5. BLESSED are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Always keep the spiritual law of you reap what you sow at the forefront of your mind. In Scripture God says it’s our duty to love mercy. We all need God’s mercy to get to heaven and thankfully we have a merciful God who loves us. There is one catch, we must be merciful to others if we expect God to be merciful to us. To be forgiven we must forgive.
6. BLESSED are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Those who want to please God will pursue purity and righteousness in every area of their lives. Those with a single-minded commitment to obey the commands of God will experience God’s presence in their lives.
7. BLESSED are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
As the Prince of Peace Jesus is the ultimate peacemaker through his message of eternal life through belief in him. By sharing the good news Jesus demonstrates how to have inner peace with God. As witnesses for Christ we are also peacemakers because we are instruments of peace in the world.
8. BLESSED are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
If you belong to God you will be persecuted. It’s as simple as that. Anyone seeking to enter the kingdom of God will seek to act in conformity to God’s will. This will cause an adverse reaction from a world that does not know God. We are in the world but we are not of the world.
9. BLESSED are you when others 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 so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jesus is promising a prophet’s reward in heaven when we are persecuted. Because we are sharing in the suffering of Christ our reward will be great. We must maintain our allegiance and obedience to Jesus in the face of this persecution. We must be mentally prepared for it with our eyes on our ultimate reward. We must endure until the end while giving praise to God.
Witnessing for Christ