Eternal Blessings
Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Christ had left the large crowds and gathered His disciples to teach them. This teaching became the great Sermon on the Mount as the crowds gathered to hear His Words of Matthew 5-7. The disciples had many questions, and Christ began with the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. He began by showing them how to live, and the eternal blessings that came as a result of their lives as followers of His. The Beatitudes go against the grain of the world and the lusts of it. The pursuit of joy in earthly terms is self gratification and glorification in many ways. Elevation of self is the entrance of pride, and the absence of Christ’s blessings promised here.
This is the beginning of Christ’s ministry and He is setting the tone of going against the false pleasures of the world; the covetousness, the idolatry, the pride, the sin, the works, the list goes on. Matthew Henry states; “This is designed to rectify the ruinous mistakes of a blind and carnal world. Blessedness is the thing which men pretend to pursue; Who will make us to see good? Ps. 4:6 . But most mistake the end, and form a wrong notion of happiness; and then no wonder that they miss the way; they choose their own delusions, and court a shadow.” What is your pursuit in life? What drives you to get up every day and trudge ahead? If it does not fall under the heading of Christ, as a disciple of Christ, it is leading you astray. Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” Any thing that is set above your pursuit of God, and the things of God, is a deterrent to the blessings stated in Matthew 5:6 above.
The Beatitudes begin with a verse about humility; Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This sets the tone for them; for one cannot be a true disciple for Christ if pride is at the root of their inner being. I have personally become a living example of Christ showing me my great sin. He has taken out His hammer and chisel to put my pride in it’s place. It is a huge part of my testimony of His work in my life, and putting my eyes on Him, and Him alone. I look at the scripture of Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me in the light of I cannot do ANY THING without Him. This realization has produced a hunger to draw closer to Him in all things. A heart that is focused is a heart that will receive the blessings promised in the Beatitudes. These blessings are not superficial, but internal and eternal, from the closeness of the relationship of my Savior, Jesus Christ. All these are available to you too, beginning with a humble repentant heart that truly seeks Him above all.
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