Archive for May, 2006

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

A few days ago we read in Ezekiel that God gives us a new heart when we are saved. Our lives have been transformed , the veil has been lifted, our eyes and ears opened. We may still be sinful but we can see God and what hope is that to us!

As a continual process we need to look at our hearts and remove the sin and be made purer by the Holy Spirit so we can see God clearer and clearer every day!

Lord wash us clean, make our hearts pure so that we can truly see your goodness, holiness and love!

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

God has extended His mercy to us, if we receive it, we are then able to show mercy to others. The depth to which we as Christians can show mercy to others is and will be far deeper than those who have not experienced God’s mercy.

Are you extending God’s mercy to others?

Remember that we do not show mercy to receive mercy, we show mercy because we ourselves were shown mercy.

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

Having a God shaped hole in us means that before God fills it we hunger and thirst for something more and have this unsatisfied , unfulfilled feeling. That feeling, once we give our lives to God and he fills that hole, I think then turns into this hunger and thirst for righteousness, God redirects it. We now want to know more about God, Jesus, spiritual truths and so on. The good news is we will be filled! With love, understanding, truth, blessing, victory and so much more! How exciting!

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

This one refers also to being humble and promises us that we can experience God’s Kingdom on earth as well as knowing we have a place in heaven. Remember from a few months before that God’s kingdom is both a place in heaven and here on earth in his people here.

Lord, help me to be both excited about heaven, but also realize that through me you bring Your Kingdom to the earth as well. That I am a citizen of that Kingdom and an ambassador for it.

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

If you can truly repent of sin in your life and mourn for the effect it has on your life, others and God, you will be comforted.

As you mourn for the loss of people in your life, take heart that God is compassionate and loving and will comfort you.

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

The opposite of poor in spirit would be proud, arrogant, conceited, self-righteous in spirit. So those who have been humbled by the grace and love of God and so depend on God alone in their lives will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Ask God to show you if your character still has some areas of pride.

Lord, help us to become poor in Spirit, to wear the cloak of humility everyday.

Matthew 5:1-12:

‘Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.”

Meditate on these words today.

Chambers’s Etymological Dictionary:

Bless: to invoke a blessing upon; to make joyous, happy, or prosperous; to wish happiness to; to praise or glorify.

Blessing: a wish or prayer for happiness or success; any means or cause of happiness.

Oxford School Dictionary:

Bless: make sacred or holy; bring God’s favour on a person or thing.

Blessing: a prayer that blesses a person or thing; being blessed; something that people are glad of.

The Liberty University Bible Commentary says this about Blessed:

“Blessed means ‘happy’. This is a basic description of the believer’s inner condition as a result of the work of God.”

Why don’t you make your own definition of what ‘blessed’ means to you?

Lord, thank you that in knowing You, and that You are working in me, that I can receive and have so many causes of happiness. I pray also that I can be something that people are glad of and bring God’s favour to those around me and the things I do.

‘This is the covenant: I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their hearts will I write it.’ _{Jeremiah 31:33}

‘I will put My fear in their hearts, and they will not depart from me.’ _{Jeremiah 32:40}

‘From all your filthiness will I cleanse you, and I will give you a new heart, and I will put My spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments to do them.’ _{Ezekiel 36:25,27}

By receiving God’s Holy Spirit we receive in our spirits God’s law, fear of the Lord and a new heart. All this so we will know and keep God’s law, walk in His will and Never depart from Him. How awesome and blessed are we to have such a helper in our journey as the Holy Spirit! It’s so encouraging knowing that as long as we are sensitive the Spirit within us and obey we will do God’s will and not move away from God.

Lord, thank you for giving us Your Holy Spirit so that we may live the life You have called us to live!

‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’ _{2 Corinthians 5:17}

Before we can go forward we must understand that to be truly blessed by God and be able to stand firm on His promises we must be a new creation in Christ!

Christ died to give us life, abundant life (John 10 :10)

Only once we are crucified with Christ and lay our lives at the cross can we enter into our resurrected life with Christ.

Lord Jesus, I lay my life down at the foot of your cross. Thank you that by losing my life for You I find it fully in You.

God’s Best Secrets: 366 Devotions, Andrew Murray