“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted! Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth! Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be completely satisfied! Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy! Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God! Blessed are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God! Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Blessed are YOU when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account. Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great, for in this same way people persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:3-12)
These verses are called the “Beatitudes” that Jesus taught on mountain to all the people. To this day this mountain is called “The Mount of the Beatitudes.” In Israel today, it is a beautiful place that still has the peace of Jesus permeating it. When I was there, I didn’t want to leave it! His presence and peace are still felt there.
In the Amplified Bible, it breaks down the word “blessed” into wonderful words of encouragement for us! Let’s look at the word “blessed.” Here are the different descriptions of the blessings that Jesus spoke over the people who love God:
TO BE ENVIED
LIFE-JOY AND SATISFACTION IN GOD’S FAVOR
To be blessed of God means:
- God’s favor and salvation, regardless of the outward conditions
- The experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace.
- The state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation.
Wow! God goes all the way when He blesses us! This one word packs a lot into it. The blessings are freely given based on the conditions being met. That’s the caveat. These blessings belong to the children of God–those who are pursuing God in a relationship through Jesus Christ. What does this pursuit entail? Let’s look.
- The poor in spirit: the humble, who rate themselves insignificant.
- Those who mourn
- The meek: the mild, patient, long-suffering
- Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: uprightness and right standing with God.
- The merciful
- The pure in heart
- The makers and maintainers of peace
- Those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for being and doing right.
- Are YOU when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you on My (Jesus) account.
All of these conditions are the result of a pursuit of a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ. The Bible says that He is ready to open the windows of heaven and pour out BLESSINGS on us, pressed down, shaken together and running over. That is how abundant our God is! Everything written in the Bible points to one thing: A personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ and the work He did on the Cross.
There is so much that God has available to us if we choose to pursue it. Through the Cross, He has truly prepared a table before us in the presence of our enemy! Jesus opened the door…walk through it and start pursuing Him–and be BLESSED!