Jesus is beginning to teach on the Law. He is at the beginning of His ministry and is teaching the disciples and the crowd around them. He repeats the word "Blessed" which means "happy", "fortunate", or "blissful." He is teaching the people that, despite what the world says about finding happiness, TRUE happiness comes from being in a relationship with God and being faithful to Him. Jesus is describing what a person with true faith looks like. In verse 3, Jesus says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I think I finally understood that this verse is talking about recognizing our nothing-ness without God. The kingdom of heaven is talking about salvation. We CAN'T have salvation without God. Only He draws us to Him, and He is the one who saves us. Verse 4 talks about our sorrow over our sin. It says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." God's forgiveness can comfort His children because they do not have to live in that condemnation; they can be forgiven.
In verse 5 it says, "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth." I think the gentleness talked about in this verse is self-control. Those who are gentle are not pushovers, but they are filled with God's love for others and are in control of their feelings and emotions. In verse 6 it is talking about those who want to be righteous because they want to please God. It says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." In verse 7, it describes the merciful person. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." Those who are merciful will receive mercy. In verse 8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Those who hae pure motives in their heart will see God in heaven. In verse 9, Jesus speaks about those who are peacemakers. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Those who keep peace will be God's children. Verses 10 and 11 finish the set of Beatitudes, and I felt they were easier to understand than the others. "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsley say all kinds of evil against you because of Me."
God convicted me about not putting Him first and not seeking righteousness like a faithful child of God should. God has rewards for those who do what His word says; that is encouraging to me. God clearly lays out an example to follow: recognize your nothing-ness without God, be sorrowful over your sin, have self-control, seek righteousness, be merciful, make sure your motives are pure, keep peace, and do not run from persecution. It's easy to let my selfish desires get in the way of becoming the child God wants me to be; but, I have to remember 2 Corinthians 5:17. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come."
I don't have to feel condemned. I can respond in a godly way to my struggles and keep God at the forefront even now.
