Blessed are the Merciful: Seed Thoughts

Seed Thought for This Week  Sent weekly to over 100,000 Christian families.   Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.   (Mathew 5:7)    Let's look at how we could respond when we are offended. When we are offended in word or deed, we mitigate its impact when we are merciful to the offender. The more merciful we are, the less we will react or continue to react to people who have offended us. When we realize we are all just human and make mistakes, we are more gentle, merciful, and forgiving. Sometimes we make poor decisions. And often we have spoiled attitudes and patterns of thinking that result in offensive behavior that hurt people around us. All of this is what it means to be human.  If we acknowledge our shortcomings and how easy it is to offend, we are less likely to be offended. And if this is not enough to recognize the frailties we have when we are offended, then we look to Jesus when He stressed the necessity of mercy and that God’s favor and forgiveness are given to those who show it, preaching that “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Written by Joseph C. Hutchison Sponsored by: Christian Counselor Directory

Blessed are they that Mourn: Beatitude from Seed Thoughts

Seed Thought for This Week  Sent weekly to over 100,000 Christian families.   Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.   (Mathew 5:4)    Jesus said “Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.” As we look at this verse today, there are two mainstream interpretations. In either case, we can find comfort and encouragement. When we think of what it means to mourn, it is often associated with the death of a loved one. This verse in Mathew is often quoted in eulogies to comfort us when we are grieving. As people of faith we have this promise. I have officiated at some heartbreaking funerals, that over time people of faith who lost loved ones found what I would call a supernatural recovery. A comfort far above what could seem possible. When this happens we are taught that nothing is impossible with God and He comforts us in the most trying times in life.   Some think that when Jesus spoke about mourning in this verse He was referring to mourning for our failures, that is mourning or being sorrowful for our sins. This starts with honest introspection. In which, we are willing to be serious about our faith walk and no matter how sorrowful we might feel about our mistakes we know God will comfort us. Although we are mourning our sins we will sense a peacefulness because we are trying to be better and God is working in us. This kind of comfort could be thought of as a reward for true repentance. As people of faith we have this promise.  Both of these views are supported in Scripture from Genesis to Revelations. So either way we interpret these spiritual realities in Scripture, we can trust that God will comfort us when we mourn in His Presence.  Written by Joseph C. Hutchison Sponsored by: Christian Counselor Directory

Blessed are the Peacemakers: Poem from Seed Thoughts

Seed Thought for This Week  Sent weekly to over 100,000 Christian families.   Blessed are the peacemakers for the shall be called the children of God (Mathew 5:9)    Peace Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred, let me sow love.  Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith.  Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  Where there is sadness, joy.   O Divine Master: Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console. to be understood, as to understand; To be loved, as to love with all my soul. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.  St. Francis of Assisi c. 1200 AD   Sponsored by: Christian Counselor Directory

Christian Counselor Directory - Our Relation and Love for God

Seed Thought for This Week Sent weekly to over 100,000 Christian families.   Our Relationship and Love for God  Our relationship with God is based on our love for Him and His love for us. And because we have this two-way love affair with God we want to to please Him.  We should know however, that pleasing God is not the reason God loves us. His love is unearned. We are not in good standing with God because of works. We are in good standing because of grace and faith. This is what the Bible means when we read that we are justified (in good standing with God) by grace and faith.  Yet, because we love God, pleasing Him keeps us close to Him. If we do or say anything we want, without thinking about what God wants from us our relationship with God is strained and can be temporarily broken down. We feel separated from God. Although God still loves us, we don’t feel or sense His love. Our heart is heavy and we feel guilt and regret. Until we fix this with God it is very difficult to sense the love of God again. And we may not sense His love for a while even after we fix it, like a child might feel after they have been disciplined because they displeased their parents. The good news is, we will eventually feel close to God again. Because we love God and He loves us, we want to strengthen our love for God.  We do this by sincerely trying to be what God wants us to be. Strengthening our relationship and love for God really comes down to this part of the Lord’s Prayer – Thy will be done. Written by Joseph Hutchison  Sponsored by: Christian Counselor Directory