Having a divided heart, one that chases after anything that we think will make us happy, takes us away from the one true thing that deserves our love - the Lord.

When we make everything other than Jesus secondary, we will be blessed.

The Beatitudes are not only about changing spiritually, but also about action. Being merciful is an action of what real love is, the Jesus kind of love.

We are always looking for the next thing that will help us feel happy. But each time we reach the next thing, we run after the next thing, and are never satisfied.

The way to stop the incessant chasing, is to have the right desires.

The big idea to day is that what we need in life is more pride. Feel good about ourselves and we will thrive because of our self-confidence. But the inflation of our ego makes us sensitive and fragile, and therefore self-conscious of anything that can deflate our ego.

But when our worth is in the Lord, then meekness/humility becomes our strength.

How can those that are sad be blessed? See how God flips the script.

Jesus's world is the opposite, or the upside-down of the world we live in. Although much of his teaching might seem counterintuitive or even non-sensical in comparison to what the world holds to be true, a dive into his teachings shows us the path to true spiritual renewal and joy.

Some major themes run throughout the Bible, including that God's people are sometimes sojourners, refugees and exiles. Living like it helps us stay detached from the world.

Paul shows us that those that live by the Spirit (and no longer by the law), give grace to others as they are learning to also live by the Spirit (the currently weak).

Anxiety is limitless because we can imagine limitless possibilities of things going wrong. But when we remember that everything will end up in making back to God, we can quell our anxieties.

We will always "owe" God, but we pay it back to others. When we understand the depths of God's love for us, it frees us to love others.