July 18, 2017
Matthew 5:7-10
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

New International Version (NIV)
            Somebody sneezed in a ministerial meeting recently and the whole room simultaneously in almost four part harmony erupted, "God bless you!"  I whispered to a fellow pastor, "Good place to be if you are not well."  Not long afterward, another person sneezed and almost no one responded.  "Compassion fatigue," I opined.  Better to be the first sneezer I guess.  Thankfully, we don't have to sneeze to be blessed by God.

                Jesus continued his sermon by pronouncing beautiful blessings on the merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers and persecuted.  In God's Kingdom the merciful find mercy.  The pure in heart see God.  Peacemakers are recognized for who they are, children of God.  Those who are persecuted for all the right reasons receive the Kingdom.  These are all blessings worth having. 

                We may wonder, who can attain to these high callings and receive these blessings?  Only those who have chosen to follow Christ.  A crowd overheard Jesus in the distance, but the ones who had left everything to follow him crowded close.  They didn't want to miss a syllable.  Neither do I.  In Christ, all things are possible.  May God grant us the courage to put these words into practice.  God never tires of blessing his people.

 Pray with me:  
Father, thank you for blessing us today.  On the one hand, we need so badly to be blessed.  You alone know your imperfect people’s needs.  Today we ask not only that you would bless us with these beautiful promises, but also that you would make us a blessing to your world.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.  
I want to invite you to join me in memorizing 52 passages this year from the 2017 set of Fighter Verses.  You can find the Fighter Verses App at the App Store on your phones or via this link  http://fighterverses.com/the-verses/fighter-verses/As we study the Bible this year, let's look at each text and learn what it says about God. 
Joyfully, 
Duane 
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