A Morning Cup of Tea : Matthew 5: 7-12

Good morning! I trust you had a good night's rest and are looking forward to beginning your day. No matter what you have planned for the day, I pray it's a good one for you!
   
Yesterday we discussed Matthew 5:1-6. Today we begin with verse 7 "Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy".    I cannot help but think of the Casey Anthony verdict that came out last week.I do not wish to start a blog about her (there are forums for that already I am sure if you wish to really discuss the case) I just wanted to bring up a point about the public outcry that came about after the verdict was read. Only God knows what happened when Caylee died. The jury, for whatever reason, chose not to convict. In this country the books are closed on the case. Instead of being angry at Casey we should pity her and pray she eventually comes to know God.  If we are not merciful with others, how can we expect mercy to be given to us? 
 V. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.  When I see that verse I think of young children. They haven't learned yet to be malicious in their words or actions. They are innocent and have a fresh smile for everyone. It is when we focus on the worldly things and let day to day living and sin intrude that we lose that purity we should strive for.
V. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.  Are you a peacemaker?  I try to be, but I'm not really sure I am that effective at it yet. My brother, I think, has always been a peacemaker. He has always tried to be a mediator. It breaks his heart when people argue. While we should stand up for what is right, we should know when to let things go. Is it really worth it to continue an argument just because you know you are right?
  V 10 & 11. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.    
 And verse 12, which brings it home: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad;for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they they prophets which were before you. 
  These days we see people who do not like us and therefore would love to make us miserable simply because we are Christians. But in this country, though we deal with people wanting to take God out of everything, we have not nearly seen the persecution that those in biblical times had, or even in some countries today. There is a young man I know of in another country who cannot even tell his family he is a Christian because in his culture he could be killed. Some of our missionaries face torture or even death because of their beliefs if the wrong groups find them. Please keep our Christians in other countries in your prayers. I pray you have a wonderful day. 
    

Good morning! I trust you had a good night's rest and are looking forward to beginning your day. No matter what you have planned for the day, I pray it's a good one for you!
   
Yesterday we discussed Matthew 5:1-6. Today we begin with verse 7 "Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy".    I cannot help but think of the Casey Anthony verdict that came out last week.I do not wish to start a blog about her (there are forums for that already I am sure if you wish to really discuss the case) I just wanted to bring up a point about the public outcry that came about after the verdict was read. Only God knows what happened when Caylee died. The jury, for whatever reason, chose not to convict. In this country the books are closed on the case. Instead of being angry at Casey we should pity her and pray she eventually comes to know God.  If we are not merciful with others, how can we expect mercy to be given to us? 
 V. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.  When I see that verse I think of young children. They haven't learned yet to be malicious in their words or actions. They are innocent and have a fresh smile for everyone. It is when we focus on the worldly things and let day to day living and sin intrude that we lose that purity we should strive for.
V. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.  Are you a peacemaker?  I try to be, but I'm not really sure I am that effective at it yet. My brother, I think, has always been a peacemaker. He has always tried to be a mediator. It breaks his heart when people argue. While we should stand up for what is right, we should know when to let things go. Is it really worth it to continue an argument just because you know you are right?
  V 10 & 11. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.    
 And verse 12, which brings it home: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad;for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they they prophets which were before you. 
  These days we see people who do not like us and therefore would love to make us miserable simply because we are Christians. But in this country, though we deal with people wanting to take God out of everything, we have not nearly seen the persecution that those in biblical times had, or even in some countries today. There is a young man I know of in another country who cannot even tell his family he is a Christian because in his culture he could be killed. Some of our missionaries face torture or even death because of their beliefs if the wrong groups find them. Please keep our Christians in other countries in your prayers. I pray you have a wonderful day.