The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness…For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince […]
You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12 CSB “Never be afraid to trust an unknown […]
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:10 CSB Did I hear you right Jesus? Are we blessed when we are persecuted? Scripture doesn’t tell us the crowd’s reaction that day as Jesus was teaching, but I am sure these words got their attention. The […]
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9 NIV Why is peace such an elusive place that so many people struggle to find? “There was a time in my life when I thought I had everything—millions of dollars, mansions, cars, nice clothes, beautiful women, and every other materialistic thing […]
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 NRSV What comes to your mind when you think about the word pure – the face of a newborn baby? Unexpected snow blanketing the ground? Jesus looked across the hillside and spoke the sixth Beatitude, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” Without […]
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7 CSB Merciful is easy to define but even more easy to identify. Mercy can be defined as sympathetic, compassionate, pardoning, refusing to punish, or forgiving. However, seeing mercy in action brings life to the definition. What does mercy look like? Over the […]
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 Keep your fork, the best is coming! This illustration has been told and re-told countless times by preachers in their sermons. Without a doubt, in my mind, the master teller of this illustration would have to be Glenn Boyd. […]
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 NIV What makes a successful entrepreneur? Process-oriented, empathetic, self-motivated, persuasive, confident, risk-taker, and resilient are just a few of the characteristics and personality traits according to leading management experts. We tend to think of success-oriented personalities as bold, brash, bigger-than-life personalities that dominate […]
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 “We lost just about everything we owned, and that included vehicles. But we have the most important thing: our lives. And we are forever and always going to be thankful for that.” (Joe Dancy telling CNN’s Laura Coates) “I feel like I just […]
Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? James 2:5 CSB I can’t help but imagine that Jesus had people like Lalta in his thoughts when he began the first […]