Beatitudes Bible Study Journal

The history of the Jews was full of oppression and difficulty. Since the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile in Babylon about five centuries earlier, the Jews had faced serious turmoil under many different rules and governments. It’s no wonder the Jews believed...

A woman once said, “I love my suffering because it comes from God.” Can you say this? Do you love your suffering because it comes from God? I know I don’t. Suffering is hard and it hurts. It is Isolating and discouraging, but it is also something that ties all humans...

The beatitudes end with the promised blessing of persecution. After studying the many ways that believers are blessed by God, we might expect to end on something more positive and hopeful. However, I think it is fitting that persecution would be the likely result for...

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” - John 14:27 The car door had barely closed behind me before uncontrollable tears began to stream down my face. If I...

This week we’re studying what it means to be a peacemaker. Psalm 34 gives us specific instruction to seek and pursue peace. Psalm 34 is categorized as a psalm of praise. David (the author of Psalm 34) praised God for His greatness. He remembered how God answered him...

I turned around to face the sink as my husband brushed by me into the garage. I wanted to discuss when we would sit down for dinner, but he was busy working on a project. His curt response cut me to the quick. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll fend for myself this week,” he...

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 Sometimes I wonder how many...

“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.” - Psalm 24:3-4 What specific triggers or “pressure places”...

He invited Jesus to dinner, not recognizing who his dinner guest really was. She was uninvited but went to the dinner anyway to worship and honor the One who had the power to save her soul. Both had been blind Simon, the Pharisee, was blind due to his pride. The woman...

She just needed a reminder… School had been tough. Too many tests mixed with middle school drama and this girl of mine was ready to tap out for the week. She entered my car with her shoulders down from either the strain of her backpack or the strain from her day…both...

When Jesus claimed to be the bread of life, it shocked His listeners. Many disciples left Him after He made this claim. In order to better understand the weight of what Jesus meant when He said, “I am the bread of life,” let’s look a little deeper at the events...

Do you get frustrated with your sin? Do you ever get tired of failing? Do you look at yourself and wish you were more godly or righteous? The Bible uses hunger and thirst to describe our spiritual state. We know what it feels like to be thirsty or to want something to...

We are a divided people aren’t we? If we turn on the television or log onto social media, and it doesn’t take long to see the clamoring of differing opinions. And what we see on TV or read online is not so different from what is happening in our own smaller...

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. Mathew 11:29 The Lord has invited us into a partnership with Him. He wants to co-labor with us....

Meekness is not a word we use very often. Many believe that meekness means weakness. It doesn’t. It also does not mean spinelessness or indecisiveness. It does not mean to be polite or timid or even naturally kind and soft spoken. So what is meekness? Matthew Henry...

When was the last time your expectations were shattered? We all have expectations of how our lives should go. We prepare. We make sacrifices. We move forward with our plans. But even our best intentions can end with our world turned upside. Jesus realized they wanted...

Kintsugi. I only learned about this recently, but it’s the Japanese tradition of repairing broken pottery using liquid gold, silver or platinum. The precious metals forever demonstrate the site of prior cracks, but their presence creates wholeness and adds value to...

We Come Desperate for You “Thunderously, inarguably, the Sermon on the Mount proves that before God we all stand on level ground: murderers and temper-throwers, adulterers and lusters, thieves and coveters. We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state...

There was a time in my life that my heart was empty and seeking love and acceptance, but never found it. I was so lost. I was raised in a family and community that girls and women don’t have the right to express themselves. Girls have to obey the rules, otherwise,...