Blessed Are: The Merciful

Blessed are those who are merciful, because they will be shown mercy.
Matthew 5:7

What does it mean to have mercy? Is it just another word for compassion, or something more?

Both have an element of forgiveness in them, yet I believe that in general humans show compassion easier than mercy. Compassion heavily involves the emotions of the heart. If we feel sorry for, love, or are able to empathize with someone, we tend to forgive them and do nice things for them without much effort. Mercy on the other hand, is still an attitude of the heart, but is rooted in obedience and love for God. In other words, you can have mercy on someone you don't care for at all because you care so much for God.

Now, the tricky thing about mercy is that just because we portray it, doesn't mean we have it. Proverbs 12:10 says, "A righteous man cares about his animal's health, but even the merciful acts of the wicked are cruel." Though the wicked man showed what he considered to be mercy out of obedience to law, or whatever ruled him, but it was still considered to be cruel. His mercy was rooted in obedience, yet not at all in love.

So how does that work concerning the mercy we will receive? Some of it between humans is that old cliché "What goes around, comes around." God however, will show us mercy instead of justice, when we show mercy to others. The law He is obeying is His own. 

"Let your eyes be turned to me, and have mercy on me, as it is right for you to do to those who are lovers of your name." Psalms 119:132 (BBE)

"...For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." Exodus 20:5b-6 (NKJV)


We will receive mercy when we show mercy, and one of the blessings we will receive from the Lord is His faithful and loving mercy while still in this life. Why? Paul says it best...


"But I received mercy because of this, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate the utmost patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:16

Rest

Every once in a while God just wants us to rest. He created the Sabbath for a reason.

Take a moment to rest in Him today. I know I will be.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalms 46:10 (ASV)

Blessed Are: Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled.
Matthew 5:6

In order to know if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, you need to know what that means. I love to define words in order to get a richer meaning, and I'd like to do that today. Here are some definitions for a few of the key words in this verse.

Hunger: Strong's #3983 - To be hungry, famished, starved. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary NT)

Thirst: Strong's #1372 - To be dry or thirsty. To thirst in a figurative sense, desire ardently. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary NT)

Righteousness: Strong's #1343 -Righteousness, what is right, justice, the act of doing what is in agreement with God's standards, the state of being in proper relationship with God. (Strong's) 

Filled: Strong's #5526 - to gorge (supply food in abundance) :- feed, fill, satisfy. (Strong's Greek and Hebrew Dictionary)


Now, that you have read the definitions, let me give you the Amplified Tiffany Version...

Fortunate are those who are starving for, and longing to be quenched by, doing what God loves in order to have the best possible relationship with Him, for they will dine at His buffet of what is right!


God will never leave us hanging to dry. If we desire to be with God and love Him at any cost, He will not only meet us there, He will exceed what we could have ever imagined.

Are you hungry for Him?

Blessed Are: The Gentle

Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5

Doesn't that sound like a verse anyone could get behind? Whether Buddhist, Muslim, Taoist, Christian, or any other religion which promotes any form of peace, this statement in and of itself could be agreed upon by most religious people.

However, the gentleness which inherits the earth will not be one we can obtain on our own. This is a gift we receive from the Spirit as we try to imitate Christ Jesus in our lives. Jesus says in Matthew 11:29, "All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves."

We often wonder why it is we need to be gentle though. Wouldn't it be easier if we could beat someone over the head with our Christianity? Yes. It would. That is why it is so important to be gentle. It shows gentleness as a gift from God in difficult situations instead of a work of self.


Here are some examples from Scripture where we are told to be gentle when it would normally be difficult:

Galatians 6:1 "Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you won't be tempted."
- Human Response: Judge and look down upon that person.

1 Thessalonians 2:7 "Although we could have been a burden as Christ's apostles, instead we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother nurtures her own children."
- Human Response: Take what is our right and what we are owed.

2 Timothy 2:24-25 "The Lord's slave must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patience, instructing his opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance to know the truth."
- Human Response: Have the last word.

1 Peter 3:3-4 "Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments or fine clothes; instead it should consist of the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very valuable in God's eyes."
- Human Response: Our outward appearance is #1, no matter the consequences

Take some time to have an inward beauty treatment. The special today? Gentleness.

Blessed Are: Those Who Mourn

Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4

This verse begs the thought, "But I wouldn't have to be comforted if I wasn't mourning!"

That's the whole point, though. We would never realize the need for a Savior, if we never felt the need to be saved. That is our great comfort: Our salvation. Once again we need to not look at our lives in cute little boxes of time that we can comprehend. We were created to exist for eternity. The mourning we experience here in this lifetime for the sins we commit will be comforted by the blood of Jesus Christ as we share in His eternal inheritance from the Father.

Don't get upset! We will have comfort here in this life as well through the joy the Spirit gives us. Jesus speaks of this kind of joy to the disciples just before His crucifixion. "I assure you: You will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. When a woman is in labor she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world. So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will rob you of your joy." John 16:20-22

What a beautiful picture of our birth to salvation. When we are convicted of the sin within our own lives we are in anguish, but do not worry - our time has come! We will then be comforted with the joy of our new lives in Christ. Jesus promised the disciples that no one could take away their joy once He was resurrected. History tells us that they all lived difficult lives and died horrible deaths for the sake of the Gospel, yet they were comforted with the joy of their salvation to the end.

Does that count for everyone who mourns? Sadly, no. Remember Judas, Jesus' betrayer? He mourned his decision to betray Him, but did not accept the comfort of salvation. He tried to comfort himself by ending his own life. (Matthew 27:3-5) We must never forget that the only true comfort comes from the Comforter. It is nothing we can obtain on our own.