Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Matthew 5:7-10  NIV

Today we continue with the beatitudes which were the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount.  This is a teaching where Jesus instructed us and told us what type of behaviors and attitudes would receive blessings from God the Father.  The four we will be looking at today are the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted because of righteousness.

Jesus tells us that if we are merciful, we will be shown mercy.  We are also told in the Bible that in order to be forgiven of our sins, we must forgive those who sin against us.  In the Lord’s prayer we are instructed to pray for God to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”.  I know how hard it has been to forgive people of certain things.  There was a time in my life when I would keep bitterness bottled up in my heart and have the hardest time forgiving someone when they had hurt me.  I realized that the old saying was true, doing this is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.  Refusing to forgive someone only hurts me, it doesn’t hurt them.  They just go on about their life.  They may not even realize that I am still mad at them. Mercy and forgiveness are so important to us as Christians.  If we don’t give it, the Bible clearly tells us we won’t get it. The Bible even tells us in Ephesians 4:31 that we grieve the Holy Spirit when we hold on to bitterness and refuse to forgive those that have sinned against us.  I am sure that there are times in the past that I have grieved the Holy Spirit.  I pray for forgiveness, I desperately want to be forgiven, so I am going to be sure to forgive others.  I will show others mercy because I so desperately need God’s mercy in my life.

Blessed are the pure in heart.  I think of white cotton sheets hanging on a line in a field full of daisies under a beautiful blue sky.  White with the backdrop of God’s perfect creations.  The pure in heart, we should all strive to be pure in heart.  None of us will ever be perfect, but our hearts can be pure.  We can strive to be the best we can be.  We can be humble, we can love others, we can focus on God and these things will help us to be pure in heart.  I lived through a period in my life when I went to church on Sunday and lived like the devil the rest of the week.  I felt that I had put my obligatory hour in on Sunday so I was good to go.  It doesn’t work like that my friend, God doesn’t just want your spare time, he wants your whole heart.  To be pure in heart, we must constantly keep our focus on God.  We must put the needs of other ahead of our needs and most importantly we must be humble.  There is no place for pride in a heart that is striving to be pure.  The heart that is striving to be pure must walk in love and be filled with compassion.

Be a peacemaker.  This sounds like an easy one, but in today’s society it really isn’t easy at all.  There is always something to argue about whether it is politics, religion, family matters, or even sports.  We can always find something to stir up strife.  The Bible is very clear on telling us that we are not to stir up strife.  Proverbs 29:22 ” A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.”  In 2 Timothy 2:23-25 ” Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.  God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.”  As Christians we are called to be meek, humble, and gentle in spirit.  We are called in this scripture passage to be peacemakers.  It is so easy to spout our opinion and join in on an argument.  It is not so easy to bring peace to the situation or to refuse to engage in an argument.  I am amused when people get all up in arms about politics and I sometimes find myself doing the same thing.  God is in control of everything that goes on and He’s got this.  If you think about it, it is really silly for us to argue about things that we cannot control.  I find myself arguing over whether I am right or wrong and I realize that God knows who is right and who is just.  In the end, what He thinks is all that matters.  So strive to bring peace to this crazy world.  When you find yourself about to jump into another senseless argument, remember Proverbs 29:22 and Timothy 2:23-25.  Remember that the peacemakers are the ones that are going to be blessed and be called children of God.

If you are being persecuted because of righteousness, God promises that you will inherit the kingdom of heaven.  These days when we think of being persecuted for righteousness we think of things like Isis attacks or church shootings.  Once we get saved we will come under persecution if we stay true to God’s word.  If you stand firm in your christian beliefs you are going to be persecuted by friends, family, co-workers and maybe even fellow church members.  But that’s okay, you will be blessed by God.  So stand firm in your beliefs.  Walk away when someone is plotting evil.  Don’t stand at the water cooler while the co-worker tells the dirty joke.  Don’t jump into the gossip or to stir strife against someone.

So my prayer for you today is that you are pure in heart, quick to show mercy, slow to anger, refuse to stir strife and willing to be persecuted for righteousness.

Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  As Christians we are called to endure, we are called to go the distance.  Our prize awaits at the end.

Have a great day!