Matthew 5:3
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The Beatitudes open with a seeming contradiction. How can it be blessed – in the culture of the time, rich or wealthy – to be poor?
Is this verse talking about poverty? In a sense, but not just about money and earthly goods, because it says, “in spirit”. Those who have let go of their own self-confidence, who have realised that they come to God with nothing in their empty hands to recommend them, these are the poor in spirit.
And God in His graciousness sees this poverty, and pours out the riches of His kingdom, namely, the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you!
By the Spirit, the kingdom is always with you, and you are always in the kingdom. By the Spirit we can know the riches of God’s love.
What a marvellous exchange – Jesus the King left His inheritance, emptied Himself and humbled Himself, that we may share in the riches of sonship and become joint heirs with Him in the Kingdom.
Blessed indeed are we! Today be assured that you can depend on the riches of grace, and that whatever the day or week brings, you can look at it with the eyes of a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
Nicole Davenport
