The Blesser
Day 228
October 30, 2020
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. -
Matthew 5:8-10
When I think of the word blessing, I often remember the good things that I have received in my life. For example the Bible tells us that “children are a blessing from the Lord,” and my own three children certainly are blessings to me. In our society, we may also see someone who is wealthy and say that they are financially blessed. And in some cultures, blessings are words that are bestowed upon young people by the older members of a family. These may include the blessings of a long life, children, and success.
And while the good things we receive are certainly blessings, it is the BLESSER that truly makes something a blessing. For without the blesser, the positive experiences in life might just be dismissed as good luck, fortune, or “karma.” However, as believers in the one true God, we know that this isn’t the case.
For as we look at the verses above we learn that positive experiences in life have nothing to do with the truth of what a blessing is. The entire discourse we’ve looked at in Matthew 5 describes people that in this world were actually suffering. In these verses, we see that the pure in heart are blessed...why? Because they will see God. We see the peacemakers are blessed...why? Because they will be called sons of God. And finally, the persecuted are blessed...why? Because they will receive the kingdom of heaven which belongs to, you guessed it, God. Yes, they are blessed by the things they will receive from Him, but more than that their very identity as being pure in heart and as peacemakers and their very actions that lead them to persecution all stem from their relationship to the true and living God. It is He that makes the difference.
God himself is at the center of all of our blessings. It is not just because they come from Him, but that He Himself is an integral part of the blessing experience. Our relationship to Him. This will help us even when we experience trials and sufferings because the blessings are not in the “positive” circumstances of life but in the relationship we have with the Creator of the universe, no matter what we go through here on this earth. Without Him, we would not even exist. He is our sustainer through many trials and the giver of all good things and without Him there is no blessing.
As you think about the “persecuted for righteousness sake” in Matthew 5:10, please remember our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world this Sunday. November 1 is “International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.” See www.persecution.com for more information.