Blessed Are The Meek

 

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

    The Amplified Bible states it like this:

  Blessed [inwardly peaceful, spiritually secure, worthy of respect] are the gentle [the kind-hearted, the sweet-spirited, the self-controlled], for they will inherit the earth.

BLESSED

    Here, blessed means more than happy. We are peaceful for we have the peace of Christ living within us. We are spiritually secure for we have Eternal Life through Jesus Christ, Who loves us and died for us. We are worthy of respect because of our faith in God through The Name of His Only Begotten Son. 

    Our blessing comes from God and because of this we are persecuted by anyone who is not of God. Though our persecutors rail against us by their words and their actions, we are still blessed of God when we allow Him to have the victory. We choose to let Him fight our battles for us by praying for those who come against us, by speaking The Word of Life over them and to them in the love of God Which is alive in our hearts and minds. 

ARE THE MEEK

    With Christ Jesus as our example, we are gentle, for He is gentle.

    Matthew 11:29

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

    Philippians 2:5-8

5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:  

6. Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 

7. but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.

8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

    We are self-controlled, for we have His Holy Spirit teaching us how to be so and speak so, following Christ's example for us.

    Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

    1 Peter 2:23

When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

    It is difficult at times to not want to brashly respond to someone who is unjustly coming against us, even in our own homes [Psalm 38:12-15]. Our feelings get hurt; we are gaslit by a loved one; we are abused or slandered. Yet, as Christ's beloved we must maintain a gentle heart, if we are to advance God's directive in this world. For we must remember, this world in which we live is not our home.

    Hebrews 11:13

All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

    1 Peter 2:11,12

11. Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.

12. Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles (the unbelieving} that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.

    We need God's Holy Spirit in us that He may instill within our hearts and minds His precious fruit: Galatians 5:22,23 "Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Temperance."

    These are not just attributes of the believer, they are blessings from God The Father upon His chosen people [1 Peter 2:9], His flock [John 10:27]. 

    Love: Agape-"a holy, self‐giving disposition that originates in God, is displayed perfectly in Jesus Christ, and is implanted in believers by the Holy Spirit" [John 13:34]

    Joy: Chara-" the settled, Spirit-given delight that arises from the redemptive acts and abiding presence of God" [Nehemiah 8:10]

    Peace: Eiréné- "it is the positive, covenantal state that flows from God’s redemptive work in Christ and is applied by The Holy Spirit to individuals and communities" [Ephesians 2:14]

    Patience: Makrothumia- "a God-centered restraint that endures provocation without surrendering to resentment or retaliation. .. A purposeful waiting that preserves righteousness and seeks the good of others. .. Spirit-empowered resilience" [Colossians 1:11]

    Kindness: Chréstotés- "the Spirit-produced goodness which meets the need and avoids human harshness; meeting real needs, in God's way, in His timing. A supernatural product of regeneration. " [Titus 3:4,5; Romans 2:4]

     Goodness: Agathosune- "the goodness that comes from God; spiritual, moral excellence:  virtue actively expressed in generosity and righteous initiative toward others. Moral integrity" [Ephesians 5:8,9; 2 Thessalonians 1:11,12]

    Faithfulness: Pistis- "reliance upon Christ for salvation; being daily filled by God with additional faith to accomplish His purposes" [Romans 12:2,3; Ephesians 2:8,9; Hebrews 11:1] 

    Gentleness: Prautés- "meekness, humility; begins with The Lord's inspiration and finishes by His direction and empowerment. It is a divinely-balanced virtue that can only operate through faith: inner strength under Holy Spirit control" [Isaiah 42:2; Galatians 6:1; 1 Peter 3:15,16]

    Temperance: Egkrateia- "proceeding out from within oneself, but not by oneself; the Spirit-enabled mastery of desires, impulses, and habits so that they serve rather than rule the believer." [Romans 12]

THEY INHERIT THE EARTH

    Not this world, this earth, but the new earth which God will create after His purposes have been accomplished on this earth. 

    Romans 4:13

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

    Isaiah 57:13

When you cry out, let your companies (idolatrous heaps) deliver you; but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them: but he that puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain.

    Isaiah 65:17

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

    Revelation 21:1

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

    And, as Peter reminds us, the believers, in 2 Peter 3, there is coming a day when all of this earth and all of her skies and seas will disappear. With this announcement comes a warning to all, believer and unbeliever alike: God is Judge and will judge all on a day that is yet to be declared. [2 Peter 3:1-7]

    We must endeavor to maintain our relationship with God through Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit. The days in which we live now, though hard days, are more comfortable to us than the days we have yet to live, which will be nearly insufferable; yet suffer we will. Through it all, we are to keep hold of our faith and live holy and godly lives. [2 Peter 3:8-13]

    And he wraps it all up neatly [2 Peter 3:14-18] by exhorting, encouraging, the church of believers to (1) Be found at peace {spotless, blameless}; (2) Remember the Lord's patience which leads to salvation; (3) Be on our guard against false doctrines; (4) Grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

    Let this same exhortation be to us, as well. Let us be seen as "the blessed of The Lord God". Let us be known as meek in every aspect of the word. Let us be longing for our mansions which The Lord is preparing for us. 

    Let us work together in unity of The Spirit and the freedom thereof that the will of God be accomplished through our actions. Let us express our hope and our yearning for that day in which we will be reunited with our Groom. And let us take as many of our family and friends, strangers and enemies, as we can, with us. For all have been invited. The invitation has gone out and The Groom and The Father are waiting for a response.

    Come to Jesus and Live.  

    

    

    

    

    

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

    Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    The poor in spirit have good company. God tells us in Isaiah 57:15 "For thus says The One who is high and lifted up, Who inhabits eternity, Whose Name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite." 

    God dwells (lives) with the humble in spirit. He restores the spirit of the lowly. He revives the heart of the contrite. Don't you want God to say that about you? I know I do. The humble in spirit are the poor in spirit. We know we lack what we need (a Savior) and we know we can't obtain it for ourselves (salvation). 

    The poor in spirit are also 'the humble in spirit'. We are contrite in our hearts: we know we have sinned and we repent of our wicked ways against God: our evil thoughts, the iniquity in our lives, the transgressions against His Word. We recognize that only God can forgive us for the sins we have committed against Him, so we come to God with humble hearts, seek His face, beg His mercy. And God FORGIVES us! Such Love God has for the seeker, the one who never knew Him until now! Amazing Love God has for the prodigal, the one who used to know Him, left, and has now returned to be embraced by a loving, forgiving Father! 

    Though salvation is freely given to us, it cost Jesus Christ His life: His whole life. Being nailed to a cross was the end of His earthly life, but it wasn't the first time He was come against in His earthly life. From the time He began His ministry of preaching the gospel of salvation through repentance, His words stung the hearts of the many thousands who heard Him speak. And not all of them received His authority to speak in such a manner. 

    The religious rulers of His day conspired with one of His friends to betray Him, someone Jesus chose to surround Himself with. At any point after the betrayal, Judas could have repented and been forgiven. After all, he had been traveling with Jesus for three years, he had heard the gospel message of repentance shared many times over. But he never believed it, so he could not receive it. 

    I believe it and I have received it. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. Therefore, I have received Him into my heart and given Him my life, my whole life. I believe that Jesus Christ is God's Only Begotten Son, that He died on the cross in my place, taking the punishment for my sins. I believe that Jesus overcame death, conquering hell and the grave, when He walked out of the tomb and into a new, resurrected body. 

    I believe that one day I will see my Savior after death takes my body or in the day God sends Him to gather the church home with Him. Whether by way of the grave or way of the air, I'm getting ready to meet Jesus and remain with Him permanently. Are you going with me? It would be lovely if we could go together. 

    James 2:5

Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? 

    We are the poor of this world. You know why? This world is not our home. Therefore, nothing we have in this world is really ours: it's borrowed, loaned out to us for our temporary use. Even this flesh draped across our skeletons and muscles is temporary: we won't need it where we're going. 

    New bodies await us: new spiritual bodies. Here, we worship Him Whose handiwork we see. There, we will worship Him Whose face we will see. Here, we congregate to praise Him, hear His Word and be changed by His Word. There, we will join the great congregation of witnesses and angels to praise Him, hear Him speak and be completed in Him. 

    As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." [1 Corinthians 13:12]. 

    2 Corinthians 3:18

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of The Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from The Lord, Who is The Spirit.

    I saw a post that said, "I'm proud to be a Christian." Let me tell you now, that if there is pride in your heart for anything of the sort, get rid of it. That type of post takes glory away from God. The only reason we are Christians is because we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord: in our hearts, in our thoughts, in our lives. 

    That is nothing to be proud of. It is, however, something to be humbled by. The kingdom of heaven is mine because I believe that God sent His Only Begotten Son to give me eternal life. [John 3:16].

Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit - Bessie Griffin

    

    

Blessed Are The Righteous - Psalm 1:1

 

Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers.

WALKING WITH THE WICKED

    The wicked are themselves deceived and seek only to deceive others, including the righteous, if possible. 

    Proverbs 12:5

The plans of the righteous are just, but the counsel of the wicked leads to deceit.

    Ephesians 5:11

Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

THE WAY Of SINNERS - Proverbs 2:12-17

    The way of sinners is the way of evil, and therefore, it is not The Way of the righteous. The evildoer lies and has a hypocritical tongue. The evildoer enjoys evil and takes great pleasure in it. Their path is not strait, and their words are perverse. The prostitute and the adulterer tempt and seduce. Their ways are traps and snares for the unwise, the unsuspecting.  

THE COMPANY OF MOCKERS

    A mocker is a person who derides The Truth of God's Word. The mocker is scornful of righteous ways. Intolerance and hate spew from the mocker's mouth. Pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness rise up in their hearts and violence perpetrates harm and death to the target of their derision. 

    To keep company with such is to keep company with death and destruction. This, too, is not The Way of the righteous. Contempt drips from their lips. Rebellion against The Authority of God has taken up residence in their hearts. Of such the believer is not to align themselves with, for they are corrupt and divisive. 

    The mockers persecute, torment, are scornful of, belittle, and ridicule the righteous. To mock is to lampoon, scoff, jibe, jeer, sneer. It is intended to dissuade the righteous from The Way by speaking words which could torment the mind and cause the weary heart to be discontent, fearful and doubting. 

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE WISE

    But the faithful, righteous, born-again believer who is filled with The Word of God daily and listens to God's Holy Spirit, The Voice of Wisdom, will not be so easily dissuaded, nor overcome by the evildoers, the workers of iniquity, of this world. The righteous are blessed by their God because they walk in His Way of Holiness, in The Path of Righteousness. 

    Psalm 40:4 - The righteous trust in The Lord. They listen not to the prideful, nor to the liars

    Psalm 112:1 - The righteous fear The Lord and greatly delight in His commandments

    Proverbs 3:13 - The righteous find wisdom and acquire understanding

    Proverbs 12:5; 16:3 - The plans of the righteous are just

    Proverbs 11:30; Daniel 12:3; James 5:19, 20; Jude 1:22, 23 - The righteous win souls to The Lord 

BLESSED ARE THE RIGHTEOUS - A Few Scriptural References of Such:

    Matthew 5:3-11 - Be Attitudes

    Psalm 144:15 - Who Choose The Lord

    Psalm 128:1 - Who Fear The Lord & Walk in His Ways

    James 1:12 - Who Perseveres Under Trial

    1 Peter 3:14 - Who Suffer For What Is Right

    Luke 11:28 - Who Hear The Word & Obey It

    Romans 4:7, 8 - Whose Sins Are Covered & Forgiven 

            And, ultimately,

    Revelation 19:9 - Who Are Invited To The Marriage Supper of The Lamb

    

    

    

Blessed Are The Merciful

 

    Matthew 5:7

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

    HOW DO WE SHOW MERCY?

Share The Living Water of Life with Them

(that they may drink and be satisfied)

    Proverbs 11:25

A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Forgive The People Who Have Done Us Wrong

(regardless of how many times they do so)

    Matthew 6:14

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Honor Each Other With Genuine Affection

(not because you have to but because you want to)

Romans 12:10

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

    These are just a few verses on showing Mercy to others. Which ones can you think of?

Blessed Are They That Hunger & Thirst After Righteousness

 

    Matthew 5:6

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

THE SEEKERS HEART

    Psalm 63:1

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, Thou are my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh longs for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.

    Psalm 107:9

For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

    Psalm 84:2

My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

EAT WHAT I'M GIVEN

    Bread of Heaven for the hungry. Living Water for the thirsty. Wine for the aching and sorrowful. Word tastes like Honey. 

    Jeremiah 15:16

Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words became my joy and my heart’s delight. For I bear Your name, O LORD God of Hosts.

    Psalm 119:103

How sweet are Your words to my taste--sweeter than honey in my mouth!

    Ezekiel 2:8

"And you, son of man, listen to what I tell you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I give you."

    Job 23:12

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

    Proverbs 30:8

Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.

    Psalm 16:5

The LORD is My Chosen Portion and My Cup; You have made my lot secure.

Blessed Are They That Mourn

 

    Matthew 5:4

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3996

MOURN: properly, grieve over a death; (figuratively) to grieve over a personal hope (relationship) that dies, i.e. comes to divine closure ("ends"). ("Mourn over a death") refers to "manifested grief" so severe it takes possession of a person and cannot be hid.

   In John 16:16-33 Jesus is speaking to His disciples regarding His imminent death, resurrection, ascension, and return. Which, of course, they understood none of. 

    Many would rejoice over Christ's murder. For murder it was. He was too controversial to be allowed to live, so the local religious higher-ups conspired to kill Him. Matthew 26:2-3. 

    Then His disciples, His followers, would be mourning their loss while they who had conspired to kill Jesus would be rejoicing in His death, believing their problems to be over. 

    Upon Christ's resurrection, the disciples would rejoice; the murderers and they that condoned the mock trial and crucifixion would fear. When Christ left Earth to return to His Father, the disciples again rejoiced. 

    The Jewish religious leaders spread lies about Jesus while the disciples spread the Truth. As it was then so it is today. 

    For nearly 2000 years the faithful followers of Christ have preached the return of the King of Kings. The closer the time for His return the louder the earth groans and the world endeavors to destroy those who speak the Truth of the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ. 

    We read in Revelation that when the two witnesses are killed, the people partied for three days. But then. Revelation 11:1-14. 

    When all is said and done as The Word has revealed it to us, they who came against God and His Son and His people will be no more. The world will no longer exist and a new earth will take its place. Revelation 21. 

    Until that time happens we who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior will continue to proclaim the Good, Good News. Come to Jesus. Come and be filled with The Bread of Life. Come and quench your thirst with the Living Water. Come and be empowered with The Holy Spirit, for The Spirit calls to you, too. Come and be loved by God. 

    Revelation 22:17

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

LEARNING TO BE LOVED BY YOU

Blessed Are The Poor in Spirit

 

    Matthew 5:3

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

    What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It means to be humble before God. To be poor in spirit is to live our lives in humbled obedience to God. If you think it is beneath you to humble yourself or that it is impossible to deliberately think less of yourself, then, my friend, you need help. And that Help is The Holy Spirit. 

    We are hearing God speak to us when we read in His Word how to humble ourselves to His will. We have our example in Christ.

    Philippians 2:8 tells us that "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross." 

    To humble ourselves is to not rebel against God's Word which we have heard. Isaiah 50:5 "The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back."

    To humble ourselves is to focus on Christ and not on ourselves. We can cry "Woe is me!" and draw attention to ourselves or we can shout "Glory Hallelujah! Jesus leadeth me!" Hebrews 12:2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

    To humble ourselves is to surrender what we want for what God wants. Jeremiah 4:4 "“Circumcise (dedicate, sanctify) yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskin [sins] of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire [consuming all that gets in its way] And burn and there will be no one to quench it, Because of the evil of your acts.”

    To humble ourselves is to purposely decrease our say-so and let God say thus and thus. John 3:30 " He must increase, but I must decrease."

    To humble ourselves is to give God the glory and not take credit for anything He says and does. Ever. Who found the perfect outfit for you to wear? God. Who showed you which tool to use for which project? God. Who reveals Himself in nature? God. Every question can be answered for God is the solution. 

    When Christ humbled Himself, He surrendered to God's Will and submitted Himself to God's Purpose and Plan. It was a battle (Luke 22:) but The Spirit was with Him and He was able to overcome the flesh part of Him that He might fulfill God's Plan of Salvation for His people. Luke 22:42  “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

    To be poor in spirit is to intentionally honor God in our daily lives, bringing our self-desires into alignment with His desires for us. Only then will be blessed (to be envied because of God's benefits on us). 

     Are you ready to be "poor in spirit"?