Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.                                                              Matthew 5:5  Today’s declaration tells us that happy are those who are gentle. I prefer this translation as some of the older versions of scripture translate gentle as meek. There is nothing wrong with this word however I consider it one of…

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.                                                                        Matthew 5:4  We have already covered the reality that the happiness being declared in each of Jesus’ statements does not come from the spiritual condition being described rather it comes from the tangible reality that follows. For example, we are not…

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.                                                                        Matthew 5:4  It is quite common to hear this passage being used at a funeral. Although it is true that God can comfort those who are mourning the loss of a loved one that is not the context in which this…

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.                                                                                Matthew 5:3  We have already examined why every person should seriously consider being poor in spirit. In light of God’s glory, we are all in spiritual need of something that is beyond ourselves, namely redemption. This redemption…

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.                                                                                Matthew 5:3  We can understand the concept of being poor. To be poor is to be lacking. However, today’s passage is not dealing with being materially needy rather this statement deals with those who are poor in…

What does it mean to be blessed? Often, we equate blessings with material possessions. This is not entirely incorrect in that God does bless us in all areas of life, including material things. But in order to understand the biblical meaning of blessed, we need to turn to the original language. The Greek word for…

We will be spending the next few weeks examining the Beatitudes. These are eight declarations of blessing given by Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. They can be found in Matthew 5:3-12. Beginning with those who are poor in spirit and ending with the persecuted for Christ, each statement describes a…

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.                                                                                                            Proverbs 31:30  Today: Read Proverbs 31 We live in a world in which outward beauty is highly affirmed, but today’s passage is a reminder that the woman who has a reverence…

Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.                                                                                                            Proverbs 30:8b-9  Today: Read Proverbs 30 Can I…

Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; but happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Proverbs 29:18  Today: Read Proverbs 29 Today’s passage reminds us of…