Blessed

When He saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. Then he began to teach them, saying:
The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs;
Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted;
The gentle are blessed, for they shall inherit the earth;
Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled;
The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy;
The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God;
The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God;
Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Matthew 5:3-10

Basically, no matter what happens to us we are blessed, and not cursed, because God is for us. It is so easy to assume we are bad when we are poor and we lose those we love. The times when we refuse to compromise and we stand for righteousness, the times we want God more than a drink of water, when we refuse to sully ourselves with impurity, when instead of fighting we are peacemakers we can feel so alone but we are not, God is for us.

Jesus was saying no matter what if we are prepared to live for Him and not compromise He will be with us through the storm.

As I allow Him authority in my life by yielding attitudes I find grace to be humble, grace to forgive, grace to be a peacemaker instead of an agent of war. As I yield my right for an opinion I find His. As I mature I am less and less inclined to have an opinion because I was not there and do not know. I cannot be an armchair critic of government, peers, friends, family because I have not walked in their shoes.

I look at how the now government is being lambasted daily by those who want their power and I admire their tenacity and staying power. Why would you be a politician so others could raise up against you and criticise your every move. No matter what my choice in political party I have to admire a willingness to stay and govern when people draw rude caricatures about you and say all manner of evil about you.

I can disagree with how someone may do something and if they are abusing others then I am obliged to defend the innocent however most of life does not happen in this arena, it is in ordinary day to day living that we have the most opportunity to show Christ or self. How will I behave?

Jesus said that as I behave as if His ways are in control then I am blessed. His ways can only be in control as I yield to His grace which then empowers me.

In Him I live and move and have my being. Amen!

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