The Beatitudes.

Hello everyone, I haven't posted in such a long time you probably all gave up on my blog. Well, I am going to try to post at least once a week now.

This week I am putting up a devotional I wrote for school back in October.

The Beatitudes.

What do you think of when someone mentions the Beatitudes? A list of attitude you should have? A strange type of insects in the Bible? A strange beast? Or a list of character qualities Jesus says in His Sermon on the Mount that people will be blessed for showing?

If the last one I mentioned comes to mind then you are thinking along the right lines. The Beatitudes are a list of character qualities Jesus says in His Sermon on the Mount that people will be blessed for showing.

The first of the character qualities Jesus talks about is realizing that you are lost and need God to save you. “Blessed are the Poor in Spirit For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” 1 (Matthew 5:3)
Jesus gives an example of being poor in spirit in His parable about the tax collector and the Pharisee. “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18:10-14)

The second character quality Jesus speaks of is those who mourn over their sin. “Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)
David wrote this psalm when he was mourning over his sins.
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

When talking about the third character quality, Jesus says the meek are blessed. “Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)
There are many ways in which meekness can be displayed. Moses is one example of someone who was meek.
“Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3)

The fourth type of people He talks about being blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)
Mary of Bethany was an example of someone who hungered and thirsted for righteousness.
“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-44)

The fifth character quality Jesus talks about is mercy. “Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) After Paul and Silas were thrown into prison God freed them with an earthquake, but rather than running away they had mercy on the Jailer and stayed where they were. Because they stayed were they were and did not escape the jailer’s life was spared. Because Paul and Silas were merciful the jailer and his family were saved.
“And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” (Acts 16:23-28)

The sixth kind of people Jesus mentions is those who are pure in heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) Anyone who has been washed with Jesus’ blood is pure in heart. Zecharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, are two examples of people who the Bible records as being pure in heart. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

The seventh character quality Jesus talked about was being a peacemaker. “Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) This character quality can be exhibited in many different situations. Abraham is one example of someone being peacemaker.
Even though it was Abraham’s right to choose first because he was the elder of the two men, he let Lot first choose the land he wanted, and then took the other, less desirable land.
“Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other.” (Genesis 13:6-11)

This is the last, but not the least of the character qualities Jesus mentions: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10) Stephan was the first martyr. He died being stoned. Being stoned is a horrible way to die, but Stephan was faithful to the Lord anyway. “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:54-60)

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."