He said:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn,     for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek,     for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,     for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful,     for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart,     for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers,     for they will be called children of God.REFLECTIONSWritten by Stephen SheadWe often talk about people who we think are lucky or unlucky, don’t we? Some people just seem to have things go their way in life.Well, Jesus starts his great teaching by telling us who is truly blessed, or lucky. But what he says is actually shocking! He starts by telling us that the lucky ones are basically the losers – those who are poor and sad and meek. That’s not how I normally think!But the lucky ones aren’t just poor and sad. They know God, trust him and long to be like him. They hunger and thirst to be righteous and pure like him, and to show it in the way they treat others.It sounds like crazy talk – why are these people lucky? They certainly don’t look lucky here and now.It’s because of what Jesus promises them in the future, when he returns as king. His promises are just glorious! He says the kingdom of heaven will belong to us! We will be comforted and completely satisfied! I think the one that most grabbed me was verse 8: We will see God – and I’m sure that when we experience pure closeness to God, we’ll wonder why we ever thought anything could compare to it.This passage got me wondering why Jesus begins like this. I think it’s so we have the right expectations about belonging to him. It sure won’t make life comfortable now – it’s important to have that clear. But the joy he has in store for us will make all the suffering now seem “light and momentary” (2 Corinthians 4:17). Ask God to help you keep the right expectations for this life, and to dwell on all Jesus’ promises, so that you will keep hungering to know him and become like him.ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen is our senior minister, which means he wears many hats. But one “hat” he’s really enjoying wearing at the moment is recording the Podcast version of these daily devotions. (If you would prefer to listen, subscribe using one of the links in the email or on our website.)