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

[I apologize for not updating this blog recently. I have been going through some very busy personal times and have let this slide. I hope to post more regularly in the future.]

I wanted to take a look at the Beatitudes. It occurred to me recently that the Beatitudes are a perspective adjustment. They came at the very beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus used them to set the tone for the teaching he was going to give the crowd and to get their attention. The Beatitudes must have been a shock to his listeners because they represent ideas so different from those the world held then and now. Jesus wanted to turn the people from the world's attitude and perspective to God's. So I want to look at the Beatitudes in that context. Let's see the perspective God wants us to have as it compares to the attitude the world has. The Beatitudes deal with blessings. They define who is blessed in the eyes of God and who is blessed in the eyes of man. And there is a big difference.

The first Beatitude is about "the poor in spirit," but what does that mean? Think of the poor in spirit as the opposite of haughty or high-spirited. The poor in spirit recognize that they need a savior. They know that they need God to help them, to guide them and build them up. The poor in spirit recognize that they can't do it all themselves, that they must lean on God for direction and strength.

The world recognizes no value in being poor in spirit. The world sees this as a curse rather than a blessing. The world would say: "Blessed are the confident and self-reliant, those who can take care of themselves." In fact, if there were a version of this beatitude in the world's gospel it would be: "Cursed are the poor in spirit, for they need more self esteem."

The world does not teach us to depend on God. It teaches us that we have to be able to depend on ourselves for everything. We set our own direction for our lives. We set our own standards. If it doesn't seem wrong to us, then it isn't wrong. We have to follow our dreams, do it our way and look out for number one. The world values the haughty. It looks up to them, admires them and urges us to emulate them. We are to be independent in all things.

God knows that this is impossible. Haughtiness is temporary. The haughty are always brought down. We can't be independent. We can't do whatever we want. We will mess up our lives. We need to depend on God for guidance, standards, and endurance. Genuine success isn't found in doing it on our own until we crash and burn. It means recognizing that we need to depend on God and grow in our relationship with him so that we stay within his will for us.

What a crushing burden it is to be self-reliant, to know you can only depend on yourself, to have your own capabilities as the limit of your strength, wisdom and resources. Think of the horrible weight of being responsible for everything. We don’t have to shoulder that weight. Jesus frees us from it here. We can put it down, let God carry it and we are free to enjoy the kingdom of heaven.

That’s the reward this beatitude promises us. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Our world doesn't even look for the kingdom of heaven. We look for our own material utopia here on earth, usually through wealth. But look what we get for being poor in spirit. We get the kingdom of heaven. This isn't some cheap knock-off success like jet-setting to glamour spots around the world. This is the actual kingdom of heaven, a life full of the very riches God has designed especially for us to make our life the best it can be. And we get it now. Jesus doesn't say for theirs will be the kingdom of heaven. He says for theirs "is" the kingdom of heaven.

When we rely on God rather than on ourselves, we get the kingdom of heaven now, not just after we die and actually go to heaven. We get to live in the kingdom of heaven because we have a relationship with God and walk with him. We have access to his blessings now. We are so very blessed to be poor in spirit!