8Sep10 The Beatitudes and the Anti-beatitudes

- This is part of a series that has been adapted from my study of A. W. Tozer’s spiritual classic, The Pursuit of God. -

The Beatitudes

• Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

• Blessed are the gentle (or meek, or humble), for they shall inherit the earth.

• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

• Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

• Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

• Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

• Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• Blessed are you when people cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Anti-beatitudes

• Blessed are the “masters-of-the-universe” who assume that the whole world revolves around them.

• Blessed are the pleasure seekers, the party animals, and the 15-minutes-of-fame wannabes.

• Blessed are the arrogant, the self-absorbed, and the “my-way- or-the-highway” gang.

• Blessed are those whose sport cars display a bumper sticker that says, “He who dies with the most toys wins.”

• Blessed are the cruel, the vicious, and the terrorists who devote their best energy to creative destruction.

• Blessed are the smut peddlers, the artisans of perversion, and those who deface every good thing they touch.

• Blessed are the quarrelsome, the vengeful, and the gangsters always spoiling for a fight.

• Blessed are the guilty who never get caught, or if they do, get off on a technicality.

• Blessed are the trash-talkers, the bullies, and those who start false rumors. May they strut around, confident in the fact that they are entitled to whatever they can get, and allowed to push their way to the front of the line.