"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Results not goals. I cannot decide that I am going to work at being poor in spirit today the way I decided which shirt I was going to take out of my closet this morning. These are the hallmarks of one who has entered fully into living out the Kingdom of God in the here and now. Another observation comes to mind; that this is the descriptive of one who is living in the righteousness, peace and joy of the Kingdom. (Rom. 14:17)
Two questions come to mind 1) What does it mean to be poor in spirit for example? 2) Does the Sermon on the Mount give me any guidance in the process of becoming one who lives my daily life in the Kingdom? I think that the passage quoted above will lead me to the answers to the 1st question while the balance of the Sermon leads to answers to the 2nd.
Today's readings in the Psalms:
Morning: Psalm 69
Mid-day: 119:49-56
Evening: Psalm 145
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