Wednesday 2/27/13 The Beatitudes 3

Dear Father in Heaven, We give You all honor and glory this day for hearing and answering our prayers that we have not presented to You.  We, Father, want our faith in You to grow and grow each day, so we just want to praise You for taking time to hear our prayers and we want to increase our faith daily in our walk with You, knowing You will look after us.  Giving You honor and glory for hearing our prayer request for healing of Vicki, Burt, Patsy, Barbara, my buddy Dave, and Dolores.  Thanking You in advance for the anointing upon our ministry team as we work tomorrow getting ready for Easter.  Giving You honor and glory for the message that You are trusting to me this day.  Dear Lord, as I pray in the Name of Jesus, I humbly seek to remain Your servant.  Amen.

Good Morning, dear brothers and sisters.  It was a wet early out morning for me as I headed to my family doctor.  God is good and took me safely to and from  his office, and while there waiting to be looked at, I got to sing along with some good worship songs.  It sure is better to hear God's music while in a doctor's office than to hear some old elevator music.  That elevator music sure has its "ups and downs".

Prayer request for a young man, "Denis Hoke," to be found.  Also for healing for Barb, Patsy, Burt, Vicky.  Praise report on Dolores as she was much better on Tuesday than Monday.  Let me get going on the message on The Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes 2/27/13 Day Three.

Matthew 5:1 - Now, when He saw the crowds He went up on a mountainside and sat down.  His disciples came to Him 2 and He began to teach them, saying:  (NIV)

Matthew 5:7 - Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  (NIV)

Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.  (NIV)

How much mercy have you shown to others in your life?  If you see someone has been arrested, do you say to yourself, "self, throw the book at this person, they robbed the bank."?  Or if someone does a crime that might even be against you, do you want to see the "book thrown" at them? I want you to think about this, in the same way you show mercy toward others, is the way God will show mercy to you.  Hey, again, I did not make the rules, just telling you about them and backing them up with scripture.  Look at this from James ...

James 2:12/13 - 12 - Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom.  13 Because judgment WITHOUT mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been  merciful.  Mercy triumphs over judgment.  (NIV)

Brothers and sisters, in all of your dealings with others, please try your best to show mercy to them. Work hard at it.  No, it is not always easy, nobody said it would be.  Mercy can be spelled with four letters.  Did you know that?  Here is the way you spell mercy with four letters.  Mercy = Love.  How about that!!

Matthew 5:7 - Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shownmercy.  (NIV)

Blessed are the merciful, for God has sent His One and only Son to show them Love.  (DWL)

Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.

The heart is at the center of our very being.  Just this morning my doctor and I had a talk about my heart.  And right now as I am typing about the heart, a cardiologist just called to make an appointment for me.

Psalm 4:7 - You have filed my heart with greater joy.  (NIV)

Matthew 5:8 tells us that we will be surely blessed if we are pure in heart.  It also tells us that we shall see God if we are pure in heart.  Pure in heart means to me among other things is that we need to be truthful.  First of all, if a person is not truthful with others, how can they be seen truthful with themselves?  And folks, if you are not truthful with yourself and truthful with others, then you surely cannot e truthful with God.  The word of God tells us that when we have fed the hungry it was the same as if we fed our Lord Jesus.  If we gave clothes to the naked it was the same as if we gave clothes to Jesus.  So let me put it this way and see if you agree with me.  If you lie to others or even lie to yourself, is that not the same as lying to God?

I have talked to you many, many times about what comes out of a person's mouth.  I have also said that before a person talks they should run what they are going to say through their heart and their soul, talk it over with God and then if it passes muster go ahead and say it.  (Of course at my age, when I think of something I want to say, run it through my heart, run it through my soul, talk it over with God, I more than likely would by then have forgotten what I was going to say which might be better that way.)  Listen to these words coming again from the book of Psalms.

Psalm 5:4 - You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell.  5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.  You destroy those who tell lies.  Bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord abhors.  (NIV)

When I look at thee scriptures of today, I surely want to re-address myself, as I most always do after God sends me searching for scriptures.  But with what is going on in a lot of leadership positions, be them in Washington, DC, or at our State Houses, it is also in local government, school governments, and in other places where business is done, be it public, private, in clubs, and even while doing God's very own work.  I want to write Beatitude out one more time for today.  Think of it now.

Matthew 5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.  (NIV)

Let Jesus clean up your heart and then do your very best to keep it pure.  Amen.

Dear Father, please, with the Blood of Jesus, flush out my heart and make it pure again, help me to keep it that way, and work with others so that we can bring pure hearts before You to be saved.  Thanks in advance for flushing me out today.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Now go forth, my dear brothers and sisters, sharing your blessings and keeping your heart pure.

Love ya (pass it on).  Pastor Dan.