Matthew 5:3

The Sermon on the Mount, perhaps the best face forward oration from Jesus where He lays before us the governing principles of His Kingdom. Most of you have hear countless modern sermons trying to bring light to these words. There are hundreds of books written on it and how it should apply to our life. So why is what it teaches us still so foreign to our daily lives. Oh sure we can recite it, quote it, give out the address of it at a moments notice but what impact has Jesus' sermon really had on your life?

Join me today as we start to look at this sermon and what it means about our daily walk with Christ. Lets begin with just the B-attitudes. Read the first one in each version:

5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (NIV)

5:3 "You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule." (The Message)

5:3 "Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!" (The Amplified)

I have heard this and read this many many times. And every version gives a bit different picture in my mind. So, how about you? What does it mean to be poor in spirit? The word "poor" here is the Greek word "ptochos" which means to be reduced to begging, desolate of wealth, and lacking in anything. And in this context the word spirit "pneuma" is your soul, the part of you that gives life to your flesh.

So, this is what I get from these different translations and the word study. The Lord will bless you when your soul is at the point of crying out for Him and only Him, where you are reduced to seeking Him like a person begging for a meal. Where you cry out to Him as your ONE Lord and King. It is at that point that He gives you the understanding of His Kingdom and how it works right here and right now. Not some time in the future not some time after your body dies and you go to Heaven. It is at this point that He will open your eyes to the very truth of how to walk in the Kingdom of Heaven right in this very present day.

Blessed are you when you reach the point where your soul longs for Him above all else, that is when you find the Kingdom of God.

Proverbs 3:5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.
Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
your wine vats will brim over.
But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline;
don't sulk under his loving correction.
It's the child he loves that God corrects;
a father's delight is behind all this. (The Message)