Beatitudes (Part 3): The Blessing of Peace and Perseverance

Text: Matthew 5:9–12

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Human beings have a proclivity to place people into groups based on appearances, attributes, abilities, and behaviors; and to then contrast people in a given group with people in an opposing group. So people are said to be short or tall, kind or cruel, extravert or introvert, normal or abnormal.

These categories are oversimplifications. We know most people tend to fall along a continuum from one extreme side of a category to its opposite, and most people would best be placed somewhere scattered around the middle.

Glory to God in the highest.  His peace and honor shall follow Him always.  He is Love and His mercies endure forever.  

I have a few questions:

1. Have you been redeemed by the blood of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

2. Are you a disciple of Yeshua, who came to fulfill the Law, not to do away with it?

3. Do you know the word of God was born as a Jewish baby, died as a Jewish man, and will return with His kingdom as the Lion of Judea?

“Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live…” Deuteronomy 30:19

For those of us who believe the Bible is God’s word there is no doubt human life is the pinnacle and the most important part of His creation. Not only are we fashioned as human beings in the image of God, but every individual is also His unique creation. “Your eyes saw my unformed substance,” “you knitted me together in my mother’s womb,” “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139)

If your commitment to Jesus is more than 24 hours old, then it is too old! Re-give yourself to Jesus anew every day!

Jesus gave His all for you! If you want God’s best for you, then after you have invited Jesus into your life as your Savior from sin, death, and Hell, He comes into you and saves you from all sin, death, and Hell. He also gives to you all that He is and has!

“A Royal Priesthood”

The Blessing

By Clint Chapman

Maranatha Fellowship

When I bought this paper, I’ll admit I did not come into it with a journalism background. My experience was on the design side, in graphics and layout. Covering hard news and sensitive issues has been a learning curve and at times an eye-opener.

I know, that’s a strange headline to see in the middle of August. But for me, this time of year feels much more like the start of something new than January ever does.

As a parent with kids in school, the beginning of the school year brings the same sense of starting fresh. It’s a new calendar, new teachers, new routines, and new possibilities. Here in Albany, our lives seem to naturally revolve around school, sports, church, and Fandangle. So when classes begin again, it’s not just the kids who get a reset—it’s the whole town.

“BE STILL AND KNOW” 

 Most of us have experienced a time when it seemed like our whole world was coming apart all around us.  Psalm 46 was written in the aftermath of such a time – a time when the psalmist felt like his whole world was coming apart around him with no hope in sight; then God stepped in.  The psalmist reminds us that our God is an ever - present help in times of trouble.