Blessed are the merciful.

Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

Oh, how so many Christians and church members miss this blessing! The word “merciful” mean – compassionate – and refers to words and deeds. Now let us not misunderstand the second part of this verse; receiving mercy from God is not conditional but is a gracious act on His part. However with this being said I do believe that extra blessings from God can be earned just as crowns of righteousness can be earned and I believe that if a Christian is more and more gracious to others then God will be extra gracious to that Christian. With that all being said the beatitude is that we are to be merciful and it fears me that a lot of Christians fail in this area. We truly live in an unmerciful ere and for the Christians this needs to change. We must be reminded of the mercy that God has had on all whom are saved and called Christians, we were not saved by merit but by grace and mercy and God continues to have mercy and grace on the Christian continually. However the question must be asked; why aren’t we merciful like our Lord, we are told to be, “Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?” Matthew 18:33 I would to God that we all had this very kind of mercy on each and every Christian, I would to God we all put the other Christian before self, and did everything in our power to help our fellow believer. God said in Ephesians 5:1 - 2 "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; (2.) And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." God said to be followers of Him and have the same love that He had that He sent His only beloved Son in the form of Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, so beloved I must ask what have you done to help your fellow Christian or church member? We are also reminded in Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Are you bearing the burdens of other Christians? Are you doing anything to help your fellow Christian, church, or Pastor? If not then you are not walking as the Lord has commanded and are not worthy of more mercy. This is why the Lord reminded us in Romans 15:1 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” We who are stronger in anything, we that are stronger in doctrine are to help the weaker, we that are stronger in money are to help the weaker, and we who are stronger knowledge are to help the weaker, oh how I believe we fail so much in this area as believers. This is simply having mercy on others as God has had much mercy on us, but why if God was like we are, why if He was to withhold His mercy, oh, we would cry to the highest mountain begging for His mercy, but beloved we don’t have to because He knows and supplies our every need before we ever ask. I wonder what the feeling would be if we were to help another Christian before they ever asked for the help; but rather countless times I have heard Christians refuse to help other that they could, what mercy are they owed of God? Proverbs 11:17 “The merciful man doeth good to his own soul..." Proverbs 19:17 "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again." James 3:17 "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."

Beloved please remember the merciful has more mercy bestowed on them.

Blessed are the hungry and thirsty!

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

Oh the promises of God to those who seek Him and His righteousness: what a blessing it is to seek the Lord God. God is just full of promise to His children that seek to do His blessed will. He not only promised us the kingdom of heaven is ours; or that we will be comforted in all our troubles and needs; or that the earth will be ours; but here God extends His promise that if we seek His righteousness we will be filled with it, truly what a blessing this is. But the question must be asked; what do you seek? When you get up in the morning and start your day is it the righteousness of God that you seek; or is it other things, like worldly things? When you get up on Sunday morning and decide whether to attend church or do something else does pleasing God play a part in your decision? As a Christian does your soul seek the Lord; does it hunger and thirst for His righteousness? The Psalmist wrote: "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; (2.) To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Psalms 63:1 – 2 This is the very power your thirst and hunger should be for the righteousness of God; as though the pantry is empty and the river is dry and therefore you will never have enough, what a blessed thought. People somehow think that their one hour in church a week or even three hours a week in church is enough; but dear one if it is then your soul is easily filled and lacks sufficient nourishment. People that diet eat less and the less they eat the less they desire food and as a result they loose weight; now let’s compare this to Gods righteousness, if one seeks less then they will want less and over time will loose not weight but righteousness and blessings of God. Beloved if you want to eat less and loose weight then so be it; but never diet from Gods righteousness. Go ahead and pig out eat and drink all you want; want it ever second of every day, pig out so much that your spiritual man blows up into a big old righteous glutton. God just promised that if you seek He will supply so go ahead and enjoy the time and keep yourself full. Go ahead it is free; that is right no charge, eat and drink all you want and never pay a dime for the spiritual food. "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (2.) Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. (3.) Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Isaiah 55:1 – 3

Folks God is so wonderful to us; He sent His only Son to this world in the man Christ Jesus to die a humiliating death on the cross so that we could enjoy being Christians. Why is it that Christians do not seek the righteousness of God more and more; why is it that some are satisfied with one or three hours a week and the rest of their life is spent fulfilling the lust of the flesh. Why is it that we will spend hours upon hours on overtime at work to buy worldly treasures but think the hour or so a week at church is wasted or is of little value? God has promised if we seek He will supply; but we will not find it at work but rather only in Jesus Christ. “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (38.) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” John 7:37 - 38