“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 )
In Matthew 5, we find a sermon given by Jesus. He describes the characteristics of blessed people. At first glance, these characteristics seem strange. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, … those who mourn, … the meek, … those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” Even “those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” are called blessed! (verse 10).
Those people do not always enjoy earthly pleasures. On the contrary, their lives might be really hard! But they are blessed in Christ “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3). Moreover, they await a glorious future, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, “they shall receive mercy” and “they shall see God” (verses 3, 7, 8, 10). Through faith in Jesus Christ, their relationship with God has been restored. That results in a state of well-being that goes beyond all earthly happiness, and that surpasses all our imaginations.
Please read Jesus’ sermon for yourself – it is written down in Matthew 5:1-12. Do these characteristics apply to you? Are you “blessed”, because you live in communion with God?