Sheep grazing by the Eskdale railway by Nigel Chadwick
Good morning, beloved of God,
You know it, right? You know you are loved? Yesterday, my Mom and I worked all day in our garden plot. We planted, tended, mulched, babied, pulled, (I ate radishes and fresh onions..) and watered. We watched people come and go with their gardens. Our garden is, um eclectic. We have tripods to have beans, cucumbers, and other climbing plants to grow up…and one of the tripods is a recycled mop. Hey, we use what we have…yet, there, for me, was great joy and great exhaustion in working with my hands. I’ve never done this, really before…
In talking with people, I learn so much about my walk of faith. A woman asks us what to do about her beans…she’s already asked a master gardener…her car is running, her kids are running through her garden..cute as buttons…she fills up her watering can a couple of times and they are off. A couple of plants boxes in their huge plot and only uses half of their plot. Another plot seems to be a community plot a moms and their kids..disorganized chaos! LOL…
What does this teach me about faith? I can go around looking to different sources for help, read many different self-help books (yes..that’s good, I’ll try that…), not spend time on opening up with my God..keeping my motor on idle so I can zoom off to my next activity. Or I have these gifts God has given me to share with the body of Christ and I only share it partly. I only give a little. Ouch. Or I can make my faith so noisy that I never am quiet. I am never silent and listening before my God and Savior….Ouch again.
Sigh…but wait…remember! Remember!!
The life of the blessed is not easy..He never said it would be…Yet, I think some further definitions of the blessed is critical for our study as we surge forward.
First, let’s get Matthew 5 out here…
5 Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
4 Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!
5 Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth!
6 Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!
7 Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!
8 Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous—possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
9 Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers andmaintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!
10 Blessed and happy and enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous (in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
11 Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account.
12 Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great (strong and intense), for in this same way people persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Let’s review who are blessed:
- Poor in spirit
- Meek
- Hunger and Thirst for righteousness
- Merciful
- Pure in heart
- Makers and maintainers of peace
- Persecuted for righteousness’ sake
Review the definitions of blessed:
- happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions
- with a happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace
- in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions
Jesus was speaking to the crowds and these blessings were to encourage those who were enjoying God‘s salvation, favor, grace and finds satisfaction in Him..no matter His outward conditions. The Sermon is all Christians. All Christians…
Well, my morning begins…tomorrow..the poor in spirit…pray on. pray on!
Related articles
- The Beatitudes: Living a Blessed Life (dailybibleplan.com)
- God’s Role in Salvation: God Awakens Sinners (gracesatisfies.wordpress.com)
- Beatitudes (menofmud.org)
- Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord (shareaverse.wordpress.com)
- Blessings and Blessed (anointedplace.wordpress.com)
- Living Faith (myheartsmission.com)
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