Bible Verses: Matthew 5:3Matthew 16:24-25Genesis 22:2
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But the God we must see is not the utilitarian God who is having such a run of popularity today, whose chief claim to men's attention is His ability to bring them success in their various undertakings and who for that reason is being cajoled and flattered by everyone who wants a favor. The God we must learn to know is the Majesty in the heavens, God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God our Savior. . . . The knowledge of the holy God is a free gift to men who are...
Bible Verses: Matthew 5:6
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The third class of blessing consists of spiritual treasures which are ours by blood atonement but which will not come to us unless we make a determined effort to possess them. To make things clearer let me set forth four propositions touching this heritage of joy which God has set before us; 3. You will have as little as you are satisfied with. God giveth to all men liberally, but it would be absurd to think that God's liberality will make a man more godly than he wants to be. The man, for...
Bible Verses: Matthew 5:6
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These words are addressed to those of God's children who have been pierced with the arrow of infinite desire, who yearn for God with a yearning that has overcome them, who long with a longing that has become pain.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Hunger is a pain. It is God's merciful provision, a divinely sent stimulus to propel us in the direction of food. If food-hunger is...
Bible Verses: Matthew 5:6
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For Reading and Meditation: Psalm 85:1-13
We continue our study of the Beatitudes - the study of Jesus' declarations of how to become "the happy ones". Today we come to the fifth of Christ's famous sayings: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7). What does our Lord mean when He uses...
Bible Verses: Psalms 85:1-13Matthew 5:7Hebrews 2:17Titus 3:1-7Psalms 103:17Psalms 108:4Lamentations 3:22
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For Reading and Meditation: Matthew 6:19-34
We turn now to the next of our Lord's Beatitudes: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). One of the axioms of life is this: everyone thirsts after something. Some thirst for success, some thirst for fame, some...
Bible Verses: Matthew 6:19-34Matthew 5:6John 4:1-14John 6:35Psalms 36:8Isaiah 55:1
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For Reading and Meditation: Psalm 149:1-9
We come now to Christ's third prescription for happiness: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). How we have shied away from that word "meek". We have thought of meekness as weakness and thus have a totally wrong concept of what Jesus meant....
Bible Verses: Psalms 149:1-9Matthew 5:5James 1:12-21Zephaniah 2:3Galatians 5:22-231 Peter 3:4
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For Reading and Meditation: Psalm 51:1-12
We are looking at the Beatitudes as containing the principles which enable us to experience good mental and spiritual health. I cannot think of anything more psychologically in harmony with the best thinking of today's social scientists than the words of Jesus: "Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." We...
Bible Verses: Psalms 51:1-12Matthew 5:4Psalms 139:14-241 Chronicles 28:9Jeremiah 17:10
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For Reading and Meditation: Galatians 2:15-21
We turn now to consider the second of our Lord's Beatitudes: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). It is important to note that there is a very definite order in these sayings of Christ. Every one is carefully thought out and is given a...
Bible Verses: Galatians 2:15-21Matthew 5:4Ephesians 3:1-19John 14:20Colossians 1:271 John 3:24
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For Reading and Meditation: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
Now that we have spent a few days meditating on the fact that the Beatitudes provide us with the right mental and spiritual attitudes for healthy and abundant living, we are ready to begin focusing on the first of these profound statements: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of...
Bible Verses: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24Matthew 5:31 Corinthians 15:19Romans 14:1-18Isaiah 12:3John 16:241 Peter 1:8
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Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3
Before the Lord God made man upon the earth He first prepared for him by creating a world of useful and pleasant things for his sustenance and delight. In the Genesis account of the creation these are called simply `things.' They were made for man's uses, but they were meant always to be external to the man and subservient to him. In the deep heart of the...