Blessed is the man whose strength is in You. Psalm 84:5.
“Blessed are the peacemakers.” ... How many are there who are truly desirous of becoming blessed, who would not only hear but do the words of Christ? Those who will not rely upon themselves, but who will put their trust in a power out of and above themselves, will be enabled to become doers of the words of Christ....
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake” (not for their coarse, harsh spirit that leads them to stir up strife and dissension, but “for righteousness' sake”). The righteous are those who desire peace and will have peace at the cost of everything save the sacrifice of principle. Truth they cannot sacrifice, though adherence to it costs them distress, reproach, suffering, and even death. “For their's is the kingdom of heaven.” Those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake place the commandments of God first in their lives, and they allow no human policy, no promise of reward, no offer of honor, to come between them and their God. They cannot be induced to deny Christ and to betray His cause. The rich promises of God have a place in their memory, and when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against him. The Holy Spirit opens to the understanding the preciousness of the Scriptures....
The church itself needs converting so that its members may be made channels of light, may be blessed and made a blessing. A vague reliance upon God's mercy will not obtain for us access to the throne of grace or draw down the blessing from God the Father which He has provided for those who do His will. Faith must center in the Word of God, which is spirit and life. Every page of the Sacred Word is illumined with the beams of the Sun of Righteousness.
The Word of God is to be the support of the afflicted, the comfort of the persecuted. God Himself speaks to the believing, trusting soul, for God's Spirit is in His Word, and a special blessing will be received by those who accept the words of God when illuminated to their mind by the Holy Spirit. It is thus that the believer eats of Christ, the Bread of Life. Truth is seen in a new light, and the soul rejoices as in the visible presence of Christ.—Signs of the Times, October 10, 1895.
From From the Heart - Page 193
From the Heart