Hey Kids!

Hard to believe that Summer is over and we’re all returning to school… Well you’re returning to school. I am just continuing to do what I do at church. :)

We have been studying some very important and practical passages of the Bible on Sunday nights during our Kids Time service. Please plan on attending, if you don’t already come. We just recently finished talking about the Beatitudes. What are those? They are a portion of scripture that Jesus taught, a part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was giving some very practical notes about what to do and what the results will be when we do them. They are attitudes you want to “be” in order to be blessed. Actually, the original Hebrew understanding of the word “blessed” is “happy”. A person who is blessed is favored by God, receiving from Him certain kindness.

There are eight beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5. I encourage you to read them. Meditate on them; in other words think quietly about them and let the Lord speak to you through them.

The first one is “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” To be poor is to lack something you need. A person “poor in spirit”, willingly admits his spiritual need. He realizes there is something missing in his life… actually Someone is missing - Jesus. When we admit our spiritual need, we are ready to receive the One who will meet our need. None of us can redeem our souls on our own. We need Jesus to do it, because His death is the only payment for our sin. Think about that before going on.

The next one is: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Jesus isn’t talking about the every day type of sadness, but the mourning that we have when we realize Jesus died for our sins! All who accept Jesus as Savior receive the great comfort of their sins being forgiven.

The last one we will cover today is: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Being meek is far from being weak! Choosing to be meek - to be gentle, humble, submissive - takes strength. Meekness comes when we see ourselves the way God does. We stop demanding our own way. We stop putting ourselves before others. We accept hard situations as coming from God and make the best of them. Meekness will enable us to develop warm, satisfying relationships with others, and frees us to enjoy a special “inheritance” from God, who owns all things. When we stop focusing on getting things for ourselves and accept what God chooses to give us, we become free to possess all things - to enjoy the beauty and bounty of the earth around us: sunshine, fresh air, good food, family and friends, and so much more!

Read on and think about the words of Jesus!

Call or write to me if you have any thoughts or questions. My number at church is 385-0450.

Godspeed!

Pastor Casey