Sermon on the Mount

As Jesus traveled from town to town in the area of Galilee, he would preach God's word and heal the sick. He became very popular and gained a crowd of followers. One day, Jesus went up on a mountainside to speak unto his disciples and his followers. He spoke of those people that will be blessed of God. These teaches became known as the "Sermon on the Mount." (Matthew 5)

Jesus began his teaching with saying "Blessed are the poor in spirit:for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." These are the people that may not have a lot of worldly possessions or wealth, but they have their wealth in their relationship with God and their hope for a better land after they have passed away from the Earth. They are blessed with comfort and peace of Heaven. 

He then spoke of those that are mourning. Jesus said that they will be comforted, and blessed with the peace that only God can give. God can heal any broken heart, and replace that sorrow with joy. 

Jesus said that the meek will be blessed upon the Earth for their patience and forgiving nature. Patience and forgiveness are very difficult concepts, but with righteousness in our hearts, we can overcome our flesh and have a nature of God toward others.

Jesus spoke of those that desire to live a life of righteousness, saying that they will be given understanding and shall be filled with the love of God. When God sees that we are really trying to live a righteous life for His sake, He will bless us for our efforts. 

Those that are merciful, compassionate, and generous to others shall find mercy for themselves. It pays to be a selfless person. God wants us to live our life in His image, and that includes having a selfless attitude. Not once has God been selfish and thought about himself, He has always given to others, and this is what God desires for our life as well. If we give others mercy, God will return the favor by showing us mercy for our sins and failures.

The pure in heart shall find God always. Being sincere with God will find many blessings. God knows if we are being sincere with Him or if we are just going through the routines and putting on a show for others. God blesses for a wholehearted attitude toward the work of God. He wants to see that we are genuinely living for Him and have Godly intentions, instead of living for the pleasures of the world. 

The peacemakers that will work to prevent strife and anguish will be blessed for their efforts to keep God's people together. Strife in the world can have devastating outcomes for the people of God. If we let hate inside of our hearts, this is only going to pull us further from God. Those that will devote their lives to prevent this will be blessed. 

Finally, the last blessed people that Jesus described are those that are persecuted for following God. These are the people that are mocked upon the Earth for trying to live for God. They may be called "old-fashioned," "Bible thumper," and "Jesus freak" on the Earth, but in Heaven, they shall be called "Blessed," "Holy," and "Righteous." 

God gave this message to Jesus so that we might find His blessings. God gives us a clear outline of how He wants us to live. He finds joy in being able to bless us for the work that we do for Him. When we put in an effort to find God's blessings, we will be blessed beyond belief with the peace and joy of God. One day when we reach Heaven, and we are given our crown of life, we will be glad that we devoted our lives to the work of our Almighty God, instead of the world. Have a heart of God, and blessings will flood your life. It's not about our image on the Earth, it's about our image in God's eyes. 

Never but a Ladder's Distance Away

In Genesis 28, Isaac tells Jacob that he is not to marry one of the daughters in Canaan, and instead, he is to marry one of Laban's, Jacob's mother's brother, daughters. Isaac gave Jacob his blessing, and he went on his way to Padanaram to see Laban. Esau, Jacob's brother, was upset because Isaac had blessed Jacob instead of him, and he went unto Ishmael and took to wife his daughter. After traveling for some time, Jacob decided to stop and rest. He found a place to stay all night, and he used a stone as a pillow. Once asleep, God came to him in a dream. There was a ladder that set upon the Earth, and it reached all the way unto Heaven. Jacob saw the angels of God climbing up and down the ladder, and the Lord stood at the top of it. The Lord spoke unto Jacob saying, "I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."

Once Jacob woke, he knew that the Lord had been in his presence. He was afraid because of the great power the Lord had. Jacob set up the stone that he had used as a pillow and poured oil on it as a representation of the Lord's work. Jacob named the place that the Lord had visited him, Bethel. Jacob then made a vow to God that if God will be with him, feed him, and cloth him, so that he could go back home to his father in peace, due to his brother's anger, he would give a tenth of his wage to God.

Jacob was a great man of God, therefore, He blessed him with many things of the Earth. Isaac saw great potential in Jacob, so he sent him to marry someone that he thought would be worthy of him. When we put our faith in God and worship him, people will see those things, and see us in a Godly manner, and God will also bless us for those works. We don't do God's work to show off to the world, but instead, to be an influence to them, and try our best to be an example of God.

When the Lord came to Jacob in a dream, God had a purpose. God showed Jacob the great connection between the Earth and Heaven. It represented that God could always be reached with prayer, and that God could always reach His people that are on Earth. God told Jacob that He would give him and his following generations the land that he was on,  and that He would always be with him. This piece of land was given unto Jacob because God saw that he was true and faithful. As a saved person, it is our duty to follow God and do His work, but God will still bless us, even though we don't deserve it.

Jacob woke up like I think any of us would if the Lord had just visited our dreams, terrified. The Lord's power can be scary because He is all powerful, and we depend on Him for our every breath. Jacob remembered the great vow that God gave unto him, and he praised God by setting up the stone and blessing it as a representation of the Lord with oil. He then vowed to give God a tenth of his wages if He would help him. This is what we would call tithing today, which is giving 10% of our salaries unto God through church offerings.

It is such a blessing to know that God can reach us at any point in time. Even though we are separated from God physically, He can always ascend down the ladder from Heaven unto our hearts here on Earth. God doesn't ignore the work that we do for Him. He sees everything that we do for Him, and he will always remember us when He is sending blessings unto His people. If we are to vow our lives to God, we can be a great influence to those around us, and do our best to make God proud of us. He is never but a ladder's distance away.