The Blessed Life

What does it mean to be blessed?

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." - Matthew 5:1-12

Jesus tells his disciples that God will Bless all who suffer, so one way to become blessed is through life's struggles.

But Jesus is particularly talking about following Him.  Those who follow Him will suffer persecution, they will find themselves without riches and at times even the necessities, but they will become pure in heart and see God.

So, to be blessed is to be close to God, and for them and us, being close to Jesus is a living blessing in itself.

Jesus takes them to a deserted place so they can be alone with Him.  This is how He teaches them about God.

When you choose to follow Jesus, you are choosing to abandon the material things you have held dear.  Instead of working to support a family and home, you travel about teaching others about God's grace and love.

So, the question for us is, can we do both?  Can we have a good life focusing on doing God's work?

Of course we can!

I believe that is what leads to a Blessed Life.  Yes, we may have struggles, and it may be difficult at times, but that is what life is all about, right?  The difference is, in following Jesus, we set our sights on the purpose.

We help others because we love them.

We make sacrifices for those we care about, sharing what we have with them.

We work to support ourselves and those we love, and because we seek to make life better for all, we limit our riches.

We are all Blessed by God, but we feel blessed when we share God's love with others.

What we choose to do is guided by God's Spirit.

So, to be blessed is to live in the light and love of God.  We care for ourselves and with what we have to share, we help others.

Those are signs of a pure heart.

More to come...