What does it really mean to be blessed? I dove into this question this week as I began studying Matthew 5... the Beatitudes. So here is the scene. Jesus was just baptized by John, publicly blessed by His Father, and we witness the manifestation of the Trinity as the Holy Spirit descended like a dove. After being tempted in the desert, He began His public ministry, and gave us a sort of road map to the true path of "blessedness". Not happiness. Blessedness... Like skim milk vs. cream. To be blessed is to be Spiritually prosperous. "To walk righteously in joy". To have EVERYTHING you need. "FULLfilling" JOY-not dependent on your life circumstances, or your paycheck, or your health, or you child's successes... a deeper seated contentment. The Hebrew translation of blessed , esher, really got my attention. It implies the sense of congratulations! "CONGRATULATIONS!... You are poor in spirit!" "CONGRATULATIONS! ... You mourn." It is an expression of approval from our God! Why in the world would he congratulate us when we are "poor in spirit" or when we mourn??? Because He knows the rest of the story... The ending. He knows that when there is less of us, there is more of Him. He knows that when we mourn, our Heavenly Father will embrace us and fill us with a love and a peace that we can not humanly comprehend. So go. Be blessed.
...to be continued!
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