Today's passage is Matthew 5:1-12.
Leaving the crowds, Jesus goes to a mountain top and when his disciples join him, he tells them the eight beatitudes plus one about being blessed if they are persecuted because of him.
Jesus states that eight conditions of being are blessed because of what they mean spiritually.
For example, if I show mercy to someone, then I will be shown mercy, and this giving and receiving of mercy means that God blesses me.
Using the eight blessings as a measurement, I looked at myself.
Am I poor in spirit?
Yes. Because I once lost everything in my life and God showed me that he was more than enough for me, my attitude towards wordly wealth changed.
Even though God has given me more than I ever had, I remain that poor man with nothing but God.
That's what I understand as "poor in spirit."
Do I mourn? Yes. Dead father, friends, wife.
Am I meek? A thousand times no.
Do I hunger and thirst for righteousness? Sometimes.
Am I merciful? Sometimes.
My repentance over expelling a boy and reversing my decision is an example of mercy.
Not being merciful to my brother in law who broke my vacuum cleaner by being careless is an opposite example.
Am I pure in heart? No, not even close.
Am I a peacemaker? Sometimes because it's part of my job.
Am I persecuted because of righteousness? No.
Do people say bad things about me because of my faith in Jesus? Sometimes.
A recent example is one of my staff's comments against reinstating an expelled boy.
My score: No--3, Sometimes--4, Yes--2
Application: to show mercy to my brother in law over the broken vacuum cleaner, confessing my anger and forgiving him.
#65279;
