When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. Then He began to teach them, saying, “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].
--Parallel verses:
Ephesians 2:4-5
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
I once met a man who was not well educated or very smart; he was a laborer — and very happy and thoughtful. What I noticed about Jim, although he was quite poor and his wife was sick, was he seemed genuinely content and always had a warm greeting for me. He would give you the shirt off his back. Jim was a man who was poor in spirit. He did not think too highly of himself.
In order to be poor in spirit, it is important to remember the depth of darkness from which we were rescued in our sin. And the massive, amazing grace of God is the only thing that could save us. The beautiful thing about a person who can get past themselves and be humble and thoughtful in relating to others is … they are invitees into the kingdom of heaven.
In essence, they follow God obediently, understand his mercy and grace for them, and they become defenders of mercy and grace to others.
Lord, thank you for this teaching, highlighting those who think of others above themselves. You reward those precious souls who humbly and graciously act out of grace and mercy!
