Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8).
In our daily meditations, we delve into Jesus' teachings on the attitudes of heart of those who walk with Christ, as presented in The Sermon on the Mount. In this Beatitude, Jesus speaks of the profound internal cleansing and washing with water by the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26). The believer in Christ is sanctified or set apart by God for Himself and, after His conversion to Christ, undergoes tests prepared by the Lord, i.e., times and experiences in their lives when God challenges and transforms motives and purifies the heart. The promise is awe-inspiring: they who have had their hearts purified by the Lord are the ones who will see God. This character quality will be the great reward of heaven,“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:4). God's name on their forehead stands for Christ's character ruling their thoughts and lives. The many names we have of God signify different aspects of His character, so this could be a literal mark, or it may be a poetic way of saying that the mark of Christ's ownership will be upon the believer.
Blessed Are the Peacemakers, For They Will Be Called Sons of God (v. 9).
A peacemaker is not a passive word, i.e., one who does nothing and keeps the peace. This Beatitude speaks of one who initiates peace by breaking down walls between individuals, someone who brings others in alignment with God. A peacemaker is someone who will risk pain to confront and bring to light the things that cause division and disunity. A peacemaker will help people get things right between them and God and often has the gift of an evangelist. Can I stop and ask you right now: How is your life with God at this moment? Do you sense a wall between you and Him? God is a peacemaker, and we, as His people, must also be peacemakers. We must first be at peace with God and then offer His peace to others.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (v. 10).
When these character qualities are within us, the light will show up the darkness in those around us, and often, there can be retaliation, especially if we confront those around us with the Gospel. Jesus said, “A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). We must always be aware and vigilant because we live in enemy territory, and a war is being waged against the Lord and us as His people. Often, the enemy will use the most influential people around us to speak disheartening words to us. People whose opinions we respect will say the harshest things to us or the One we serve. We should not be surprised at such attacks, but we are to rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for His Name.
11Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12).
The Lord Jesus gave us an example in this sermon of how we should seek to live our lives. He has given us His "recipe for Life." It can be confusing because it goes against the way of this world. But that is the point. In these Beatitudes, we find His attitudes for living. He also always offers us His help to do His will through the power of His Spirit. He will be quick to come to our aid when we ask for His help to demonstrate these character qualities. He is at work in us to shape us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Keith Thomas
This meditation is from a more complete study found at the following link: The Beatitudes
The YouTube video teaching is at the following link: https://youtu.be/9y-1KKJGLSo