“Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.” How do you like it when you’re trying to explain something and before you can complete your thoughts you get cut off by the listener. Being slow to speak is a valuable part in being a ready listener. Being quick to hear is the ready listener’s portion for full understanding of what’s being said. When we cut off another person in the middle of them explaining something, especially of importance, that makes things more difficult for proper communication. Communication is the basis of life. There’s nothing like having a sounding board to release our frustrations or just knowing there’s that one person that will hear you out. To be slow to anger is also a part of this. I find it easier to not get angry once I’ve understood the problem. But I won’t understand the heart of the problem without hearing the other person’s heart speak (It may take time for some of us to get it out). You can’t hear their heart speak unless you’ve positioned yourself to receive. To be slow to speak seems like a special gift not many people have. Most liars have way too much to say, so when they run out of things to say, they make up stuff. From the inside out we must learn to hear. If you can hear the voice of God, most likely you’re a ready listener hearing from the inside. Discipline is the key word here to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.

“And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). [Deut. 6:5.] This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.” This being the first commandment is the most important. Loving the Lord with all our heart means, putting Him before your family. We can see, touch, and connect physically with our loved ones. This engages our emotions for a strong bond. This bond we form with family members, and those special relationships we may have, can be the biggest deterrent in loving the Lord with ALL of your heart. Our connection with earthly things can side track our love for God as well. Since God lives in the spirit realm, we have no physical connection with Him. Because of this, we must invoke our will to seek the Lord with all our might (Jeremiah 28:13). He wants willing souls to come to Him. Another road to the same destination is to love your neighbor as yourself. To love others is to love God. It is the other commandment like the first one. There is no law against love, meaning once we’ve discovered the breath, the depth, length, and height, of God’s agape love, we have a protection from God against boomerang sin we may have committed (1John 1:7). His love can translate us into the best life we can possibly obtain in this world.

The God of peace honors His word in you

“Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you.” Paul is telling the Philippians whatever they’ve learned or received from him put into practice. The word of God must be practiced in our everyday lives and be allowed to be tested in us. The importance of the Lord’s word being a reality in our lives is a Christian’s most valued possession. Instead of being reactionary to the drama that presents itself to us, the word of God in us should come up from the very recesses of our heart. The word of God in a christian, once planted and given time to germinate, will need to be tested. Our growth as christians comes from going through crisis, storms of life, and any other kind of trouble we experience on planet earth. The peace of God that passes all understanding flows more easily from the heart and renewed mind of the faithful believers of God. Peace can be blocked in many ways. It is always available for God’s people to walk in. As we become less concerned about creature comforts and our own desires we are at the door of the Prince of Peace who gives, but not like the world offers (John 14:27). God will always honor His word, and as we become ever increasing in learning His teachings and precepts, we enter into the realm of God’s peace.

“For His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime or in His favor is life. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” You may be going through your worst nightmare right now. But joy comes in the morning according to today’s text. This verse was written by David who had life experiences with the Lord on every level. David has experienced weeping from life’s many battles and has found the Lord to be faithful to His word. We have a personal relationship with God in that, it is of the highest priority to get to know Him for ourselves. Relationships must be nurtured to evolve into something wonderful. With trust, honesty, and transparency at the helm of our decision making and reactions to challenges, we position ourselves for greatness with God. Whether self inflicted or you fell into this weeping zone because of someone else’s offense against you, don’t despair. The father of mercies, and the God of all comfort is on the scene (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). He comforts us in all our afflictions. To be a christian is to be in the army of the Lord, attacks will come. Your life is not your own, the life we now live, we live by the faith of Jesus Christ our Lord (Galatians 2:20). If you are young in the things of God, and have not yet learned how to fight spiritually, there is always God’s mercy to help us. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

“Blessed and happy and enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous (in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!” We never would have to worry about this scripture being a reality in our lives if we are closet christians. Only those bold for Jesus will stand up to persecution because of our right standing with God. If you’re not persecuted for your faith, you’re too quiet about your faith. Go into all the world and preach the gospel is the great commission for all God’s people (Mark 16:15). It was not only for the disciples of old, but more importantly for us today. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. The kingdom of God awaits those who are bold about their faith in God. Make a difference and give people something that will change their lives for the better, and keep them out of hell. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is the answer to everyone’s issues in life. This is the way to live above the evil in this world. God has said, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). When people persecute you, remember God said you are blessed and His kingdom is yours to enjoy.

“Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous–with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!” To be a peace maker means you have life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions. The peace of God is first dropped in our hearts in seed form. It is one of the fruits of the born again human spirit, acquired at the new birth (Galatians 5:22). To be the peace maker this verse is talking about, we must know who we are in Christ Jesus, our authority. All of our defenses and guidelines for peace are obtained through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6). We obtain and then maintain peace through Him being Savior but most importantly, Lord of our lives. He should have some say so in your world. The peace that passes all understanding is the highest level of peace in these bodies of clay. You must be totally sold out to Jesus being Lord over your life. You’d be surprised how much freedom there is in God. Know Him for yourself, and live according to His plan for your life. Not necessarily your Pastor’s plan for you, it could be much different. For your purpose in life, there is peace. Peace of mind, peace in your relationships, peace in knowing your purpose and that God backs the purpose conscious believing Christian. Oh you’ll have peace alright.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” What does it mean to be pure in heart. More than one perspective can be considered to answer this question. The pure in heart are those of us who have decided to mature in Christ. Their spiritual walk with God has been so developed that they have become Christ centered. This person has found the secret to becoming amongst God’s elite higher ranking christians. They have renewed their minds with the word of God, and live by it in their everyday life. Now another perspective is in comparison to a spiritually dead person. Meaning they are not in right standing with God, and after death they are hell bound. A baby christian, although ignorant to the things of God, has a pure heart because of the new birth experience. Old things have passed away and all things have become brand new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The sinner has a heart of stone, his life being bound to the sin nature cannot help doing wrong, that’s why Jesus made a way out. His nature hasn’t changed from within by Christ. Unless you are born again, you cannot go to heaven after you die (John 3:3). Having the lowest form of a pure heart is still better than being ruled by the sin nature in a spiritually dead heart to God.

“Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous–with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!” To show mercy is to also receive mercy when we need it. Yes you have the natural human right, according to our lower nature to repay evil for evil, or insult for insult. But operating on that lower level of life was not intended for God’s people. We will always reap whatever we sow. The law of reciprocity is still in full effect, what goes around comes around. Since we are imperfect beings, saints and sinners alike, we pay for our immoral intentions, and poor choices in life. So we all need a little mercy from time to time. Mercy is needed when you’ve made a bad choice in life, and the consequences for your bad choice says, you’re going to jail, or you deserve a good beat down for your actions. This is where mercy comes in and exonerates you from punishment you’ve earned. Mercy is the love of God in action. When we show mercy to others that have wronged us, we store up residuals of mercy for the future mess ups we commit. Sometimes we mess up but don’t realize it’s not cool with the Lord, and then there’s a strike against us. Showing mercy on a regular basis keeps the flow of mercy in our lives. No one’s perfect or free from making mistakes, so put mercy on your team for victorious living.

“Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!” Having a thirst for righteousness is the result of tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. The first priority for a new convert in the Lord is studying the Bible. We can preach the Bible to someone until we’re blue in the face, but for them to understand what they’ve got, it takes teaching and study. It is vitally important to renew our mind with the word of God, reprogramming your thinking patterns in essence is what must happen. To think like the Lord is the goal. Everything in the Bible by way of teachings and precepts comes from the heart of God. His way of doing things is our righteous example for life on planet earth. As we experience faith victories in taking God at His word, it inspires and builds our trust in Him. Once we tap into what the Lord’s really about for ourselves, the hunger will come. It’s like eating something you really enjoy. Except this food, which is His word, is good for our spirits to grow in faith and the kingdom of God. Once the thirst comes upon you, keep it going. This is the good fight of faith talked about in scriptures which must be maintained by each of us (1Timothy 6:12). To be in right standing with God has always been the plan of God since the fall of mankind in the garden of Eden. Blessed are you in Christ, now seek His righteousness and watch the grace and favor of the Lord overtake you.

“Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous–with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the meek (the mild, patient, long-suffering), for they shall inherit the earth!” The meek shall inherit the earth, is a promise in God’s word. It is attainable for every person to experience life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward condition. To be meek, mild, patient, and long-suffering is to be in position to inherit the earth. It seems backwards based on the doggy dog mentality of most people trying to get ahead in life. When the Lord is involved in our lives, He requires a peaceful, down to earth attitude for advancement in life. If you’ve noticed, many millionaires have fairly laid back personalities, they are very patient when it comes to making money. Without the patience of a farmer waiting for his harvest to come, we would move ahead of the appointed time to receive God’s best. The meek inherits the victory Jesus obtained for us at Calvary. The meek have the potential to become more happy, more joyous, and spiritually prosperous (full of life-joy). There is the seed of meekness deposited in our hearts at the new birth. It lays on the bed of love. As we love more, on purpose, it will stimulate the seed of meekness for growth in us. Even the most aggressive A type personality can be yielded to the meekness of the Lord that’s in every faith believing christian. Blessed are the meek.