Blessed are the Pure in Heart

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

The Greek word for “pure” had several interesting facets.  It was used for soiled clothes that had been washed clean.  It was used to describe grain and flour that had been carefully sifted and it was used to describe wine or milk that hadn’t been mixed.

So the passage can be translated: Blessed is the man who is authentic, who is not a phony, such a man will see God

Does that mean that you’ll live a perfect Christian life, that you’ll never have another bad thought?  No, bad thought will come, Satan will see to that and you’ll make plenty of mistakes but we can come to God & say, here I am with all my imperfections.  I’m not perfect but I want to be real.

The promise is that God can work with that.  So if you want to see God, take off your mask and quit being phony.  Blessed are the pure in Spirit.

Blessed are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness

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

Few of us know what it’s really like to be hungry or thirsty. In the ancient world it was different. There were many people who were never far from starvation. For many food was scarce and good drinkable water was a precious commodity.

Jesus is asking– just how much do you want righteousness?  To be right w/ God? To please God? Do you want it as much as a starving man wants food or man dying of thirst wants a drink? Many don’t know what it’s like to be blessed because they lack a true hunger to please God.