Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons[a] of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:1-12 ESV
Warrior;
This is part of one of the MOST famous and foundational sermons every given, The SERMON ON THE MOUNT. It is the GOOD NEWS laid out by the BLESSED feet that brought the good news incarnate! How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” (Isaiah 52:7). These are called the BEATITUDES, what that means is that these are TO BE the ATTITUDES of any TRUE FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST.
Leader, Adrian Rodgers did a great series called, “The Keys to the Kingdom” and he said, “These are not platitudes, they are attitudes that OUGHT TO BE. They deal with Christian Character, in other words, WHAT WE ARE. Your reputation is what God and your spouse know about you. Blessed means to have everything you need spiritually, makarios, in the Greek. It doesn’t say Blessed are men who HAVE, or who DO, but what WE ARE! We become the sum total of our choices daily, weekly, monthly, envivo; our Attitude! Too many so called, “Believers”, are seeking happiness on this earth, instead of BLESSEDNESS. For when we leave this world, we will leave behind all that we HAVE and ALL that we’ve DONE. But we will take with us, ALL THAT WE ARE! For a believer: Happiness is something we stumble upon when we seek BLESSEDNESS!
Conduit, here is the MSG Bible paraphrase of the same scripture to help with digesting the sweetness of Jesus WORDS, eat them and let them be sweet to the stomach, the heart and the ATTITUDE you are TO BE today, tomorrow and the next day! “When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. “You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. “You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even! —for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.” This SEASON, let this be the foundation of your attitude!