Blessed to Receive and Give

Blessed are......for they shall receive.....Whatever state we find ourselves in we are blessed because the answer is on it's way according to Jesus the Christ. There are rewards for some of the conditions we exist in. There are necessary changes coming because of what is going on in our lives. Through it all Jesus says to be salty by adding flavor to situations and continue to show folks the way.HIM.All this is found in Matthew 5:1-16.

1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying: 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. For instance I have seen the death of my father, my brother-in-law, two darling neices, a nephew and my grandfather (just before my wedding day) in the space of ten years. The hole that was left in my heart each and every time as I mourned could only be filled again by the precious Holy Spirit who is the Great Comforter. My blessing was knowing God as my personal comforter.

5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth .[Meek folks are powerful but do not use their power to have their own way, but accept the will of God for their lives.] 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. [ Like all of my friends and relatives I had opportunities galore to do my own thing and go my own way but the teachings I received and accepted as my own were those of Jesus the Christ.

My choices caused a hunger deep within for all His goodnesses and mercies and a thirsting after more knowledge of Him and His ways of life. As a result I had a better life of peace even in the midst of some stormy times.]

7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. [Yes there are times when we want to make someone pay for wrong doings but we do wrong as well and expect mercy ,so we must be merciful to receive mercy.]
8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. [Our hearts only become pure as we accept Jesus and His saving grace. Then we can see God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.What a blessing that is.]
9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. [Jesus is the Prince of Peace and He encourages us to seek the ways of peace through love His greatest commandment. Having been raised in a large family of eleven children we learned how to love one another and keep peace between each other at a young age.]
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
On many occasions in my life I have been put down, slandered, told to shut up as I tried to tell others about Jesus as Savior and Lord. Some that I have witnessed to who would not believe His story have since died violently. One was killed in a vehicle by a customer in his eighteen wheeler as she was on her way to work. Ironically this truck driver had the same last name as mine, but was not related to me. Therefore I am blessed with a great reward in Heaven. My heart cries,'Oh that that reward was her soul with mine in Heaven'.
In my teen years as a new born again christian I was tempted by young men to consider other religions and beliefs. One such man tried to get me to read a large book about how we evolved from creatures into human beings. I refused stating that that was not biblical. After a few dates I decided that we had no future together as he wanted to be a millionaire without God. Several years later he was in Arab countries seeking his fortune. He suffered a heart attack over Israel and they put the plane on the ground for him for help among jewish people that he rejected. He died in Israel. I loved him and was so sad that he never received Jesus to save him and bless him as Jesus has blessed me.

Salt and Light 13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. It is crucial to do what Jesus says here as glory is given to our Heavenly Father because of how we work all this out. There is not a better purpose in this life than causing others to glorify our Father in Heaven.
Being salty and adding flavor to situations around us will make us valuable and accepted. Our blessings are many to be had if we allow them into our lives and become better not bitter. Always look forward to the kingdom of Heaven, the Comforter, inheritances, mercy, seeing God in person,being called a child of God, and being filled with His righteousness. Letting the light or understanding that we have out in the open to help others grasp the essence of life through doing good deeds will bring praise to our Heavenly Father who blesses us all.We have received freely and we will give freely to all who ask the understanding that we have of God. What a blessing!