Monthly Meditations with Dr. Michael L. Hargett, Sr.

Matthew 5:1-12 1And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which wer

Psalm 118:1 1O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his Mercy endureth for ever. How do you give thanks to God in the midst of desperate situation? You may have lost your job. May have been given a bad medical diagnosis or maybe you are in the midst of losing a loved one. Despite what you are going through, God is still in the blessing business. Let’s take the woman in Mark Chapter 5. This woman had been suffering for a long time, just like some of you. She had a female problem, more than likely it was ovarian cancer, she was bleeding nonstop for 12 years. She went to many doctors. She spent all her money and was getting worse by the day! For all intent and purposes she was probably ready to just give up. No more money. She could not work in her condition. Husband probably left her. Children probably abandoned her. She was probably all alone in a desperate and seemingly hopeless situation. It was all over for her. She was probably told by her family just give up and

Luke 2:8-11 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, 11 Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. This year Black Friday seemed to be in all the headlines. “To help save the American economy- SHOP!” Media outlets encouraged us to get out and spend, spend, spend! “If you do have the cash then charge it!” One ad proclaimed. It pains me to see that as we begin the Season of Advent. (Advent means the arrival of an event or a person.) The birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ… All we can think about is the material aspects of our lives. What about the true meaning of Christmas. When a Wal-Mart opened in New York the day following “Thanksgiving” a man was trampled to death! A mob of people, I am sure many