JESUS SPEAKING
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mathew 5: 3-10)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Thousands of people had followed Jesus up a mountain to hear him speak. He began his discourse by pronouncing a blessing over the multitudes (a blessing is a prophetic proclamation regarding some future provision from God.) The blessing was conditional. Only those who were humble in life (“poor in Spirit”) would enter God’s kingdom; only those who showed mercy toward others could expect to one day receive mercy from God; only those who hungered for righteousness would find it in the life to come. For many listening, they heard a message of hope; the outcasts, the infirmed, the poor, the lonely, the weak, the oppressed, the meek, and the suffering could suddenly have victory. Those whose kindness and innocence had prevented them from achieving worldly rewards (success) were being promised a future reward from God. At last, everyone who had been persecuted for obeying God could hope for the day when they would triumph over their oppressors.
I worked in sales for many years. Through careful observation of my colleagues, I could identify the characteristics of those who would succeed and those who would fail. When we hired someone who was kind, easygoing, polite, soft-spoken, honest, and morally upstanding, I knew it would only be a matter of time before they were fired (not always.) Those who succeeded were fast talkers; able to manipulate and influence others. Kindness was only beneficial if it was beneficial. The characteristics that made for a poor salesman were the very characteristics that God was looking for in a follower (note: not every successful salesman was ungodly; there were always exceptions.) I discovered that worldly success and Godly success very rarely overlapped.
The hopes (blessings) of the Godly are no longer fulfilled in this life, but in the life to come. Do you have the characteristics God desires? Do you desperately desire right living? Are you repentant, mild-mannered (gentle), compassionate, merciful, inwardly pure, peaceful, and humble? If you are, then you too have a future and a hope. You may have been rejected by the world, but God sees your heart, and when the last day comes, you will finally know the eternal blessings of God. (If you seem to be more worldly than Godly, turn to Him, and ask Him to do a work in your heart, and you too might finally know what it truly means to be ‘blessed.’)
“Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You today and ask that You help us to be Godly in our character; that we might receive Your blessings. We look forward to our future time with You, and ask that You give us the strength to endure the trials of this life. Fill us with Your hope and joy, and may we always be pleasing to You. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.
Jesus Speaks 