The way down is the way up Matthew 5:1-12 is known as the
Beatitudes and speaks of the qualities of the Christian life. The first 4
beatitudes focus on our relationship with God and the next 4 focus on our
relationship with each other. The first beatitude in v3 and the last beatitude in
v10 ends with the same reward which is the Kingdom of heaven. So these verses
focus on life in the kingdom of heaven and the qualities which God grows in us.
Some of the translations use the word happy instead of blessed. Jesus is not
declaring how people feel but rather he is making an objective statement about
what God thinks of them. Blessed means that people have God’s favour on their
lives. So being blessed is the pronouncement of what we are - approved. Blessed
indicates that the smile of God is upon us. These beatitudes are not something
we achieve through our own strength and power. Like all obedience and growth
in godliness it is brought about by faith in God and His promises and is the
fruit of His Spirit. This is why the first beatitude about being poor in spirit is
absolutely critical to the rest. Being poor in spirit means that we see our
spiritual poverty and this is when we are open to depending on God and not on
ourselves. Progress in the Christian life begins by humbling ourselves and
seeing that we are spiritually needy. The second beatitude is about mourning
or crying over our sin with the promise of being comforted. As we see our sin
God promises to comfort us as we mourn over our sin. He comforts us by
providing forgiveness of sins and granting us peace - Romans 5:1 and removing
condemnation from us Romans 8:1. Each of these beatitudes build on one
another and they are all a work of God’s grace in us ! Jesus speaks about the
importance of being poor in spirit in another way - For all those who exalt
themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted -
Luke 18:14 God’s Blessing - Rev David O’Mara Continue Reading..