1One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him,2and he began to teach them.The Beatitudes
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5God blesses those who are humble,
for they will inherit the whole earth.
6God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
for they will be satisfied.
7God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
for they will see God.
9God blesses those who work for peace,
for they will be called the children of God.
10God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right,
for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.12Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
Look at the type of people the Lord blesses. Are they the people this world admires or considers blessed? Are they the type of people we really want to be? Poor, mourning, persecuted?
Lets all take some time with these and please comment on which hit home with you. Or perhaps they will all call you to prayer when you think about it. Share your prayers with us all. Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*
I love the beatitudes because they give us such a rich source for choosing how to live. Someone once called the, the “BE” attitudes, which also hit home. This is how God wants us to live — to choose to be meek and pure of heart. To choose to mourn for our own losses/sadnesses and those of others. To choose to be poor in spirit and know our need for God. He calls us to live in these ways which are not society’s ways, but which will make us happy and able to experience the kingdom of God!! I love the way each begins with “Blessed” – that is a rich word.
Dear heavenly Father, I thank you immensely for my abundant blessings! Help me to live according to your beatitudes – to be merciful, a peacemaker, a simple person who knows the need for God. Help me not to be proud, but meek! I know living your way will make me happy, but there are many temptations in our world to enjoy power or to judge others or to handle things on our own! Help me to “BE” a person with the right attitudes, and always call me back to those so I can receive your blesings!!
below is a quote from http://www.jesuschristsavior.net This website has a very good explanation of each of the Beatitudes for those who who would like to contemplate more on these great gifts that our Lord has given each of us.
“Jesus Christ gave us the eight Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded for all posterity in the Gospel of Matthew, the first Book of the New Testament of the Bible. Matthew’s Gospel is directed to an audience steeped in Hebrew tradition. The Gospel of Matthew stressed that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold in Hebrew Scripture, our Old Testament, and that the Kingdom of the Messiah is the Kingdom of God in Heaven. Jesus offers us a way of life that promises eternity in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The teachings of Christ Jesus were simple but unique and innovative at the time of his life on earth. He began teaching about 30 AD during the ruthless Roman occupation of Palestine. At the time there were four major groups in the Jewish religion, the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and the Zealots, all of whom presented a different viewpoint to the Jewish people. The Pharisees demanded strict observance of the Mosaic law expressed in the Torah, but also accepted the oral tradition of Jewish customs and rituals. The Sadducees were mainly from the priestly families and strictly accepted the Law of Moses but rejected oral tradition. The Pharisees, unlike the Sadducees, believed in the resurrection of the dead. The monastic Essenes awaited a Messiah that would establish a Kingdom on earth and free the Israelites from oppression. The Zealots were a militant Jewish group who wanted freedom for their homeland, and were centered in Galilee; one of the Twelve Apostles was Simon the Zealot.
The Ten Commandments, given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the Old Testament Book of Exodus, relates a series of “Thou shalt nots,” evils one must avoid in daily life on earth.
In contrast, the message of Jesus was one of humility, charity, and brotherly love. He taught transformation of the inner person. Jesus presents the Beatitudes in a positive sense, virtues in life which will ultimately lead to reward. Love becomes the motivation for the Christian. All of the Beatitudes have an eschatological meaning, that is, they promise us salvation – not in this world, but in the next. The Beatitudes initiate one of the main themes of Matthew’s Gospel, that the Kingdom so long awaited in the Old Testament is not of this world, but of the next, the Kingdom of Heaven.
While the Beatitudes of Jesus provide a way of life that promises salvation, they also provide peace in the midst of our trials and tribulations on this earth. “
God blesses those who know that they need Him. Who when facing a difficult time run to our Lord with open arms and welcome His guidance and mercy and love. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted – this Beatitude especially speaks to me. When I am mourning from the battles that I fight in my head daily, I can know with all certainty that I am not alone. That God will bless me with His comfort and I am able to move forward.
Blessed are those who mourn. For me, this has always meant that people who are truly sorrowed over their sins. We all know there are different levels of sorrow for doing wrong. The most common in my life is being sorry because I got caught. That isn’t what this means. I have had moments when I realized the holiness of God and saw my own sins, the secret ones no one know about, and was so sorry I cried and cried and cried. That type of sorrow is a gift from God. I hope he blesses me with that sorrow again some day.
Blessed are the spiritually poor. Lord, my need for you is so immense and I so seldom recognize it. I so often think I can handle this problem or that. I so often think I understand Your ways and Your Word, when in reality, though You have blessed me, I am so far from where I need to be. I am totally and completely dependant on Your love, mercy, guidance and wisdom. Open my eyes and heart to my own poverty so I can come to You and receive the blessing that is You.