality.  One that everyone admires.  We are usually annoyed by self-seeking people but are drawn to the one who esteems us as having real value.  The reward, they inherit the earth.  That is, they are the kind of people who will reign with Jesus when He returns.  God's future is assured for these kinds of people.  I have found that only Jesus can make us into this kind of person.  Lord - get busy working on me please!

4. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."  A. W. Tozer once wrote that a Christian can have as much of God as he/she wants.  The words 'hunger & thirst' reveal a powerful desire to live and think and be motivated like Jesus - to be like our Lord.  This desire is so powerful that it crowds out other desires so that the hungering soul spends itself seeking God.  This desire is what brings life to our prayer, Bible reading, church involvement, etc.  The reward - God satisfies this desire and grants not only that His righteousness be given us a free gift, but worked into our very nature as HE changes how we think, live, and value others.

5. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."  Ever noticed how easy it is to remember the wrong another has done but how easily we forget the wrongs we have done?   Being merciful towards the faults of others is as Christ-like as it gets.  I have rarely seen any sin more binding than an unwillingness to forgive and be merciful to those who have failed us.  Bitterness kills people.  Being unmerciful is a self-righteous act that presumes that our sins are forgivable somehow and not as bad as the one we are hating or despising.  But when we are merciful, it triggers God's mercy towards us somehow.  From what I have seen of the sins of my life, I am quite convinced I am going to need some serious mercy from God throughout my journey home.  And that is the reward - receiving the greatest of al merciful expressions from God who not only forgives but brings us into the 'family business' and uses us who once were a total negative!

6. "Blessed are the pure in heart, they shall see God."  Pure means single, completely undistracted, aimed at only one thing.  In other  words, the pure in heart have ONE LOVE - The Lord Jesus!  Their hearts are not divided.  The reward is that they will see God.  That is perceive His presence all through their lives, hear His voice as they walk with Him, recognize His hand working in & around them, and ultimately will see Him face to face one day when He takes them home.  LORD - make me pure in heart!

7. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God."  This has a 2 fold application.  They make peace with God, humbling themselves before Him in order to be in right relationship with Him.  Instead of resisting God, they surrender to Him.  Also, they help others make this peace with God.  Their lives are spent leading & discipling people for Christ, helping everyone who will receive it, to be at peace with God.  To be left in sin is to be at war with the Lord or contrary to Him.  The reward is that they are by nature called His children and HE is not ashamed to call them so.  God owns them as His!  He fights for them, guides them, shows them mercy & love as fathers do for their children, and reserves for them the inheritance HE has kept for them.

8. "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven."  Persecution - not much fun.  But the disciples became so enthralled with the Lord that they rejoiced to be counted worthy to suffer for His sake.  We are often not like this.  We fight back, start rumors about people who have wronged us, call our lawyer, say mean-spirited and unkind things about the perpetrator, or do just about any angry thing other than forgive, love our enemies, and rejoice that God counted us worthy to suffer for His sake.  I am not speaking of suffering because we have done something stupid but rather, suffering for following our Lord or taking a stand for one of His commands.  God says that we are blessed when trouble comes our way for His sake.  May God raise up a generation of believers that believe this promise as well as the ones that are pleasant to receive.  The reward is entrance into the kingdom of heaven.  Did you know that the innocent always suffer for the guilty - always!  Suffering for His sake is part of taking on His nature.  The Kingdom works like this.  It also provides for the answer to that suffering by being justified by the Lord in the end.  God keeps the books and all will be made right.  

Finally, did you notice the balance of right attitudes & behaviors, some towards God and others towards people.  Loving one another with a devotional eye toward Christ is s brief description of what God is after in each of our hearts.  And God says it is BLESSED!  O LORD - make us like you in heart and in action that we may please you and be your sons & daughters in this earth.  Bless my friends tonight with a sense of your Presence.  Jesus keep you strong in these days!