Being blessed by God is something we all want. Being blessed means more than just "being lucky"; it means more than what the world says it means. We can be blessed without material possessions. We are blessed because of our undeserved relationship with God. In Matthew 5: 1-12 Jesus explains who the blessed are. Are you one of them?
Be Poor in Spirit
In Matthew 5: 3 Jesus says those who are poor in spirit are blessed. They will have Heaven. A person who is poor in spirit realizes that they can do nothing to receive the saving grace of God. They realize it is a gift given freely. And how blessed they are! Heaven is their reward.
Mourn
In Matthew 5:4 Jesus says mourners will be comforted. Who are those who mourn? In this case it refers to those who mourn over their sin. No matter how far from God we are we can find comfort in Him when we grieve over our failings and repent. God will restore our life. Yes, God whispers sweet peace to me! Listen to this beautiful song here.
Be Meek
In Matthew 5: 5 Jesus says the meek are blessed because they inherit the earth. A meek person is not a door mat like popular culture wants you to think. They aren't someone who never stands up for what is right. The meek are those who have strength that is under control. Meek people don't force their way. A meek person is not a fearful person but according to the dictionary they are someone who can endure injury with patience and without resentment.
Be Righteous
In Matthew 5:6 Jesus tells us that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. Do we hunger for God and His word? Are we like thirsty animals seeking after water? Do we strive to find God more than anything? If so, then you will. You will be filled with His righteousness. The only true righteousness.
Be Merciful
In Matthew 5:7 Jesus announces that the merciful are blessed because they shall also obtain mercy. This beatitude may be one of the most difficult. We love that God is merciful to us, even while we were sinners, but do we show this mercy to others? Do we show mercy to people who have persecuted us, lied about us, harmed us, belittled us, or harmed or killed someone we love? We are to be as gracious to others as Christ was to us. As Jesus reminds us in the Lord's Prayer, "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."
Be Pure
In Matthew 5:8 Jesus says the pure in heart are blessed because they will see God. Loving people externally has to be matched by loving them internally. Why we do the things we do is what matters to God. A great show of reverence at church is worth nothing if we don't truly love God on the inside. Doing good for your neighbor is worth nothing if it is done for show; if we don't love that neighbor in our heart.
Be Peacemakers
In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says that peacemakers are blessed because they will be called sons of God. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He brings peace to us like no other. In return he asks us to bring His peace to others. In our world today we need this so badly. Where are our peacemakers? Where are those who want to bring the peace of Christ to the world?
Be Persecuted
In Matthew 5: 10 Jesus tells us that being persecuted for the sake of righteousness will bring blessings. For those people Heaven is theirs. We need to be sure that if we are persecuted it is for the right reason. If I march down the street and loudly proclaim that God has perfected me and everyone else is going to hell, I most certainly will be persecuted but it probably won't be for the right reason. When we approach people the Bible says it should be with "humility and meekness". Then when you are persecuted you know it will be for the right reason.
Rejoice in the Lord
When Jesus sums it all up, he reminds us to be joyful in spite of our persecution. No matter what life gives us we know that it is in Him that we rejoice. Jesus reminds us that the prophets of old were all persecuted, how can we expect different?
Blessing Does Not Equal Wealth
Ultimately then, when God blesses us, it is about so much more than the things of this world. We can be poor and be blessed beyond measure. We are to be generous people because generosity was given to us.
The story of the widow's mite in Mark 12: 41-44 illustrates this so well. The widow gave all that she had even though the amount was small she gave literally "till it hurt". The rich were giving their excess. The amount may have been large but they barely felt it. God promises to take care of our needs, not to make us wealthy. So surely this blessed widow was taken care of by God. We are not promised wealth. Remember that in this day of prosperity gospel preaching.
True Blessing
The true blessings of God are found when we walk with Him in every aspect of our lives. Let us pray for those blessings as those are the ones our Lord specifically promised us. Blessed are you to know God!
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