Beatitudes

The beatitudes have been revealed to me by God in a completely new way. Never before had I truly understood and gotten a grip on them the way I do now. You see, the beatitudes are not about particular people, such as some people are merciful, some people are pure in heart, some people are meek. The beatitudes are supposed to cover who we are as followers of Christ, and the character traits we are supposed to have if Jesus is truly working in our lives. Let's take a look at each beatitude individually.

For anyone unfamiliar, the beatitudes are found in Matthew 5, verses 3-10, with additional comments from Jesus in the verses following. This is the way Jesus kicked off not only his sermon on the mount, but his entire ministry.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God."

~Matthew 5:3~

>My first impression of this verse somewhat blended it with the second beatitude, which says blessed are those who mourn. However, I believe that being poor in spirit does not mean to be downcast, or to be lacking God. The verse is talking not about lacking God's Spirit, because every time the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Bible it is capitalized. Jesus is instead referring here to the spirit of man. The less of our spirit we have active in our lives, the more room God has to work his kingdom into our lives.<

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

~Matthew 5:4~

>Why would we as Christians be in a state of mourning? If we lose someone we are close to, should be not be reassured that they are in a better place if they are a Christ follower? But if we lose someone we are close to who has not been saved by Christ, then we truly mourn, for we know that person's fate. We should take note that just about every time that Jesus is downcast in spirit is when there is a lack of faith around him. When we are told Jesus wept, it was not because he was mourning for Lazarus, because he knew where Lazarus would be going. Instead, it was because he was moved by the complete lack of faith from his Disciples, his followers, and even his own mother. The only thing that we should let sadden us as Christians is the fact that there are people surrounding us who are not living out their faith, or because people around us are not saved.<

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

~Matthew 5:5~

>To inherit something means you obtain it when the original owner passes away. The devil is who owns and controls the earth we currently live in, and this earth shall someday pass away. Therefore, we will obtain a new earth when this one is no more, because as followers of Christ we will be given new bodies in a new earth.<

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

~Matthew 5:6~

>There's a difference between hungering for something, and eating simply for eating's sake. When you're truly hungry, you will do anything to get food-it's all you can think about. Yet if you simply eat to have energy to get through the day, you don't appreciate the food quite as much. In our Christian walk, we shouldn't eat just to eat. Yes, we will get some growth from acting out our discipline in turning to God, but if we don't actively try to truly set everything in us towards obtaining him, and starving for him, our growth will be substantially stunted. In order to get a true appetite, one must exercise to burn off excess calories. In the same way, we must put into action what God is telling us to do. We should never become spiritually fat, but should always be running in order to keep our craving for God strong.<

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

~Matthew 5:7~

>Mercy is truly loving someone-not doing anything simply to sacrifice our time or efforts. Mercy is wanting the best for someone, and doing whatever it takes to get them to that point. "I require mercy, not sacrifice." ~Hosea 6:6~<

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

~Matthew 5:8~

>How are we made pure in heart? This was already answered in the first beatitude. We must be poor in spirit, and receive the kingdom of God, in order to be made pure in heart. We as humans are sinful, and our nature is the complete opposite of pure. THerefore, the less of our spirit is in the equation, and the more of God's Holy Spirit, the more pure he will make us.<

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God."

~Matthew 5:9~

>Peace means that there is no strife. What better way to eliminate strife than to let go of our opinions on petty matters and set aside our egos? The vision God has for his children is unity. Again, the less there is of us in the equation, the more peace.<

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

~Matthew 5:10~

>Not everyone will respond positively to peace and mercy, because sometimes what's best for someone requires us to open their eyes to see things in their life that are bringing death and separation from God. Certainly this will cause them to reject you at least, and to flat out persecute you at most. But what a blessing that truly is, because it means you are truly doing God's will!

Both the poor in spirit and those who are persecuted have the same blessing: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. If we aren't being persecuted, then we are still trying to hold onto our own spirit and not letting go completely to God.<

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 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 5:11-12~

>We aren't poor in spirit because we are downcast, we're poor in spirit because we live for Christ! Poor means we lack our own spirit. We don't become discouraged because of persecution in Christ's name, we rejoice because of it. That means we are doing as Christ instructed.Persecution is a sign of living our life for Jesus.<

The beatitudes should never be about the blessing side of things. As children of God, we are blessed! Instead, one should look at the beatitudes as a means of becoming one with Christ, and allowing his Spirit to work freely in our lives without hindrance. Right after these verses, Jesus instructs us to be lights of the world. If we are letting Jesus truly take control of our lives, then it should be evident to all, and that comes by loving others more than ourselves, just like Christ Jesus did.