Tuesday 3/7/12

Matthew 5:3 ESV

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

This is the first verse on the Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5,6,7, the heart and soul of Jesus' teaching and the tenets of Christian'd living.

In this verse, Jesus praised the poor in spirit, and asserted that God loves them and heaven belongs to them. The poor in spirit, as opposed to the proud & head strong mighty, are those who are humble and know that they need God, and are willing to listen. They are peaceful & avoid violence or exploiting. They are like the sheep who God is happy to be their shepherd, not the wayward goat or the violent wolf.

The poor in spirit - the world looks down on them, but God blesses them and gives them heaven.