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Beatitudes

Blessed Day 10 Blessed Are The Pure In Heart

July 24, 2020 by Marietta Taylor 1 Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 5:3-10
Psalm 15
Psalm 24:1-6

Blessed, Day 10

Blessed. It’s a word frequently used when someone receives a new house, car, job, or promotion. Often, it also describes births and weddings. You get the picture. But imagine thinking bigger and broader. Would you try with me?

As we’ve been discussing in our theme on the Beatitudes, Jesus set forth eight blessings for specific characteristics His followers should embody. Today, let’s focus on Matthew 5:8:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

So blessing is something we receive, but the full truth is much bigger and more significant! Being pure in heart is a blessing because we’ll get to see God. Glory!!

I remember reading two accounts of God showing the glory of His presence to a specific person. The first was in Exodus 33:7-23, when Moses, who had already experienced a physical manifestation of God’s presence via the pillar of cloud, asked God, “Please, let me see your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) The other account was in 1 Kings 19:9-13, when Elijah was fleeing from Jezebel and the Lord came to him in a whisper.

When I was going through a particularly rough time, these passages inspired me to pray, “Lord, I’m no Moses or Elijah, but would You please show me Your glory?” It was a bold prayer, to be sure. And after I prayed, I felt the weight of it.

I remembered hearing the teaching “sinful man cannot stand before a holy God,” and I was reminded of Leviticus 11:44, which says “you must consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy.” Similarly, in Genesis 17:1, God commands Moses, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless.”

But how can sinful humans lead holy, blameless lives? Romans 3:10 tells us, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Taken alone, this verse would be discouraging. However, we can have a pure heart! But it is never of our own doing.

Psalm 24:5 shows us how to begin developing a pure heart. “He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” 

Salvation is the first step toward a pure heart. When we accept God’s free gift of eternal life and repent of our sins, our hearts are made pure and cleansed from the stain of sin.

This purity of heart allows the Holy Spirit to come and dwell within us. Adam and Eve were able to be physically close with God because He walked with them in Eden. (Genesis 3:8) But we actually have God living in us! While we cannot see God on this side of heaven and live (1 Timothy 6:16), we can, and do, live with the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit.

Make no mistake, we will still sin. However, when we are maturing in our faith, we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us to be more like Jesus. Jesus was without sin ( 1 John 3:5-6 ), so for us to be like Him, we must repent of our sins. We are led to repentance both by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and by Jesus’ exemplary prayer in Matthew 6:12. This type of continual repentance is also part of being pure in heart.

And finally, our hearts are purified when we live in obedience to the Word of God. Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians 3:18, explaining how we are being made more like Jesus. This process continues in us until death or Jesus returns (whichever comes first). Daily, we live out the instruction of the Bible. Again, this is only possible by the work of God within us, through the person of the Holy Spirit.

The New Testament is packed with guidance for Godly living. One of my favorite passages is Colossians 3:1-17.

Verse 10 encourages us, “You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator.”

This is the work of the Holy Spirit within us.

And verse 4 assures us, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory.”

This is the blessing for the pure in heart.

Hebrews 12:23 promises that in heaven, our spirits will be made perfect. Then, as “one who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:4), we will get to see God face-to-face. I don’t know about you, but I look forward to that day.

In the meantime, God continues to show me His glory in the beauty of nature, the kindness of His people, growth in myself, and the beauty and goodness of His Word, to name just a few.

And you, Sister? How do you experience the glory of God? As you contemplate your journey, where are you encouraged and emboldened by the Spirit’s purifying transformation of your heart?

Let’s hold tight to these touches of His presence as we allow God in us to keep our hearts pure until the glorious day we see Him face-to-face.

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Posted in: Beauty, Blessed, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Salvation, Transformation, Truth Tagged: Almighty, Beatitudes, glory, God's Word, goodness, heart, holy, presence, pure, righteousness

Blessed Day 7 Blessed Are The Hungry And Thirsty: Digging Deeper

July 21, 2020 by Lois Robbins Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Blessed Are The Hungry And Thirsty!

The Questions

1) Who are the thirsty? (verse 1)

2) What are the things that do not satisfy? (verse 2)

3) How is the “permanent covenant” related to the faithful kindness of David? (verse 3)

Isaiah 55:1-3

“Come, everyone who is thirsty,
come to the water;
and you without silver,
come, buy, and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without silver and without cost!
2 Why do you spend silver on what is not food,
and your wages on what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.
3 Pay attention and come to me;
listen, so that you will live.
I will make a permanent covenant with you
on the basis of the faithful kindnesses of David.

Original Intent

1) Who are the thirsty? (verse 1)
Verse 1 is full of imperatives, including a call to action for all who are thirsty. “Come to the water (…), come, buy, and eat (…) without cost.” The open invitation calls aloud to all who thirst. Note how the speaker already has gifts ready to distribute, delicious food and drink, water and wine. This prophecy of invitation and plenty comes in the midst of Israel’s exile into captivity at the hands of the Babylonian empire. They were a people removed from their homeland because of their sinful rebellion against God. They wanted to go home, they wanted to be restored, they wearied of not being able to worship Yahweh in their temple. They longed to return with a longing that felt like hunger and thirst. Isaiah writes how the invitation is for both common (water) and luxury (wine and milk) items, both are offered without pay, but also accompanied with a sense of urgency to accept all the free gifts being held out. Old Testament Bible scholar, Leupold, writes, “It may be said that the spiritual gifts hinted at of food and drink are all incorporated in one concept, the Word of God.” Those who are thirsty are those who have a conscious need to be fulfilled. Thirst represents a deep longing for spiritual fulfillment. Jesus picks up this Old Testament thread of hungering and thirsting when He preaches the Sermon on the Mount, specifically in the beatitude in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” In the Old Testament, Isaiah’s invitation was specifically for the Jew. Jesus’ invitation, however, broadens to encompass all to come and partake of the provision of grace where the only requirement is to be thirsty. God is summoning the exiled to end their separation from Yahweh, despite their physical circumstances of living in a foreign land. The Lord cares most about their hearts! The exiles are to come to the water (Isaiah 12:3) where God may be encountered.

2) What are the things that do not satisfy? (verse 2)
Before Israel was take away into captivity, her people had wasted their time, energy, and resources searching for satisfaction. God’s chosen people had forsaken the joy of fellowship with Him, instead spending all they had in a vain search for satisfaction and deliverance from their feelings of “longing for more”, all apart from God. The end result of their rebellion against God and worship of idols led to their exile. This nation with many talented people devoted their efforts to acquiring things of far lesser value when compared to intimate connection with God. They made great attempts to make themselves comfortable and pursue their physical wants over their spiritual needs. WHY?! The prophet Isaiah cries aloud with anguish, “why spend money on what cannot satisfy?!” (Isaiah 55:2) These things are not the Bread of Life! (John 6:35) Even dating back to before the Ten Commandments given to Moses, the Lord God made known to His children, who would become the nation Israel, “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) Yet, here was Israel, centuries later, working to fill their hunger pangs with unsatisfying, temporal things of this earth, and it left them empty. The Lord knew from very beginning the Garden of Eden that true satisfaction and deep lasting joy are found only in wholeness of right relationship with Himself. Despite their rebellion against Him, God still extended an open invitation to His people to return to Him for their sustenance and satisfaction. He promised to faithfully provide for those who returned to Him. Jesus, who called Himself the Bread of Life, gave a similar invitation when He linked the imagery of water and bread with His providence of eternal life to all who believed in Him for salvation. (John 4:10-14)

3) How is the “permanent covenant” related to the faithful kindness of David? (verse 3)
Jesus said in John 6:63, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life”. God’s invitational call to come and be satisfied by Him is a call to be filled with His own life, as He is the very author of all life. All who respond to His invitation are welcomed into a “permanent covenant” relationship with God, which began with Abraham, and continued through the King David. In Old Testament times, a covenant was a legally binding promise. If either party broke their end of the vow, they gave permission for the other party to literally cut them in half. Talk about serious! God established a covenant with David by promising that one of David’s descendants would always sit on the throne. Ultimately, this was infinitely fulfilled when Christ was born, taking His place as the long-awaited Messiah who would rule God’s kingdom forever. Matthew 1:1 names Jesus as the son of David proving his royal origin, while also naming him the son of Abraham proving He was an Israelite. Both point unequivocally to Christ as the rightful King of all kings. David had nothing to offer God, but God initiated a rich covenant with him. Once, David was only a shepherd boy, but God cut a covenant with him, promising to build the lineage of Christ through his line and usher in a kingdom that would never end!

Everyday Application

1) Who are the thirsty? (verse 1)
As Jesus made clear in His sermon, the invitation to freely receive the blessings of a full relationship with Him is available to all who hunger and thirst for His righteousness. In Christ, there is enough for all. All are welcome to be filled by Him! We all know what it feels like to be physically hungry or thirsty, but what of longing for righteousness? Where God gives grace, He gives the thirst. Be assured that because God has given the good grace gift of His salvation, of relationship with Him, and communion with Him through His Holy Spirit, He also provides a hungering desire. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Psalm 34:8) He is waiting to be known by each of us, He is pursuing our hearts, He created us with “eternity in our hearts” that we might seek Him. We each have a “hungering for more”, but how will we attempt to satisfy? More material possessions? More friendships? More likes on social media? More money in the bank account? More freedom in our relationships? Or, more of Jesus? Perhaps you view Christianity as a religion of restrictions with long lists of “do’s and don’ts” and negative commandments. Contrary to this perception, the joys, peace, freedom, and victory available in relationship with Christ are precious beyond description. Too often we look for happiness and security in being entertained, our career, or spending money for things that don’t bring permanent satisfaction. Our hunger for more should cause us to “open our mouths to God, and let Him fill us.” (Psalm 81:10) Worldly pleasure will not satisfy that deep longing. Just as a person’s body cannot live without water, our hearts cannot be satisfied apart from God. It is not a religious cliché when a believer says, “God satisfies”. Depth of relationship with God is the secret of authentic soul satisfaction. Remove the obstructions, tear down the barriers, and let your soul find the fulfillment of its deepest longings in fellowship with God. “Come, buy without money and without cost.” Relationship with Jesus is FREE!!!!! Though it’s cost is inestimable, it is given freely by God Himself!

2) What are the things that do not satisfy? (
verse 2)
If you just had an amazing, elegant meal, walking away filled to the brim, you aren’t interested in another lavish meal. In a similar fashion, those satisfied with the palate of the world, see no need of Christ, they do not thirst. There is no uneasiness about their souls. Yet, ironically, they still actively search for “more”. They have become accustomed to dining on the food the world offers, and aren’t aware of all they are missing by feeding on the life of Christ. Without a realization of brokenness or an awareness of never truly being “filled”, there will be no desire to seek beyond the plain fare provided by the world and its allures. Our wants are beyond number, but apart from Christ, we have nothing to truly supply them. If Christ and heaven are ours, we are indebted forever to His free grace as He generously gives us satisfaction and delight in Him. The world comes short of our expectations; we are disappointed. But Christ outdoes our expectations! The gifts of God are of such that no price can be set. They are already paid for by His work on the cross. Christ purchased our salvation fully with His blood. All the pleasures of the world will not yield solid comfort and contentment to our soul, only Jesus! Let the disappointments we face drive us to Christ and seek our satisfaction in HIM Alone.  Only then shall we find rest, peace, and comfort for our souls. Are you getting what you want from life? Have you found satisfaction that doesn’t fade? What are you chasing, aside from Jesus, that you are expecting to fulfill you?

3) How is the “permanent covenant” related to the faithful kindness of David? (
verse 3)
All God’s mercies are covenant mercies, they are purchased by Him, they are promised by Him, and out of His hand they are given to us. (Ephesians 1:7-8) On our own, we cannot find salvation, which is available through the Living Water and Bread of Life, foretold in this passage of Isaiah, and brought to fullness in the flesh of Christ Jesus, who is fully human and fully divine. Christ is the fullness of the covenant that was promised to David. He is the one who unveils the mystery of salvation. (Ephesians 1:9) No one comes to the Father, but through Jesus, the embodiment of the long-ago promise declaring One would come who would forever conquer Death with His Life. (John 14:6)  The Lord’s covenant with Abraham and David extends to all people, including you and me, as was foretold in Isaiah’s prophecy. This is not the covenant of works, but the covenant of grace, and it’s founded in the everlasting love of God, according to His eternal purposes. (Ephesians 1:4, Isaiah 42:6) We are to receive Jesus fully, taking in His life as our own. Isaiah’s invitation is for us, “Come! Buy without money! Eat and be satisfied!”

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Posted in: Blessed, Deep, Digging Deeper, Fullness, God, Grace, Joy, Longing, Relationship Tagged: Beatitudes, covenant, Encounter, faithful, hungry, kindness, satisfy, Thirsty, Yahweh

Blessed Day 5 Blessed Are The Meek

July 17, 2020 by Merry Ohler 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

Genesis 17:3-8
Psalm 37:10-17
Matthew 5:1-12
Romans 4:13-25
Revelation 21:3-8

Blessed, Day 5

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

Meek. 

Full disclosure? The word always seemed…meh to me. Perhaps it has something to do with the way it rhymes with “weak,” but as a much younger person, when I read or heard the verse above, I remember feeling my very independence bristle in response.

If you were to hear my inner dialogue, it went something like…

MEEK. Ugh. Okay, so He says they will inherit the earth. But is being “meek” WORTH inheriting the earth? Because tbh that sounds like pretty much the worst ever. I’d rather be just about anything other than weak. 

Weak people aren’t good leaders.
Weak people don’t stand up for others, or stand up for what they believe in.
Weak people don’t do the courageous thing when others ridicule or question them. 

And after all, JESUS wasn’t weak. He challenged the status quo. He spoke truth without fearing what others might say or do. In fact, He spoke truth while knowing full well exactly what others would say and do. Why on earth would He say that the meek are blessed, and they will inherit the earth?

Maybe my inner dialogue sounds a little like your own. It’s understandable.

But what does the text really mean? When we dig deeper, we uncover a different story.

First, it’s vital we understand the context and placement of the use “meek” here. “Blessed are the meek,” falls after “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” and “Blessed are those who mourn…” and before “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” 

At first glance, it’s tempting to think that Jesus is calling all the sinners to do better and be better. But we know that works righteousness is not the gospel at all, so what do we see happening here?

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was the only person to ever fulfill each of the five-fold spiritual gifts. He was fully God, and fully man, therefore He actively operated in the roles of evangelist, preacher, teacher, prophet, and apostle during His earthly ministry. When Jesus gave what we call the “Beatitudes,” He wasn’t merely giving a “how to” sermon, or a biblical era “listicle.”

He was effectively prophesying about the transformation which inevitably happens when a person chooses to fully surrender every aspect of their life to the Lord and follow Him. 

A person who comes to salvation and surrenders to God will first recognize that they are spiritually dead outside of life in Christ. They mourn their sinful state and recognize there is nothing they can do on their own to enrich their own spirit. They will accurately appraise their sin nature, and will hold an accurate view of themselves. They will be genuinely humble because they know they are wretched, apart from Christ. As they are transformed by the work of the Spirit, their spiritual appetite is awakened. They will begin to hunger and thirst for righteousness, rather than the things of the world.

So, how exactly does “meek” fit into the picture?  

The Greek adjective praüs means ‘gentle’, ‘humble’, ‘considerate’, and ‘courteous.’ In the Old Testament, the word meekness comes from the Hebrew word ‛ānāw’, which means “suffering,” “oppressed,” and “afflicted.” In Old Testament usage, these words are used to describe the qualities found in a spirit which has endured much.

Dr. Lloyd Jones says ‘Meekness is essentially a true view of oneself, expressing itself in attitude and conduct with respect to others. (…) The man who is truly meek is the one who is truly amazed that God and man can think of him as well as they do and treat him as well as they do.’

But what was Jesus really saying here? 

He was prophesying about what it would mean to surrender a life to His way, but He was also preaching the gospel. He wasn’t issuing a list of “you musts” here. He was declaring a “because of Me, you will.” He was saying those who surrender their lives fully to Him and take up the way of the cross will possess true humility by the transformative power of the cross, and will subsequently receive the inheritance God passes along to them as co-heirs with Christ.

Woo. Talk about a paradigm shift, right? But Love, isn’t that the way it simply must be?
Isn’t that the way of the Kingdom?
Isn’t the Kingdom all about paradigm shifts?
Rich are poor, and poor are rich.
First is made last, and last is first.

Being meek isn’t a matter of behavior at all; it’s a matter of recognizing our own spiritual poverty so we can submit to His supernatural strength!

Lord, You alone are worthy of all praise and honor. You alone know my heart. I repent of holding spaces where I haven’t let You rule and reign. I choose today to relinquish my control, my desires and my purposes, and I lay them at the feet of Your throne. Today, I choose to submit to You, and to pick up Your desires and Your purposes. Create in me a humble spirit that lovingly defers to every person You have tasked me to love. Teach me what it means to walk in meekness, and craft that daily desire within me. Everything I have belongs to You. Take and use any part you desire. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Blessed Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
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Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in blessed!

Posted in: Blessed, Digging Deeper, Follow, God, Gospel, Jesus, Kingdom, Love, Praise, Salvation, Truth Tagged: Beatitudes, Courageous, Fully Surrender, honor, humble, Hunger, Inherit, Meek, righteousness, Thirst, weak, worthy

Blessed Day 1 Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

July 13, 2020 by Mary Kathryn Tiller Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 5:3
Luke 12:22-34
Luke 18:9-14
Isaiah 66:1-2

Blessed, Day 1

My shoulders heaved as sobs wracked my body. I sat in the driver’s seat of my Expedition, heavy rain pouring down outside.

“That’s it, Lord! I’ve got nothing. I’m done! I can’t do it! It’s You. It’s gotta’ be all You….”

As the rain poured, so did my tears. Soon, I felt His peace.
My desperate cry was met with Love. Part of me began to hope that maybe, just maybe, I was exactly where God wanted me to be.

The Life of a God-Pleaser
The memory of that day is seared into my mind. It’s one of the few times in my life I have realized something was not within my power to do. Naturally confident and overly ambitious, I tend to believe I can (and should) do all the things.

In fact, if you’ve ever read my story, you know I have struggled often with pride and my sense of accomplishment. For too many years, I felt what I did for God far outweighed my heart for Him. This is not what the Bible teaches! In fact, Jesus addresses this specific misconception in Matthew 5:3, where He begins unfolding the Beatitudes.

The Beatitudes
The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin word “beatus,” meaning “blessed.” It most often refers to these eight verses in Matthew, where Jesus describes a series of Christ-like attitudes we, as His followers, should adopt.

I admit I have often shied away from this portion of Scripture because it baffled me. How could one who mourns be blessed? How could persecution be a good thing?

The more I have come to know Jesus, however, the more I have understood His upside-down economy and appreciate its sheer beauty. The first Beatitude in this series spoke to my heart:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3)
“Poor in spirit,” I wondered. “Could I ever become poor in spirit?”

What It Means to be Poor in Spirit
The Greek word for “poor” in this verse is “ptochos.” It literally means to have nothing and be destitute. To be poor in spirit then, is to come to a place of understanding we have nothing to offer God in exchange for our salvation.

There is nothing within us that could earn His love!
No amount of good deeds could afford His grace.
Our salvation is completely dependent on His goodness, His mercy and His love for us.

To be a Christian is to be poor in spirit, as the only way we enter into His salvation is to know we cannot save ourselves and to put our faith in Christ.

A beautiful illustration of this truth is found in Luke 18, as Jesus tells a story of a Pharisee and a tax collector.
“He [Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and looked down on everyone else:
‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee was standing and praying like this about himself:
“God, I thank you that I’m not like other people–greedy, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.”
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”
I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’”
(Luke 18:9-14)

The Beauty of Our God
We see, once again, God is not after our good deeds, but a humbled, repentant heart. What I find so astonishing about all this is not that God would ask us to come to terms with our true state and confess it in His presence, but that He doesn’t choose to lord it over us. A lesser god would step upon our prostrated bodies. A crueler force would rub our faces in our destitution and shame.

But our God lifts our chins and meets our eyes. He promises to embrace the humbled and lift them to a place of honor. (James 4:10) He declares the beggar “blessed” and grants her a position of honor as co-heirs of His kingdom!

Have you faced your own poverty?
Have you confessed your inability?

Through this portion of Scripture, Christ is inviting you, imploring you to do so! It is safe to humble ourselves before the King because He is a loving and wildly generous God. Don’t waste another moment uttering prideful prayers! Humble your spirit and be declared “blessed!”

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Blessed Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Blessed!

Posted in: Beauty, Blessed, Faith, God, Hope, Jesus, Kingdom, Love, Peace, Salvation, Scripture, Truth Tagged: Beatitudes, Christ Like, Co-heir, generous, God-pleaser, humble, Poor in Spirit, Rain

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14