“Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”
Our team devotions this past month have been focused on the beginning verses of the Sermon on the Mount. The setting was on a hillside in Galilee. Many people had been following Jesus as he began teaching them about the good news of the kingdom, along with healing every disease and sickness among the people brought to him from all over Syria. The news was spreading. Large crowds eagerly awaited him everywhere they went. Trying to find some time alone to share with his close followers was becoming hard. So after finding a quiet meadow to sit down and rest, Jesus began this long discourse on what would be required of the disciples if they were to become a part of this kingdom of heaven. After asking several team members what being poor in spirit meant, the answers varied. Several said it appeared to be a trick question. In context, poor really means happy. So, another way to word this verse could be, Blessed are the spiritually prosperous. The next two verses say, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.’ In light of being in Haiti, many new thoughts and comments about people mourning and being meek ensued. It is one thing to mourn over friends and family back home when something goes wrong. But what did Jesus really mean by telling us to be poor in spirit, to mourn, and to be meek? A long time missionary to Haiti named Bertha Holdeman said these verses meant to her the following: Those who have such a reverent lowliness of spirit that their legacy is God’s earth and its needs. She also added this comment to what it meant to be poor in spirit, to mourn and to be meek: Your gate to heart can never open to let compassion flow through it if pride is the gatekeeper. After Granny died, a book was written to record her many thoughts and stories about Haiti. It is now out of print, but copies can be found on Amazon by searching for Beyond All This. I think the following photos will summarize thoughts about what Jesus meant to be poor in spirit, to mourn, and to be meek! Children are a window of what God intended for us to be. A simple, childlike faith is what I think Jesus meant when he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Have a great Sunday in the Lord.
Our team devotions this past month have been focused on the beginning verses of the Sermon on the Mount. The setting was on a hillside in Galilee. Many people had been following Jesus as he began teaching them about the good news of the kingdom, along with healing every disease and sickness among the people brought to him from all over Syria. The news was spreading. Large crowds eagerly awaited him everywhere they went. Trying to find some time alone to share with his close followers was becoming hard. So after finding a quiet meadow to sit down and rest, Jesus began this long discourse on what would be required of the disciples if they were to become a part of this kingdom of heaven. After asking several team members what being poor in spirit meant, the answers varied. Several said it appeared to be a trick question. In context, poor really means happy. So, another way to word this verse could be, Blessed are the spiritually prosperous. The next two verses say, ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.’ In light of being in Haiti, many new thoughts and comments about people mourning and being meek ensued. It is one thing to mourn over friends and family back home when something goes wrong. But what did Jesus really mean by telling us to be poor in spirit, to mourn, and to be meek? A long time missionary to Haiti named Bertha Holdeman said these verses meant to her the following: Those who have such a reverent lowliness of spirit that their legacy is God’s earth and its needs. She also added this comment to what it meant to be poor in spirit, to mourn and to be meek: Your gate to heart can never open to let compassion flow through it if pride is the gatekeeper. After Granny died, a book was written to record her many thoughts and stories about Haiti. It is now out of print, but copies can be found on Amazon by searching for Beyond All This. I think the following photos will summarize thoughts about what Jesus meant to be poor in spirit, to mourn, and to be meek! Children are a window of what God intended for us to be. A simple, childlike faith is what I think Jesus meant when he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Have a great Sunday in the Lord.
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