Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 6:7
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)
Do you remember the Casper Milquetoast comic strip? I don’t either. But you may have heard the name…
We read in Acts 11:26, “And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”
Sorrow and mourning are natural parts of life. It is God who gave us the ability to cry. In fact, Warren Wiersbe says, “As you read the Bible, you get the impression that God expected His people to weep. ‘There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die… a time to weep and a time to laugh’”
Luke 6:20 reads, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” This resonates for us, doesn’t it? We all understand being poor: “Poverty is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs.”[1]
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In Hebrews 11:7 we are told of Noah who, “being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.”
Happiness. It’s something we all long for, isn’t it? We work hard, play hard, acquire, desire, and perspire, all in an attempt to be as happy as we can be. Does God want you to be happy?
I was reading James Howell’s book The Beatitudes for Today in preparation for my upcoming article series on the Beatitudes. In the first chapter I ran across this statement: