“They might be mistaken for a shopping list for the soul, just a list of eight virtues to pick up before we leave the store. But they’re not… In fact, they’re like rungs on an eight-foot ladder… Each one of these beatitudes taught everyone in the first century (and still teaches everyone in the twenty-first century) how to be blessed.” –An excerpt from Blessed Are
In his recent book, Blessed Are: A Practical Look at the Beatitudes, author L. J. Harry goes through the Beatitudes, starting with “blessed are the poor in spirit.” I appreciated that each of the eight Beatitudes had their own chapter, and the author expounded on what Jesus was saying when he was talking about the Beatitudes on the mountain.
The author has a way of sharing personal stories that connect to the Beatitudes he’s talking about. There were funny stories, and there were moments in the book so great I had to highlight several quotes.
Here are three of the quotes that I highlighted:
- “Our lives should make others around us thirsty to be filled with the same One who fills us.”
- “There’s no reason for you to load on your back what Jesus already carried on His.”
- “The poor in spirit don’t demand anything of God. He doesn’t owe us anything; we owe Him everything. The poor in spirit understand we won’t always understand.”
Chapter 11 “Blessed Are the Persecuted” impacted me in such a deep way as the author explained that ten out of the twelve disciples were persecuted because of their faith. While I was reading this chapter, I thought “Could I be like the disciples and die for my faith?” The persecutor would say to the people they were persecuting, “If you just reproach Christ, you can live.” I hope that if I face persecution, I will stay strong in my faith and be like Peter and Andrew. This chapter will make you stop and think, Am I truly a follower of Jesus?
I learned that being poor in spirit is more of how you look at things in life and how you respond to things. When you don’t get the job you’ve been wanting or the miracle you’ve been waiting for, will you show up on Sunday and worship God with everything you have? At the end of the day, people who are poor in spirit know that they wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for God.
I’ve learned so much about the Beatitudes. I can tell that the author did his research and studied a lot before he wrote this book. This needs to be on your bookshelf. I can’t wait to see what author L. J. Harry writes next!
This is a book review by Lacey Pate. Lacey is an avid reader and loves to strengthen herself with Christian literature. As expressed above, Lacey digs into books like these that provide practical direction in applying God’s Word to life’s situations. To find out more about Blessed Are, please follow this link: https://pentecostalpublishing.com/products/a-practical-look-at-the-beatitudes