We use the word “Blessed” a lot – especially down here in the good ol’ south. In fact, I’m wearing a shirt right now that says “Blessed”. Coincidence?? I think not!

God Knows exactly what He is doing! We hear “Bless your heart!” or “Blessed and highly favored.” Or we say “I’m so blessed because of: high paying job, new boat, nice car or house, an accomplishment, good health, the list goes on. We see it used every single day. But what matters most to God is faithful obedience from the heart. Let’s look and see who Jesus says is blessed and what that means for them.

Matthew 5:3-12

Blessed are…

the poor in spirit = theirs is the kingdom of Heaven

those who mourn = they will be comforted

the humble = they will inherit the earth

those who hunger + thirst for what is right = they will be filled

the merciful = they will be shown mercy

the pure in heart = they will see God

the peacemakers = they will be called children of God

those who are persecuted because of righteousness = theirs is the kingdom of Heaven

Jesus continues on saying, “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.”

Nobody wants to be sad, and it’s not natural for our flesh to want to be humble. It’s not natural to want to be a peacemaker or pure in heart all the time. We don’t usually go through hard times and persecution and immediately think, “I’m so blessed.” But we totally should! These things are HARD, and we need our savior who fulfilled all these things perfectly to help guide us.

I’m not saying it’s wrong to say that you’re blessed. There are many reasons to feel blessed! But my prayer is that when I see this word, hear this word, or use this word, I would be intentional and be reminded of the characteristics of the person Jesus says is blessed.

That’s exactly what He wants from us. For us to lay it all down and ask for help, and have that one on one relationship with Him. So go and mourn, be humble, be merciful, be a peacemaker, be pure in heart, and be Blessed.