The Beatitudes, Promises from God

Matthew 5: 2-12
"Blessed are the POOR IN SPIRIT for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."
Here Jesus is not only making a promise, but He is speaking Prophecy as
well. Being "poor" in spirit means we as Christians must set an example of
a penitent heart, being mild tempered and gentle with those around us, both
saved and unsaved. Psalm 51:17 (KJV) "The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." and
Isaiah 57:15 (KJV) For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth
eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him
also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the
humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

"Blessed are they that MOURN for they shall be comforted."
We should not only mourn in matters of earthly loss and in actual deaths,
but we should mourn for the lost in the world that do not know Jesus. For
without Him, they bear needless strife. Isaiah 61:2 (KJV) "To proclaim the
acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort
all that mourn"

"Blessed are the MEEK for they shall inherit the earth."
1 Peter 3: 8-9 (KJV) shows us the best example of this. "Finally, be ye all
of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful,
be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but
contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should
inherit a blessing." And also 2 Cor 7: 9-11 (KJV) "Now I rejoice, not that
ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made
sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but
the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that
ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea,
what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea,
what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye
have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter."

"Blessed are they that do HUNGER and THIRST after righteousness for they
shall be filled."
Again the following scriptures truly speak of the hunger and thirst that
Jesus is speaking about in this beatitude.
Psalm 34:10 (KJV) "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that
seek the LORD shall not want any good thing." and Psalm 84:2 (KJV) "My soul
longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my
flesh crieth out for the living God." and John 7: 37-39 (KJV) "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. He that believeth on me, as the
scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not
yet glorified.)"
A natural result of our Salvation should be an insatiable thirst for His
Word. Read it daily.

"Blessed are the MERCIFUL for they shall obtain mercy."
This promise embraces the Golden Rule that all in our society know both
saved and unsaved. It is quoted often, but applied seldom. 1 Peter 3: 8-12
(KJV) "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another,
love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or
railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are
thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love
life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips
that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek
peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and
his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against
them that do evil."

"Blessed are the PURE IN HEART for they shall see God."
Keep anything that does not line up with the Word of God and His
commandments out of your life. If you err, repent from your heart to God.
Phil 4:8 (KJV) "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there
be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

"Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS for they shall be called the Children of God."
Your catch more flies with sugar than vinegar. My grandma used to say that
all the time. Be a blessing and not an accuser. Romans 14:19 (KJV) "Let us
therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith
one may edify another."

"Blessed are they that are PERSECUTED for righteousness sake for theirs is
the Kingdom of Heaven.
Never since the deaths of the first Martyrs has the church known such
persecution. In recent years some misguided "Christians" have distorted the
Word of God and bombed abortion clinics, marched against Gay and Lesbian
groups and spoken hate and revile of them. The list goes on and on. God
loves everyone and wishes that none shall perish. We are not judge and jury
for God. Only HE can and will judge. Some have even stood on street
corners and shouted "Whoremongers" to all passers by. But because of the
ignorance and misdeeds of some Christians, we now find that all of us are
being persecuted for His names sake. Matthew 10: 16-23 (KJV) "Behold, I
send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as
serpents, and harmless as doves. But beware of men: for they will deliver
you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And
ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony
against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought
how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what
ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father
which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to
death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against
their parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of
all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I
say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son
of man be come."
These are the eight promises to a happy and fulfilling life in Christ
Jesus....Patti

Daniel's Gloves...

I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just
off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both
especially good that day.
As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There,
walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly
goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, 'I will work
for food.' My heart sank.
I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around
us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness
and disbelief.
We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished
our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out
to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat
halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing
him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of
him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.
Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: 'Don't go back to the
office until you've at least driven once more around the square.'
Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's
third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front
church, going through his sack.
I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to
drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from
God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's
newest visitor.
'Looking for the pastor?' I asked.
'Not really,' he replied, 'just resting.'
'Have you eaten today?'
'Oh, I ate something early this morning.'
'Would you like to have lunch with me?'
'Do you have some work I could do for you?'
'No work,' I replied 'I commute here to work from the city, but I would like
to take you to lunch.'
'Sure,' he replied with a smile.
As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where you
headed?'
' St.. Louis '
'Where you from?'
'Oh, all over; mostly Florida ..'
'How long you been walking?'
'Fourteen years,' came the reply.
I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same
restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38
years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and
articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright
red T-shirt that said, 'Jesus is The Never Ending Story.'
Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life.
He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences.. Fourteen years
earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach
in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large
tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought.
He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services,
and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God

'Nothing's been the same since,' he said, 'I felt the Lord telling me to
keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now.'
'Ever think of stopping?' I asked.
'Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given
me this calling. I give out Bibles That's what's in my sack. I work to buy
food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads.'
I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and
lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I
asked: 'What's it like?'
'What?'
'To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your
sign?'
'Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once
someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly
didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God
was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like
me.
My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his
things. Just outside the door, he paused He turned to me and said, 'Come Ye
blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when
I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a
stranger and you took me in.'
I felt as if we were on holy ground. 'Could you use another Bible?' I asked.

He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too
heavy. It was also his personal favorite. 'I've read through it 14 times,'
he said.
'I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see'
I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed
very grateful.
'Where are you headed from here?' I asked.
'Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon.'
'Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?'
'No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star
right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next.'
He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his
mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours
earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his
things.
'Would you sign my autograph book?' he asked. 'I like to keep messages from
folks I meet.'
I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched
my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of
scripture from Jeremiah, 'I know the plans I have for you, declared the
Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future
and a hope.'
'Thanks, man,' he said. 'I know we just met and we're really just strangers,
but I love you.'
'I know,' I said, 'I love you, too.' 'The Lord is good!'
'Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?' I asked.
A long time,' he replied
And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I
embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed.. He put his things
on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, 'See you in the New
Jerusalem.'
'I'll be there!' was my reply.
He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his
bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, 'When you see
something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?'
'You bet,' I shouted back, 'God bless.'
'God bless.' And that was the last I saw of him.
Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front
had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. As I sat
back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them.... a pair of well-worn
brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked them
up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that
night.
Then I remembered his words: 'If you see something that makes you think of
me, will you pray for me?'
Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world
and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with
my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. 'See you in the New
Jerusalem,' he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will...
Author Unknown

Promises of God in the New Testament...

Matthew 4:1-11 KJV
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the
devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward
an hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If thou be the Son
of God, command that these stones be made bread." But He answered and said,
"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh Him up into the
holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him,
"If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall
give His angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear
thee up. lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." Jesus said
unto him, "It is written again, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth
him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto
Him, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship
me." Then saith Jesus unto him, "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,
thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." Then
the devil leaveth Him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.

Jesus has shown us how to resist the Devil. We should be prepared to take a
stand and call upon the Word of God to rebuke the tempter. The Word of God
is our sword. Eph 6: 11-18. And our sword is only part of our Holy armor
left to us by our precious Jesus. We MUST know the Word of God in order to
become the Word of God. In that and only that strength and through the shed
blood of Jesus can we defeat the enemy in our everyday lives. Praise God
that he gave us His weapons of warefare....Patti