Shepastor: "How Blessed Are You?"

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:3-12, NIV

How would you define blessed? For many, being blessed means being financially well off, in good health, own lots of shiny things, “good looking,” and popular. Jesus, however, gave quite a different definition of being blessed.
The overall biblical concept of being blessed is “satisfaction from experiencing the fullness of something.” (read more at https://www.studylight.org/language-studies/greek-thoughts/index.cgi?a=38 ) Our relationship with the Lord draws us into a state of "blessedness."

In the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches that we are blessed when we approach life from a certain perspective. From the perspective of Christ, We are blessed when we hunger to be filled with God. We are blessed when we desire to be filled with the mercy of God, the righteousness of God, the pureness of God and the peace of God. We are blessed when we become so filled with a desire to live for God and to be used for the glory of God that we are even willing to face persecution “for His name’s sake.”

In the light of this understanding of being blessed, “happiness,” is not tied to our external reality, but rather our internal convictions. We are blessed as we experience the fullness of Christ through embracing the “be-attitudes” in our hearts.

How blessed are you? May we gain the perspective of Christ and be blessed according to His standards and not our own.

Post a comment or send me an email at Shepastor1@hotmail.com

Until next Wednesday,
In Faith, Hope and Perseverance,
Pastor Chris
www.shepastorchris.org