The Beatitudes

The Beatitudes is the beginning of one of Jesus' great sermons. It is a sermon geared toward letting people know what God's promises are.

1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 5:3.
To me this means the humble in spirit; not the prideful heart. When our hearts are full of pride we can see no further than ourselves, we exclude everyone else. I believe Jesus was telling us that we must have a humble spirit, a serving heart, a heart filled with love of God. In this way we will be able to enter the kingdom of Heaven.

2) Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4
To mourn is to feel or express grief or sorrow. We will always have times of sadness in our lives, but we can be assured that God is always right there with us. He can comfort all sadness and sorrow.

3) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5
Jesus has promised us that we shall inherit the earth on His return. Being meek is a way for us to give glory to God and not ourselves. Being meek means putting others before ourselves, being still and quiet, no blustering into all situations. The world rewards aggressiveness which is the opposite of meekness. We must strive to conform not to the world's standards, but to those Jesus has given us.

4) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6
As our bodies need nourishment to survive, so does our soul. Jesus tells us in this verse that those whose souls hunger and thirst for righteousness shall find it. We need to feed our souls with Jesus' teachings to slake that hunger. And we are promised that as we seek this path to righteousness, we will find it.

5) Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7.
Mercy means empathy for another coupled with the desire to help alleviate the cause of the misery. God has shown us His everlasting mercy for us in giving us His Son Jesus, to die for our sins. We are to also show mercy to others, empathy for their situations, and attempt to help them.

6) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8.
The pure in heart is a heart free from worldly cravings. It has no hidden agenda to increase its importance in the eyes of men. A pure heart is giving, humble, unselfish. We must seek to cleanse ourselves of the selfishness in our hearts. We will then be able to seek God and one day see Him.

7) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Sons of God. Matthew 5:9.
Peacemakers are those who help calm the waters of life. We should seek to show the world that God brings peace and desires all men to live in peace. As we strive to live a holy life and demonstrate in our actions God's commandments to others we will help to further the Kingdom. We will be truly Sons of God.

8) Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10.
Jesus has never promised us that as believers we will walk an easy path. As a matter of fact, He has told us will will have trials and will be persecuted for following Him. We must remain firm in our faith. I think it is particularly important in this day and age that we no compromise our faith to make our walk easier. Too much compromise leads to denying Jesus. We must stand firm, even in the face of laughter, mocking or even more serious persecution. We will inherit the kingdom of heaven.

After looking at each of the attributes in depth which ones do you feel are your strengths?
My strengths: I feel that I am a peacemaker in that I have always wanted people to get along and I will try to mediate between people to achieve that goal. I try to live in a quiet manner, which reflects the peace in my heart of Jesus. As a nurse I also feel that mercy is a gift God has given me. I can emphasize with others and always want to act to relieve their hurts.

Which ones are your weaknesses?
My weaknesses: I am not always meek. I am very strong-willed and can also be aggressive with my opinions. This is certainly something I need prayer for and to work diligently on. I also have problems with pride in my worldly accomplishments.

Prayer
Father, thank you so much for giving us Your Son Jesus and His teachings which show us Your will for our lives. Please help me to take each and every one of them to heart. Show me my weaknesses and help to guide me in overcoming them. Watch over me and instruct me in the ways of Your heart. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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