Matt 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. In a time of revolution and upheaval, and following possibly the most violent century on record, it seems almost laughable that there could possibly any real hope of bringing peace into the world. Yet Jesus seems to think that there are …
Category: The Beatitudes
Blessed are the Merciful: The Irony of Angry Christians
Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. I continue to be perplexed at the anger and rejection that so many Christians heap on people whose sin is obvious and public. What befuddles me is that this is about as far from doing what Jesus did as you can get. I look …
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Blessed are the Pure in Heart
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. I have wondered why this is my least favorite of the Beatitudes that Jesus spoke. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it has a lot to do with the fact that of the group this is the …
Blessed are Those Who Hunger and Thirst
What do you long for, yearn for, lay awake at night dreaming about? What do you hunger for? Much of what we yearn and hunger for never becomes reality. When I was a kid I desperately wanted to go to the moon. I could have told you everything about the space program, including every man …
Blessed are the Meek
"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth" Matthew 5:5 Being meek is not a value in western culture in the 21st century. It is not a character trait that parents try to instill in their children. Yet Jesus holds up meekness as a character trait that is to be valued and the …
Blessed are Those Who Mourn
So in the first Beatitude Jesus tells us we are spiritually bankrupt. Okay so now what do you do with that? Simple: You mourn. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4 Jesus said that those who recognize that they are "poor in Spirit", what I called spiritually bankrupt, will in …
Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. " I am not religious but I am spiritual". If only I had a dollar for every time I have heard that phrase. It has become the new mantra. People who have or want no affiliation with any organized religious group …
Dan Lacich: Provocative Christian Living 