"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."--Matthew 5:3

No, I have not died. No, I am not in another country (although it kind of feels like I am), and no, I haven't been banished. I am in Michigan attending Seminary. School is starting again and I have spent the last few months preparing and studying for entrance exams.

One of those exams requires memorizing various verses in the Bible. The ten commandments in Exodus 2o, Psalm 23, the three angels messages in Revelation, and the Beatitudes in Matthew. As I was memorizing the Beatitudes, I realized that there is a lot that could be saved and that has been said on each Beatitude. So I thought that I would give each Beatitude a shot and talk a little bit about each.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Many people may think that this means the poor. While I believe the poor are included in this statement, I don't believe that Jesus is just talking about the poor. So what does the phrase "poor in spirit" mean? How does one become poor in spirit?

I think that the phrase means people who realize their need for God, who realize that they can't do it without God's help. Now the word poor can at first be misleading. When we think of the definition of poor we think of someone who is lacking in something, whether it be money or something else. However, I do not believe that this is not the case. There is a definition of poor we are missing. Poor in spirit could mean humble.

To be humble means to realize that we cannot do it on our own. To be humble is to realize that we are sinful human beings and that the only way good can come of us is through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is what it means to be poor in spirit, we are humble.

I was humbled earlier this week. In one of my exams I did rather poorly. It has been a very humbling experience for me, and a learning experience. I realized that I can not do anything on my own, and that without the help of God, I am pretty much done for. That is humbling.

And what is our reward? The kingdom of heaven is our reward. We receive everlasting life. That is something to look forward to isn't it? I hope that God will continue to work in my life and yours, and teach us each to be humble.