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What is a blessing? Dictionary.com provides two intriguing definitions of the word “blessing.” Firstly, it is “a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness” and also “the invoking of God’s favor upon a person.” Without a doubt, if a blessing is as defined—I pray for blessings.
Whether you believe it or not, we all have blessings. Unfortunately, some people choose not to recognize the blessings they have been given. However, those of us who believe in Jesus Christ realize and are thankful for our blessings, the greatest of which is having a personal relationship with Christ, and thus having a connection to the heavenly Father. Evidently, people who recognize their blessings have a more positive attitude towards life and a higher probability of succeeding in life’s endeavors.
Contained in Matthew Chapter 5 are the Beatitudes, which are rich in promises and declarations of blessings from God. Let’s have a look at them:
Matthew 5:3 says, “Great blessings belong to those who are spiritually in need. God’s kingdom belongs to them” (ERV). What is a spiritual need? I believe it is a lack of spiritual nourishment for the soul. People with spiritual needs are humble and mourn their guilt. In this state, believers acknowledge and accept that they cannot provide the spiritual sustenance for themselves. It must come from someone else. They understand that this nourishment can only be provided through God’s teaching, which comes to us through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
We are nourished and fed through Scripture, through belief, trust, and obedience to our Lord. He was nourished by doing the work that the Father had given to Him. He revealed this to His disciples when they returned to find Him speaking with the Samaritan woman. In seeking spiritual nourishment through Christ, our souls are fed, and we receive a wonderful blessing—the kingdom of God belongs to us. We belong to His kingdom. What a wonderful gift to have bestowed upon a believer! When we belong to the kingdom of God, we strive for the advancement of that kingdom.
“Great blessings belong to those who are sad now. God will comfort them” (Matthew 5:4, ERV). This state of being sad does not refer to sadness because of hurt feelings. It is more a sadness caused through the mourning of one’s sinfulness. As humans, we have all been stained by our sinful actions. Thankfully, Jesus said that He did not come to save those who believed they were righteous. He came to save sinners. He told the Pharisees that the healthy did not need a doctor; sick people need a doctor. If we are truly mournful over our sins, repent, seek God’s forgiveness and pardon and desire to return to being obedient to Him, we will receive a blessing. God will comfort us. Have you as an individual ever been comforted by a family member or friend when you were sad? Did it make you feel better? Of course, it did! How much more of a blessing it is, therefore, when the one who is providing the comfort to you is God. There is no more powerful comfort that can be provided than the comfort He bestows upon a mournful believer—a believer who is grieved because of his sinfulness. There is much happiness in heaven over the repentance of a mournful sinner.
Matthew 5:5 states: “Great blessings belong to those who are humble. They will be given the land God promised” (ERV). As Christians, we know that to be humble, our lives must be sacrificed to doing the will of God and to serve others rather than to be served by others. Why should it be so? To answer that question, consider this—Did Christ come to serve or to be served? He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for the salvation of mankind. Do we not need to follow our Savior by doing as He did? He made the ultimate sacrifice. As His followers, we must give up our lives in order to save them. There is no other way. If we are self-seeking in our lives, Christ tells us that we will lose them. To save our lives we must pick up our crosses every day and follow in His footsteps. What is this land that will be bestowed upon the humble? Other versions of the Bible say that the humble shall inherit the earth. Is it the earth in its present state? Absolutely not! The earth here refers to “the new earth,” the earth that will exist after the present one is burned up. This is the place of the saints and all those who believe, trust, and obey the Lord. What a marvelous inheritance!
Further in Matthew 5:6, we are told that “Great blessings belong to those who want to do right more than anything else. God will fully satisfy them” (ERV). The “desire” spoken about here is a burning hunger within the individual to be righteous before God. We want to be right with Him and do what is right in His eyes. He has forgiven our sins through the blood of His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. This cleansing and our turning to the Lord creates a burning desire in our hearts to do what is right; in turn it is reflected in how we choose to live our lives. What is the blessing of being satisfied? Some versions of the Bible state that the person who pursues righteousness with a burning heart will be filled. How wonderful is the thought of being filled by God! I believe this is a spiritual filling; a spiritual replenishment of the soul, which can’t possibly be provided by anyone other than God. Imagine your soul filled with the Spirit of God! This is ultimately what mankind is searching for even though many people are blind to the fact that this is what they need.
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