For They Shall Be Called Sons of God.
We all know people who can smooth over any problems between opposing individuals or groups. These marvelous people qualify as peacemakers. They are gifted by the Holy Spirit with virtues of tact, patience and wisdom. Have we seen any peacemakers?
President Jimmy Carter attempted to work with two Middle Eastern nations to help those nations achieve peace. He later won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger shared the award with Le Duc Tho in 1973. Mother Teresa was presented with the award in 1979.
Jesus is our peacemaker. He sees our needs, takes our requests and forms them into what He wants for us. He then returns those circumstances that concerned us in a form that gives us peace. We see things differently after we have asked the Lord to take over.
The blessing God gives those who work at making peace between others around them is God claiming them as His own.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Blessed Are The Pure In Heart. . .
For They Will See God.
Pure- uncontaminated, not containing any mix of evil.
Heart- one’s inner being.
Purity of heart--transparency--authenticity, no matter what we call it, is by and large a rarity in the world today.
If we have bent the rules to our advantage, looked the other way when a disservice has been done to another and encouraged those behaviors, we will be surprised when we are called to account for how we managed our lives. We see the Golden Rule fractured in our 21st Century society. As I originally wrote this, one of our President’s nominees chose to withdraw from the process due to his oversight in conducting his personal business. A lot of Americans were angry about discovering he had neglected to perform a task basic to our way of life. While we were appalled when the error came to light, we know he did the right thing in withdrawing his name.
For those of us who keep their inner being uncontaminated by the world, a promise is made to them. They will see God.
Pure- uncontaminated, not containing any mix of evil.
Heart- one’s inner being.
Purity of heart--transparency--authenticity, no matter what we call it, is by and large a rarity in the world today.
If we have bent the rules to our advantage, looked the other way when a disservice has been done to another and encouraged those behaviors, we will be surprised when we are called to account for how we managed our lives. We see the Golden Rule fractured in our 21st Century society. As I originally wrote this, one of our President’s nominees chose to withdraw from the process due to his oversight in conducting his personal business. A lot of Americans were angry about discovering he had neglected to perform a task basic to our way of life. While we were appalled when the error came to light, we know he did the right thing in withdrawing his name.
For those of us who keep their inner being uncontaminated by the world, a promise is made to them. They will see God.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Blessed Are The Merciful. . .
For They Will Be Shown Mercy
We don’t always practice extending mercy to our neighbors, friends and family members. In the 21st Century we want those who hurt us to suffer the gravest consequences. We want them to go through the worst punishment possible.
Jesus, our Lord, taught us that, if we have compassion in dealing with others, we will receive compassion. Could it be that we will receive compassion from our God and also from our fellow man while we are still here on earth. We, as societies, have a lot to learn and then repent of.
Jesus looked onto the crowd of 5,000 in Mark 6:34 and had compassion on them. He preached to them. Then he fed them. In Mark 8:2 he told his disciples about the 4,000 having been with Him for three days with nothing to eat.. He also told the disciples he had compassion on them because of this.
Sometimes all we need to see who needs our mercy and compassion are the eyes of Jesus.
We don’t always practice extending mercy to our neighbors, friends and family members. In the 21st Century we want those who hurt us to suffer the gravest consequences. We want them to go through the worst punishment possible.
Jesus, our Lord, taught us that, if we have compassion in dealing with others, we will receive compassion. Could it be that we will receive compassion from our God and also from our fellow man while we are still here on earth. We, as societies, have a lot to learn and then repent of.
Jesus looked onto the crowd of 5,000 in Mark 6:34 and had compassion on them. He preached to them. Then he fed them. In Mark 8:2 he told his disciples about the 4,000 having been with Him for three days with nothing to eat.. He also told the disciples he had compassion on them because of this.
Sometimes all we need to see who needs our mercy and compassion are the eyes of Jesus.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst After Righteousness
. . .For They Shall Be Filled.
We live in a fallen world--one where evil seems to have the upper hand. When we read our daily newspapers we see the extent of man’s inhumanity to man. We wonder why these hideous things happen. Then someone reminds us of how we, as a people, have forgotten God.
As God’s children, we want to live as He wants us to. God notices when our desire for right living is as strong as our thirst on a hot summer’s day or a hunger when we haven’t eaten for an extended time. When we have a strong longing for what God wants in our lives and the world around us, we strive to get closer to Him by praying , by reading and studying the Word.
We live in a fallen world--one where evil seems to have the upper hand. When we read our daily newspapers we see the extent of man’s inhumanity to man. We wonder why these hideous things happen. Then someone reminds us of how we, as a people, have forgotten God.
As God’s children, we want to live as He wants us to. God notices when our desire for right living is as strong as our thirst on a hot summer’s day or a hunger when we haven’t eaten for an extended time. When we have a strong longing for what God wants in our lives and the world around us, we strive to get closer to Him by praying , by reading and studying the Word.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Blessed Are The Meek
For They Shall Inherit The Earth.
Who are the meek? Is it possible to see meekness modeled in the21st Century world?
Meekness as defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary, means patience, mildness, not showing anger, or very humble in one’s feelings, actions, etc. The Guideposts concordance defines meek as patient, steadfast, or not harboring resentment.
Do we know people who seem to always let thing roll off their backs---they don’t retaliate or even grumble when faced with harsh circumstances. They don’t respond to anything derogatory or of a gossipy nature. They seem to go on as if nothing happened. These people qualify for extra bright stars in their future heavenly crowns.
The way of the meek is to practice turning those hurts over to God. Let’s see, they win at least twice--at the time of the issue and later when they inherit the earth.
Who are the meek? Is it possible to see meekness modeled in the21st Century world?
Meekness as defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary, means patience, mildness, not showing anger, or very humble in one’s feelings, actions, etc. The Guideposts concordance defines meek as patient, steadfast, or not harboring resentment.
Do we know people who seem to always let thing roll off their backs---they don’t retaliate or even grumble when faced with harsh circumstances. They don’t respond to anything derogatory or of a gossipy nature. They seem to go on as if nothing happened. These people qualify for extra bright stars in their future heavenly crowns.
The way of the meek is to practice turning those hurts over to God. Let’s see, they win at least twice--at the time of the issue and later when they inherit the earth.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn. . .
For They Shall be Comforted
Mourning--a natural response to loss--comes to all God’s people. Volumes have been written about this subject. Granger Westberg, in his book Good Grief, points out that we experience grief in ways we don’t recognize. We mourn the loss of a favorite piece of jewelry, of prized possessions, of tools we use in our calling or our work. We mourn the end of a friendship.
Experts in the field of counseling tell us we mourn in direct proportion to how much we love. Jesus says the mourners will be comforted. One of God’s special qualities is his compassion. He understands our suffering. Because He does, He comforts those who have suffered loss.
Jesus tells us to mourn differently than the ones who have no hope. We aren’t to mourn for our fellow believers. We are to rejoice they have arrived at their Heavenly home. We are to be momentarily sad because we will miss them, for a while. But with God’s comfort we proceed through our days.
Mourning--a natural response to loss--comes to all God’s people. Volumes have been written about this subject. Granger Westberg, in his book Good Grief, points out that we experience grief in ways we don’t recognize. We mourn the loss of a favorite piece of jewelry, of prized possessions, of tools we use in our calling or our work. We mourn the end of a friendship.
Experts in the field of counseling tell us we mourn in direct proportion to how much we love. Jesus says the mourners will be comforted. One of God’s special qualities is his compassion. He understands our suffering. Because He does, He comforts those who have suffered loss.
Jesus tells us to mourn differently than the ones who have no hope. We aren’t to mourn for our fellow believers. We are to rejoice they have arrived at their Heavenly home. We are to be momentarily sad because we will miss them, for a while. But with God’s comfort we proceed through our days.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit. . .
For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven
What does being poor in spirit mean to us in our 21st Century world? Our society considers a person poor if they don’t have what is considered basic needs. Our spirit is what we call our inner being, our real selves. A person who is thought to be poor in spirit has no selfish intent. That individual looks to God for all his or her needs.
The world looks down on those who lack certain material belongings in their lives. A segment of society also feels a person who doesn’t react with ‘Type A’ personality traits is not up to their standard.
God, on the other hand, looks at the heart. He doesn’t look at what people have. He judges His children by what’s inside them.
When we ask God to guide us through our days, and provide us with what we require, we have all of heaven willing to work for us.
What does being poor in spirit mean to us in our 21st Century world? Our society considers a person poor if they don’t have what is considered basic needs. Our spirit is what we call our inner being, our real selves. A person who is thought to be poor in spirit has no selfish intent. That individual looks to God for all his or her needs.
The world looks down on those who lack certain material belongings in their lives. A segment of society also feels a person who doesn’t react with ‘Type A’ personality traits is not up to their standard.
God, on the other hand, looks at the heart. He doesn’t look at what people have. He judges His children by what’s inside them.
When we ask God to guide us through our days, and provide us with what we require, we have all of heaven willing to work for us.
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