Jesus

Blessed…?

Today was a good day at Oak Leaf….But tonight, was a GREAT night at home!

As a family we all sat down, just like Jesus did when he taught, and read the first part of Chapter 5 of Matthew.

Here’s what made it great:
* Cheese popcorn, a must for theological study.
* No tv!
* Talked about what does it mean to be blessed (get to that in a moment:))
* Prayed as a family after wards….Nice.
* Lastly, I got to be the Rabbi for my family. Fathers, it is what you were made for!

OK, so you will notice that in the beginning part of that Chapter Jesus keeps saying “Blessed is the one…” So just like tonight let’s explain that word a little so we know what Jesus is saying to us.

Blessed come from the Greek word ‘Makarios’ and other than meaning ‘blessed’ it basically means ‘happy’.

So basically Jesus was really teaching about living backwards (get use to that phrase you are going to be hearing a lot of it). He was saying through those first verses that if you are my disciple then you would be happy if you are going through the troubles of the world for my sake. He was stating an opposite of the world which says pursue happiness at all cost.

This is what we are taught now in our culture. The pursuit of happiness is not just your ‘right’ but should be your highest goal. And it is OK as long as you don’t hurt anyone. Unfortunately, that’s an impossibility. Usually in our quest for happiness we hurt others, ourselves, and God. Our pursuit of self satisfied happiness is called sin.

Jesus understand that the only way for us to be happy is to put our focus on Him. Then, sometimes that happiness is not ultimately fulfilled until we are reunited with Him. But, for a follower of Jesus that is enough. Is it enough for you?

11 “God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted, too.”
Matthew 5:11&12 NLT