Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, commonly called The Beatitudes, gives so much hope. Consider our sometimes hopeless conditions in life in contrast to His promises for a bright future.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – What exactly does “poor in spirit” mean? Could it be that Jesus was referring to the condition of our hearts? I believe so, meaning that we are completely dependent on Him, knowing we are nothing in ourselves. It pleases God when things cause us to be Christ-like, and putting our faith and trust in Him allows us entrance into Heaven with Him.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – If you have ever lost a loved one, you know first hand what it is like to mourn. But we can also mourn over other losses in life such as a job, a home, a car, a relationship, even something special to us that we lost and have been unable to find. It is only when we find ourselves mourning that we can be comforted. There is no need for comfort when we are very satisfied with our life, our circumstances, our situations.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. – Meek, meaning humble, not boastful, not self-seeking, one who seeks to serve Jesus by serving others, putting others’ needs above his/her own. Jesus was meek when he walked the earth. He spent time loving people, teaching them truth about God the Father, loving them, and serving them. He healed the sick, caused the lame to walk, gave a blind man sight, and helped people go from where they were in life to a better place where they can rule and reign with Him. The only thing needed is to put our faith and trust in Him and accept what He did for us on the cross!
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. – Righteousness. We only can obtain righteousness by trusting in Jesus, and then we are given His righteousness. Because we can never live up to God’s standard of righteousness, it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we can ever be acceptable to God. Notice Jesus says we will be filled; filled with His righteousness. Glory hallelujah!
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. – This is such a profound teaching from our Lord Jesus. God believes in us living things out in our lives in order to see them come back to us. When we show mercy, we will in turn receive mercy. When we show love, we will in turn receive love. Whatever we show is what we will receive. This can work to our harm as well as our good if we do not choose to be merciful, loving or kind.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. – Only the pure in heart will find their destiny in Heaven, and only those who get to Heaven will see God. Purity of heart is so critical to God. We must be honest and upright with our lives, our speech, and our actions. This is the way to God’s heart. God knows, however, that we cannot uphold these things on our own. Only Jesus can enable us to be pure in heart; that is why He came to pay for our sins and save us for all eternity. Have you trusted in Jesus?
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. – Now ladies, this refers to you too! Sons is a general term meaning “mankind”, which includes both male and female. God does not like chaos. He fills us with joy, peace and calm. He wants us to be peacemakers, and only then can we be sons (and daughters) of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Jesus warned that in this world we would have tribulation. Because the devil runs rampant throughout the earth, many fall for his lies and deception and therefore persecute the saints of God who follow after Jesus and seek to live righteous lives. Until the day when Jesus returns for His church, we will all suffer some forms of persecution because of the righteousness given us by Jesus. But be of good cheer, because ours is the kingdom of heaven! Those who believe the lies and commit themselves to the service of the evil one will NOT receive the privilege of entrance into heaven. We serve a righteous, HOLY God, who cannot tolerate sin and lies in His kingdom.
So be encouraged my friend if you are living for Jesus. All these promises are yours!!
And if you are not sure if you are walking with Jesus the way you should be, click this link to learn more.