The Beatitudes: Matthew 5:3-10

Hello Sweet Christian hearts!  Let me first say that I have been remiss in posting as my hubby has been having a round of tests for seeing just where he is in 6 yrs. of fighting Multiple Myeloma so I have been busy with him.  Of course tests are at several different locations and because he takes medication, I drive him.  He has had much nausea of late and it is not fun to feel sick all the time as you well know.  But I must share with you the power of prayer.  Yesterday before leaving for a PET scan, Hubby had been nauseated to the point that he did not think he could go for the test.  I posted the need for prayer and about 18 people were praying for him.  He decided that he wanted to try going and he was able to tolerate the 2 hours of testing and a blood draw and was not nauseated the rest of the day!  God is so good and the friends who were praying believe in prayer!

Okay, having said that, I still get the news letter from my home church back in Auburn NY after 22 yrs. of living in SC.  In this month's letter, there was a great item on the Beatitudes, I feel it is worth sharing.

The Beatitudes, the Message  by Fred B. Craddock, Christian Century, Jan. 25, 1990
You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope.  With less of you, there is more of God and His rule.
You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you.  Only then can
    you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less.  That's
    the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
You are blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God.  He's food and
    drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
You're blessed when you care.  At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves
     being cared for.
You're blessed when you get your inside world, your mind and heart, put
     right.  Then you can see God in the outside world.
You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or
     fight.  That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's
     family.
You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.  The
      persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

    "Very important, then, is the recognition that the beatitudes appear at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount before a single instruction is given, before there has been time for obedience or disobedience.  If the blessings were only for the deserving, very likely they would be stated at the end of the sermon, probably prefaced with the conditional clause, "if you have done all these things".  But appearing at the beginning, they say that God's favor precedes all our endeavors.  In fact, all our efforts at kingdom living are in response to divine grace, motivated by "because of,"not "in order to."  Some Christians are so anxious to rush to the Sermon on the Mount's moral and ethical instructions that they overlook the initial word that God's blessing is the context for all our behavior and relationships."

   I hope you enjoyed this message as much as I did.  I felt it was pretty straight forward and easy to understand.  I have always loved the Beatitudes and among many, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible.
Please come again soon and invite a friend to come and hear God's word.  If you found a blessing in what you read, please leave a comment for us.  And visit our other sites with wildlife pictures and God's natural wonders...

♥KERRIE♥
My Christian heart to yours....