3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:3-12
How many times in our prayers have we asked God to bless us before? Most of the time, we ask for God’s blessing in the form of material or emotional happiness. This happiness often translates into laughter, pleasure, or earthly prosperity – usually to do with something we desire. But the biblical concept of blessedness does not necessarily mean these things. To be blessed is beyond a material matter, and possessing something or having someone… It is spiritual. True blessedness is to have security beyond what we see with the eyes. This blessedness is evident when we find hope and joy in the midst of suffering and the toughest of circumstances – even when we have nothing of this world left in our belonging. This hope and joy comes only in one place – through Jesus Christ. In fact, being blessed is not the idea of having that which I desire belong to me, but instead knowing and understanding who I am desired by and belong to.
Eugene Peterson in The Message interprets the beatitudes this way:
3“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. 5“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
The truly blessed are those who know and have hope in Jesus Christ; those who know that our inheritance is not of this earth but only in the company of God – to be with him in heaven. True blessedness comes only when we have chosen to live life each day not dependent and putting our significance in the measures of the world, but in our great and eternal worth from our heavenly Father, our creator – who is the only authority to give us that value.
Today, may you be blessed in knowing that no matter the pains we go through each day, his Grace is enough for you and I. To know the love of Jesus Christ, the worth of his blood shed for us, the power of his resurrection and to have a heart filled with that knowledge is by the very definition, blessed. There is nothing worth more nor could compare in this lifetime, and all of eternity for you and I.
T H E O P H I L U S 
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