Lord, I thank you for all of us who have been called to serve you by the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your call to us to present our bodies and our lives as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to you.
Thank you for making us poor in spirit, so that we were able to recognize how far we have fallen short of the holiness you have commanded us to walk in. We were truly lacking in spiritual riches when you made yourself known to us. We are grateful that you opened our eyes to that fact and that now the kingdom of heaven is ours by your grace.
Thank you for your blessings to us that have come from our mourning spiritually over the hurt we have caused you with our sinful ways and mourning over the ultimate price that was paid for our sins in you, Lord Jesus. We are also thankful for the discerning, sensitive spirit you have given us to mourn over the sinfulness of others around us. Yet in the midst of our mourning, you have blessed us with your supernatural comfort in troubled times by way of your Comforter, the Holy Spirit. We thank you for the comfort of knowing that you will never leave us nor forsake us and that you supply us with the comfort we can use to comfort others who are troubled.
Thank you for blessing us with the strength to be meek–a meekness that helps us recognize and admit our shortcomings, that helps us set aside what we want for what you have commanded, and that is willing to forgive others their wrongs. And because you have given us grace to be meek, you blessed us with inheriting the earth, so we are grateful.
Thank you for giving us a hunger and a thirst for righteousness. Our hunger and thirst leads us to long for more spiritual intimacy with you by studying and meditating on your word while living a prayerful life of obedience to you. As we hunger and thirst for more of you, Lord, you have blessed us by satisfying our hunger when you continue to reveal yourself and your will to us, which fills us.
Thank you for the blessing of making us a merciful people. You have shown us your mercy countless times and we pray your mercy will continue to abound in our hearts as it flows through us to our fellow man.
Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with a pure heart. As we continue to press toward the mark for the prize of your high calling, we know that we have been made spiritually complete through our acceptance of you, Lord Jesus. And in surrendering our lives to you as our Lord, you have cleansed us from all unrighteousness–washing us clean by your blood that was shed for our sakes. It is our pure heart that you’ve given us that makes us want to carry out your will. Lord it’s such a joy to know that because you have blessed us with a pure heart that you will bless us to one day see you in all your glory!
Thank you for blessing us with the ability to make peace. In a world that is full of wars and rumors of wars at the personal level, national level and international level, there is an urgent need for us to spread the genuine peace that only comes by knowing you, the Prince of Peace. As we share your gospel of peace in this dark world, we pray that multitudes will accept your peace which will bring down walls of resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness. We are grateful to you for your peace and for the blessing that goes with it of being called the children of God.
Thank you God for your manifold blessings when we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. When we share your gospel of peace, we know Satan and his spiritual children will come against us in every way possible to hinder the spread of your righteousness in the hearts of mankind. When their persecutions arise we thank you for the blessing of your divine protection, your wisdom, and your strength. We may be troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. In the midst of persecution, you have blessed us with the kingdom of heaven.
Thank you for blessing us when people verbally or physically attack us without justification and tell all sorts of lies about us for being a Christian. Help us to rejoice and to exceed in being glad when these things happen as we realize you have blessed us with great rewards in heaven and that we are blessed to be in the same company as your prophets who were persecuted by ungodly men way before we were born.
May these blessings in your beatitudes continue to increase in the lives of every one of your believers.
–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–
