The nature of blessing

Living in accordance with the characteristics described in the Beatitudes is necessary for positioning ourselves to receive the blessings Christ promises. Yet, to fully appreciate this fact means a brief word must first be said as to the nature of these blessings. 

The same Teacher who offers them also warned us: “In this world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). Clearly, he did not promise a life free from struggle.

In truth, being blessed as Jesus describes in these verses is not essential to living a happy life. Millions of Americans who have no personal relationship with Jesus would nonetheless say they are happy. At times, living by the Beatitudes can even be counterproductive to a feeling of happiness.

But such a life is not what Jesus wants most for us. 

Rather, he promises a life of purpose and fulfillment, a sense of well-being that transcends circumstances and makes a genuine difference in the world. In short, what the Beatitudes promise are the necessary blessings to be a force for the kingdom in our culture. 

If we’re honest with ourselves, isn’t such significance what we really seek most?

We can momentarily satiate our desire for happiness and peace in any number of ways, many of which are neither wicked nor sinful. Yet, when this brief joy fades, the yearning for something more, for the kind of life Jesus describes in these verses, will always return. 

The only way to end this cycle is to devote our lives so completely to our Lord and his ways that every moment is saturated with his presence.

Fortunately, such a life is exactly what the Beatitudes are meant to produce. They are, in a sense, Christ’s vision for what our lives could be like if we let him be our king. 

This is not a life of ease, and it will require the kind of self-sacrifice that does not come naturally to us. It is, however, the only way to know the kind of lasting joy and purpose for which we were created. 

And it is the only way to be the salt and light that will change our culture for God’s glory.

Now, pray through these questions:

• If a stranger saw how you live your life, what would they say is most important to you?
• Where do you find significance in your life?
• Even with “tribulations” and trials, is following Jesus’ call on your life worth the cost?