8 results for tag: Blessed Are

Blessed Are the Persecuted

“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 5:10-12 The beatitudes present to us a way of life that is a stark contradiction to our natural responses and inclinations. The first seven beatitudes described a list of characteristics that we ought to pursue as believers. But this last beatitude is quite different than the rest. Rather than telling ...

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

For the past several weeks, we have been going verse by verse through the beatitudes that mark the beginning of Christ’s “Sermon on the Mount,” recorded in the book of Matthew. Each week we have unpacked what it looks like to live in such a way as these verses describe—poor in spirit, spiritually morning over our sins, meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, and pure of heart.  Today we come to the seventh beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” -Matthew 5:9 Oh! But peace can be so hard to achieve in the tumult of grief. When we are grieving we are more sensitive to the remarks people make, ...

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matthew 5:8 Life is hard. And if you’ve lost a child, life will be hard all of your life I didn’t put a period at the end of that sentence because it isn’t the end. It is the beginning—the beginning of a life where you trust in and rely on Jesus. How can we Hope Mommies trust in and rely on a “God that let us down?” We can because we are Hope Mommies—we hope in the Lord. He is our only hope. "This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls," Hebrews 6:19 Our reality is one of longing and suffering Again, I did not use a period at the end of that sentence ...

Blessed Are the Merciful

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." -Matthew 5:7 Isn't that a nice verse?  I really like the second part. I want God to show me mercy when I mess up. However, the first part, that's not my favorite. Sometimes, I don't want to show mercy. There have been times when people have really hurt me, and extending mercy to them is the last thing I want to do. So, is it really fair for God to ask us to show mercy all the time?  And what about those people who don't even acknowledge that they've wronged you? Is it really necessary to be merciful to them? First, I think we need a definition of mercy. It's defined as: compassionate or ...

Blessed Are the Hungry

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." -Matthew 5:6 Several weeks after Chance’s funeral, a sweet friend from church stopped me when she spotted me across the church aisle. “I want you to know I have been praying for you. Specifically, I have been praying that God would reveal to you the purpose in Chance’s life.” With that one simple sentence, her prayer became my prayer too. I had never thought to pray this prayer, but in that moment, it sounded so profound. And it sure sounded like a good way to turn this tragedy back to truth.   So I would pray day after day after day, ...

Blessed Are the Meek

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” -Matthew 5:5 Meekness is a trait that isn’t always considered very attractive in the context of our current culture.  We often think of meekness as being synonymous with feeble character, week-mindedness, or a spirit of constant compromise. If this is what Christ meant by meekness, it’s hard to imagine how such a person could be considered blessed, let alone inherit the earth.  Thankfully, God provides us with examples of meekness in Scripture that we can learn from. So, in order for us to accurately discern this beatitude, we must seek to understand meekness in a biblical ...

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

Grieving the loss of a child has a way of creating an urgent desire for solid, biblical answers for any theological questions that arise in the heart—what has God truly said in His Word about why this kind of pain exists in the world? When this world feels devoid due to child loss, one’s attention can be well set upon knowing how to hope for another world. Hope is needed because all is not right. This cannot be it for us as people. The Christian hope, such a blessed hope, tells us that there is more to know than what only experiences can tell us. Understanding what hope God gives can come through observing what kind of mourning Jesus speaks ...

Blessed Are The Poor in Spirit

In Matthew chapter 5, we find at the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount a portion of His teaching that is commonly referred to as “The Beatitudes.”  Over the next several weeks, we will be studying this passage of Scripture together as we seek to understand what it looks like for us to aspire to live in such a way as the following verses describe. “Seeing the crowds, He [Jesus] 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. ...