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Devotion One
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt.
5:3)
First of all, let me clarify this word "blessed"; It is to be "highly favored"
by God; to be extremely happy because we are highly favored. When God proclaims
someone to be blessed, they are blessed indeed; there is no greater blessing
that can be obtained anywhere, or by anyone. Please keep this thought in mind
as we see those whom our Great God chooses to bless, as Ahasuerus asked concerning
Mordecai, "What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour?"
(Est. 6:6) These are those that God "delighteth to honor."
Now, the phrase "Poor in spirit": This speaks of humility. God loveth a humble
spirit. Humility gets the attention of God, as pride is pushed down and self
is abased. The promise for humility? The inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Much can be said for a lowly spirit, and many great things have been done because
of this attitude, because it moves us out of the way, and let's God work. God
will honor humility, in fact, He loves it. The humble man then, is blessed indeed,
because God knows that He can use such a man as this.
The truly humble man hardly knows he is humble. Pride sets in very easily,
and as soon we consider ourselves to be humble, it has a foothold in our attitude.
Humility, then, does not come by trying to appear humble, or from striving to
be humble, but from a realization of who God is, and who we are. The key factor
is, the better we know the Lord, the better we see ourselves, and dislike what
we see. It all focuses around Christ.
The "kingdom of Heaven" has more to with Christ and redemption, while the "kingdom
of God" covers a wider range of thinking. The latter entails all that is godly,
all that pertains to the things of God. This may be the church, a particular
body of believers, or a range of influence and jurisdiction. The kingdom of
Heaven refers to Heaven only, while the "kingdom of God" includes the kingdom
of Heaven, and more. As we study these Beatitudes, let us think of it this way;
the kingdom of God has more to with this life and our associations here, as
well as the hereafter, and therefore affects us as the Church of God today.
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