Against the World

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 be shown 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 because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3-10

The Beatitudes are one of the most well-known passages in the entire Bible.  Each of these eight statements represent a pattern of behavior that Christians should strive to emulate.  Something especially worth noting is that the inverse of each statement represent the values of this world.

Blessed are the poor in spirit.  Who is poor in spirit?  The person who considers that their earthly treasures are worthless.  Whether they have much or little, they have little concern for their possessions, choosing instead to find their worth in Jesus.  The way of the world is to gather as many possessions as you can to make yourself better than those around you.

Blessed are those who mourn.  If someone is in mourning, it is because he or she has lost something.  What we have lost is our close relationship with God.  We were designed to be much closer to God than we are.  Adam and Eve literally walked with God on the Earth.  While we should always strive to have the closest relationship with God that we can, we must realize that, in this life, we will never achieve the ideal.  The powers of this world do not admit to needing God, much less having lost anything.

Blessed are the meek.  Meekness is not a quality that is admired by the world.  The way the world is to demand what you feel you are entitled to and fight anyone or anything that stands between you and what you desire.  To the world, meek means weak.  This is certainly not always true.  When Jesus was being flogged and crucified, He could have put a stop to it with a word.  He did not, instead choosing to take the full measure of punishment for your sin and mine.  Even though He had the power, He chose through strength of will not to exercise His authority.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.  Human selfishness knows no bounds.  No matter how much a person attains, there will always be a hunger for more.  Hunger and thirst are uncomfortable; if you have become comfortable without a daily feeding from God's word, a reevaluation of your priorities is in order.

Blessed are those who are merciful.  By not punishing us for our sin, God is being more merciful than we can possibly comprehend.  If we do not show mercy to those around us, we should not expect the same treatment from God.

Blessed are the pure in heart.  When something is pure, gold for instance, it contains no impurities.  The more other stuff that is mixed in, the less pure the substance is.  To be pure of heart means to be singly motivated; no matter what you do, it stems from a single desire, the desire to please God.

Blessed are the peacemakers.  It is one thing to live in peace.  It is quite another to actively bring peace to those who are experiencing strife.  True peacemakers are often not found near quiet streams, but rather in the midst of battle.  In the world, peace is most often achieved through the use of force.  True peacemakers offer peace, they do not impose it on others.

Blessed are those who are persecuted.  If you live in the United States as I do, it is likely that you have not experienced true persecution.  Perhaps this is a mixed blessing.  Perhaps it is truly through persecution that we realize how precious our faith is.

To live up to the example of the Beatitudes is impossible without God.  Fortunately, we are not required to.  If we hope to achieve this goal, it must be with God's assistance.

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13