Poor in Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3

To be poor in spirit is to be conscious of your continual dependence on God and to continually recognize that you are insufficient without Him. The reward for this Christian attitude is the Kingdom of Heaven.  Gods Kingdom refers to his rule.  If you are poor in spirit then you will get to see Gods heavenly rule in your earthly life.   The verse that you can use to develop this attitude is in James 4:7-10

Bless are Those Who Mourn

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Matthew 5:4

This verse means to be saddened by the things that sadden God.  God grieves over sin and the evil things done by people in the world. Oftentimes we are desensitized by the media and are not moved by what we see and hear. But when we see these things it should touch our hearts emotionally and move us into a place of prayer.  The verses that you can read to develop this attitude is also James 4:7-10 and Psalms 51 when David repented for his sin.

Blessed are the Meek

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. – Matthew 5:5

Meekness doesn’t mean weakness.  It means strength under control.   To be meek is to learn how to submit your will to Gods.  The reward here is that you will inherit the earth.  You can read Matthew 11:27-30 for an example on meekness and submitting your will to Gods will.

Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. – Matthew 5:6

To hunger for righteousness means to apply the righteous standard of God in your life. We need to be hungry for what pleases God.  Just as we eat healthy food it results in a healthy body, so too if you feed your spirit the word of God, you will mature spiritually and be satisfied.  You can read Philippians 3:7-11 for an idea on how to apply this verse.

Blessed are the Merciful

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. – Matthew 5:7

There is a blessing for those who show mercy, and that is being shown mercy.  The correct mindset to have here is that there will always be a time when we need mercy. We should always be willing to show it to others.  You can see Ephesians 5:1-2 and Micah 6:8 as an example of how to do this.

Pure in Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. – Matthew 5:8

Purity in heart involves being authentic before God. So we should always be willing to come clean before him. The good, bad and ugly. If you do this then you will see his mercy and power in your life.  You can read 1 John 3:1-3 to get a better insight into this beatitude.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9

To be a peace maker is one who can mediate and resolve conflicts between two parties. You make peace by identifying the truth and addressing the sin. This is hard work but if we persevere in it we will be called sons of God since one of the main things that God did was send his son Jesus to reconcile man back onto himself.  Through Jesus sacrifice we are able to be at peace with God without allowing sin to separate us. This is mentioned in Romans 5:1. You can read Romans 12:9-21 to learn how to be a peacemaker with others.

Persecuted because of Righteousness

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:10

To be persecuted because of righteousness is to be mistreated because you display the Kingdom characteristics described in Matthew 5:3-9.  Some people will despise you for doing so.  But you can remember Hebrews 11.  There are quite a few people who were also despised for having strong Kingdom characteristics.  You can read Hebrews 11 and 2 Timothy 3:12 to study more about this.

People Insult and Lie About You

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:11-12

When people insult and lie on you because of Jesus you are blessed since the same thing happened to the old testament prophets.  This verse tells you to rejoice and you can do this by remembering your reward in heaven.  As Romans 8:18 teaches us, the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared with the future glory that will be revealed to us.