We’ve all felt lost and out of place at some point in our lives. We rely on plans and knowing where we’re going, but when those plans are ruined or there’s a block in the road, we get stuck. We get stuck at this hurdle and don’t know where to turn. It’s human nature to follow the path that everyone else is on. Go to high school, graduate, go to college, get a job, get married, etc. We all have a plan we are trying to follow, but we’re still missing something. That something is faith. We want to have a rule book to live by. Well, that rule book is the Bible. Matthew chapter 5 focuses on Jesus’ blessings. These blessings are telling us about how if we do something good, we are rewarded in the end. Here are a few of the blessings and what they mean.
God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. ~Matthew 5:5
This is one of my favorites from the list of blessings. In today’s society, it’s so hard to stay humble especially when we see celebrities driving around in nice cars and having to have designer labels. It’s hard to stay humble when society is telling us something different. But another way to look at this verse is to look at it as “God blesses those who stay true to themselves.” God is not asking you to be someone you are not. He made you perfectly in His eye and He wants you to love yourself. Again, this can be challenging in today’s society where we have such high standards for beauty. However, God is the artist. If we don’t like a painting, we don’t take a paintbrush and fix it to our satisfaction. We accept it for what it is because it means something to the artist that created it. So why do we feel the need to change ourselves when God – the artist – created us how He wanted?
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. ~Matthew 5:6
This verse is pretty straight forward. When we thirst to know God, He welcomes us with open arms. It’s just a matter of getting there. Once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have a light burning inside of us and a passion to know more and more. That passion intensifies as our eyes are opened and we begin to see God working all around us. As we thirst for knowledge and seek God, he blesses us with that knowledge as we began to live as the hands and feet of Christ.
God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ~Matthew 5:7
This is such a powerful blessing. It’s hard when a friend hurts us and we have to keep loving them. It almost goes against human nature. When our eyes are opened and we began seeking out God and living in faith, we begin to be mocked and laughed at for it. When we remain faithful and are merciful to those who mock us, God blesses us because we are being an example. By being a follower of Christ, we have to show love to everyone around us, even those who hurt us. It’s very hard to not lash out at someone when they are lashing out at you, but if we remain faithful to God, we begin to be an example to those hurting us.
There are several more blessings that Jesus preaches about. These three are the main ones that stick out to me and remind me how important it is to remain faithful to God. When we are faithful, we are rewarded. When we stay on the path of righteousness, we are rewarded in the end. It’s not always an easy path to stay on, but God is guiding us and helping us live out a life of faith.
