blessed...what do you think of? Got a mental list yet? House? Job? Cars? Stuff of all sorts.. or maybe health? Family? Friends? How about this...'Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, BECAUSE of the Son of Man.'(emphasis mine Luke 6:22) I've been there...i...t didn't seem like much of a blessing. Maybe we should examine our definition
Makarios=‘blessed’ in the original language of this passage. It's definition includes the concept of being approved by God and marked by a fullness from God, and it indicates the state of the believer in Christ. You see, the most valueable thing we can have, is His approval. Yet we are not capable of earning it, even when we make all sorts of resolutions about our conduct. If that were possible, the simple Ten Commandments would have done the trick.
So….where does that leave us? Lost…without His approval, that’s where. UNLE SS we get help. And we certainly need help….(especially when ‘men hate you and exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil…’ Amen ??)
Luke wasn’t saying that we are blessed BECAUSE we are hated and insulted….he says we are blessed by God in spite of it!! Blessed because we choose His way over our own or that of the culture around us. Who cares what anybody says when God gives His approval !!!??? Oh His standards are indeed high, but He helps us! ... See More
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him …… He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” 2Peter 1:4
You notice that this hinges on our knowledge of Him? And SO often, we have little or no knowledge, and even more often we have the WRONG knowledge. (my opinion…)
Who is He to you?
He has give promises. Do you know them?
