Pastor Tom Grieb continues our sermon series "From the Mount."

We are indeed a blessed people.  God is constantly at work to shower his blessings upon us.  What is key to all of that is a heart ready to receive those blessings.

Jesus speaks to the tie between experiencing God’s blessings and the disposition of the heart in what are called the Beatitudes.  The Beatitudes provide a profound introduction to the Sermon on the Mount.  They give us a lot to think about, particularly when it comes to living a “well-built” life.

When we are humble before God and others, when we are full of grief over our sin, when we exude the right kind of meekness, when we hunger and thirst for the things of God, when we show mercy, when our hearts are pure, when we work for peace, when we endure the pangs of persecution for the sake of the gospel, then we are truly blessed.  That’s just the way it is for those whose lives mirror the life of Christ.

The characteristics for those who align themselves with God’s Kingdom are just different than those espoused by the world, yet when we live them out, we are blessed to no end.