Matthew 5-10.23.21

SCRIPTURE:

Matthew 5:3

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..."

OBSERVATION:

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them the beatitudes. The key lessons from the sermon on the mount describe the traits that Jesus desires for all of His followers to have.

UNDERSTANDING:

Because the beatitudes are contrary to society's typical way of life, following them can be very challenging UNLESS we rely on the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

At first glance, we may think that the Scripture, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" is contrary to how God wants us. Doesn't God want us to be rich in spirit, not poor?

Jesus said that there is a spiritual poverty that He wants us to seek. When we are humble before God, (recognizing our own spiritual emptiness and poverty), it makes it easier for us to understand what He means by being poor in spirit. "Often the richer we are in things, the poorer we are in our hearts." (Billy Graham). When we come to the Lord, we must realize that spiritual pride is something God opposes, but when we humble ourselves before God, He gives us... grace!

LIFE APPLICATION:

Lord, I repent of my self-sufficiency. I pray that my heart will be humble before You. I yearn for You, and hunger and thirst for more of You. Thank You for the spiritual fulfillment that comes from obeying You, and applying Your Word to our lives. I pray I will depend more and more on the power of the Holy Spirit to guide my life, and that Your love will be reflected in and through me. I also pray that I will demonstrate the beautiful qualities that come from living according to Your beatitudes.

-Robin Orefice