40 Days with Jesus - 36

Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days with Jesus  (Red Letter Edition)
Day 36 | HUMILITY
HUMILITY
 
Matthew 5:3
“Blessed are the poor in spirit.” 


The Sermon on the Mount is probably the most well-known of all the sermons or teachings that Jesus delivered. It’s recorded in Matthew chapters 5-7. I find it interesting that the first phrase Matthew records from that lengthy message is: “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (KJV)

In the modern NLT – “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

This is a good example of how reading a verse in more than one translation can help clarify what the verse is trying to teach us.

Think about how many people today – here and around the world – are, as the common phrase goes, “full of themselves,” which is the opposite of being “poor in spirit.”

The Amplified Bible says it this way: “Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever]."

Jesus was speaking out against the arrogance of the Jewish leaders who were full of themselves and looked down on anyone not a Pharisee or Sadducee like they were.

Jesus taught that the path to heavenly blessedness and happiness is the opposite of the worldly way most people follow… both then and now.

Being “poor in spirit" contrasts with the attitude of “self-sufficiency," which is very common today. That mindset is what prevents many from bowing at the feet of Jesus and trusting in Him alone for their forgiveness, salvation, and redemption. Becoming a Christian is simple, but for many, it’s not easy.  

Prayer: LORD, thank You for providing a way for me and everyone else to be born again and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
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