The Beatitudes

Our passage this week is the well-known, often quoted Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus outlines the “The Beatitudes”- attributes of the heart and actions of the person who lives as though Jesus is their Lord and Savior.  Do we immediately obtain these attributes after accepting Jesus’ grace?  I didn’t.

The first item in a list is often the most important or the beginning step.  This certainly holds true for the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”.  Those who are poor in spirit are those who live like nothing on this earth will satisfy the way Jesus does, they continually acknowledge their need for Him and realize they are unable to live the life the Creator desires for them apart from Him.  Unfortunately, there are days when I behave as if that new, sparkling, “must-have” thing will satisfy me more than Jesus. 

I didn’t become “poor in spirit” or “meek” or “merciful” automatically at conversion.  But, my desire to put Jesus first, to be meek and merciful and hunger for righteousness grows in strength when I stay near Him, when I’m in the Word, when I’m giving him praise for the many blessings and when I’m spending time with the body of Christ.  Conversely, if I’m walking away from His Kingdom, when I’m pursuing things the world claims will bring happiness, my desires for these attributes are weakened.  Are you walking into God’s Kingdom or away from it?  My prayer is for Jesus to produce a poverty of spirit in all of us.

Brenda Wooff