Blessed are the...

In Matthew 5 we find the "Beatitudes" that Jesus shared with His followers. In this teaching Jesus said that the blessed are:
The poor in spirit
Those who mourn
The meek
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
The merciful
The pure in heart
The peacemakers
Those who are persecuted for righteousness
Does that sound anything like your list for the blessed? This is when the mindset of the Kingdom of God clashes with the kingdoms of this world.

According to Jesus, the poor in spirit possess the kingdom of heaven; those who mourn shall be comforted; the meek shall inherit the earth; those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled; the merciful shall obtain mercy; the pure in heart shall see God; the peacemakers shall be called the sons of God; and those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake will inherit the kingdom of heaven. He then goes on to say that when we are reviled, persecuted, and evil is spoken against us that we should rejoice and be exceedingly glad for our reward is GREAT in heaven.

I don't know about you, but this sounds like a hard list to live out. How many of us know how to be poor in spirit we we have been taught to be proud? Who among us like to mourn and live in meekness? Do we really hunger and thirst for righteousness or do we simply seek to fulfill our own needs and desires? Do we automatically show mercy or do we like to give people what they deserve? And let's not forget being pure in heart! What about being a peacemaker? (It is different than being a peacekeeper) Then Jesus talks about persecution. But we live in America and we have rights! Right?

In each of these statements of being we find that they cannot be lived out unless we learn to live in relationship to the One who gave them. Apart from the Spirit of God I cannot humble myself in this way. But we do want to be blessed don't we? We want all of these things to be true in us. We love the idea of inheriting the Kingdom and being called the sons of God. Most believers seek to know God and be comforted by Him. And I don't know anyone who doesn't want to be rewarded greatly. However, the life of the blessed takes a different path than the one we have been taught to travel.

To "BE" in any of these areas requires walking the path of the blessed - and that path can only be followed through humility.

So humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will exalt you in due time. This is a promise from God's Word. It may mean involving yourself in situations that your are not comfortable with. It may mean that you restrain from anger, giving someone what they deserve, and learning to bring your strength under control. Actually...you will have to do all of these things at some point in life. But what a blessed life that you will enjoy!

I pray that as you go through your day that you will find ways to be salt and light. As you do...you will be blessed!