Jesus says something very similar in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:10, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

In the opening line of the book of Psalms, the psalmist declares, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” The psalmist teaches that those who trust in God and walk in his ways are blessed. But what does it mean to be blessed?

For many of us, when we hear the word blessing, our first inclination is to think of material success and personal well-being. If a person tells us they were blessed last year, our minds will interpret this to mean that they did well financially or that they didn’t have many challenges in their personal life. When we hear the word blessing, we usually equate it with a secular definition of prosperity.

It’s easy to see why we think this way. In the Old Covenant, God’s blessings often came in the form of material success and personal well-being. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Moses describes the covenant blessings God’s people would experience if they followed God’s commandments. These blessings were largely material blessings. For example, in 28:4 Moses declares, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock” (Deut. 28:4). God’s blessing can come in the form of material well-being.

However, as we come to the New Testament, we are confronted with a new reality.

Read More