Pointing to Jesus

Matthew 5:3- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus’s Sermon the Mount in Matthew 5:1-12 begins with the beatitudes, which are standards of conduct or attitudes that Christ followers should exemplify. They are attitudes that Jesus expects us to have. They  contrast with worldly values and the way the world thinks and acts. There are 8 in all.

The beatitudes all begin with the word blessed, which means happy or divinely or happily favored. When we choose these attitudes or conduct ourselves this way, we open ourselves up to receive God’s favor.

The first beatitude is “poor in spirit,” which means to be humble in spirit. It’s having the attitude that we can not do or be anything apart from God. It’s acknowledging that we need God to grow spiritually and be all that we were created to be. It is contrasted to spiritual pride and independence from God and the attitude that we can do life on our own.

Matthew 5:3 says that the reward for this humble attitude of spirit is the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is where God rules and reigns. God wants to rule and reign in our hearts and lives here on earth. He also wants us to be with Him when we pass from this earth into eternity. He rules and reigns in heaven as well, and when we give our lives over to Him in this life, we get to live with Him forever, in eternity. If you need to give your heart and life to Jesus, please read the first post of this blog entitled, First Things First. It will walk you through how to become a Christian. Then, you can read subsequent posts to learn what you should be doing and how you grow after you become a Christian.

God says that He dwells with those who are lowly and contrite in spirit. Isaiah 57:15- For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternally, whose name is holy: I will dwell in the high and holy place and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit; to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite- (humble and repentant).

The closer we are  to God and the more we know about Him, the more we should be humble. James 4:7 tells us to submit to God. James 4:8 tells us to draw near to God. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” 

Remember, it is God who gives us life, breath, and everything else, and as Christ followers, we should be depending on Him, submitting to Him and walking with Him. If we want the reward, we have to be humble.

Blessings,

Desiree