“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)The blessed life is not merely being fortunate or successful; it is a life approved by God. That is the heartbeat of the Beatitudes. Jesus is not handing us slogans; He is describing what the children of God actually look like as His work takes root within. We move up the staircase of the Beatitudes from how we inter...

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)When Jesus speaks of the "pure in heart" in Matthew 5:8, He's describing someone who has experienced at least four essential heart transfor...

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)We're experts at diagnosing the wrong problem. We look at our lives – the places we go, the things we see, the words we speak – and think we have a behavior problem. "If only I could stop doing this," we tell ourselves. "If only I could start...

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank." (Daniel 1:8)The pure in heart don't drift into purity; they decide beforehand. They don't accidentally maintain integrity in a corrupt culture; they purpose to remain undefiled. Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." An...

"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" (John 3:3)Have you ever wondered why some people can look at a sunset and see only colors and clouds, while others see the signature of God? The difference isn't in what they're looking at, but in how they see. Jesus told Nicodemus: "Unless one is born again, he cannot see ...