Poverty of spirit is needed for victorious Christian living. The poor in spirit humbly acknowledge their sin, turn away from it and mature. The self-righteous, on the other hand, boast about their good works, don’t acknowledge their sin, and remain in it.

Isaiah 57:15 says, “Thus says the high and exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is Holy, ‘I will dwell on a high and holy place and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” David said “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.” (Ps.51:27)

Thank God today that when you come to Him in humility and contrition, He hears you and ministers to your needs. That’s where true joy begins!

Sorrow over sin leads to comfort, peace and victory.  People have sorrow over many things in this life, and believers are assured of God’s sustaining and comforting grace during those times (2 Cor. 1:3-4). What Jesus was referring to in Matthew 5:4 is godly sorrow, which comes with mourning over your sin. Since no one is always righteous (Ps.13:2,3;Rom.3:10-12), believers still live with the presence and effects of sin in and around us.

Grief over our sins is an essential step towards a victorious life, because only in Christ can we find complete forgiveness, victory and peace. David said “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long, for day and night Your hand was heavy upon me. My vitality failed as with the dry heat of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not hide my guilt. I said, ‘I will confess my wrongdoings to the Lord,’ and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.” (Psalm 32:3-5) In the same Psalm, he says, “How blessed is he whose wrongdoing is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is a person whose guilt the Lord does not take into account, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! (Psalm 32:1,2)

Christians often take our forgiveness in Christ for granted. We know we are forgiven of all our sins and will go to Heaven one day. Our confidence in our forgiveness can lead us to take God’s grace in vain, and continue to do the things we know we shouldn’t do. God calls us to mourn over our sin to the point of repentance, for our sake and His glory. Paul said “For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death.” (2 Cor.7:10)

Examine your heart today to see if there is any continual, sinful way in you. Confess it, choose to forsake it, then rejoice and be comforted that you are forgiven, the sin is forgotten, and that God, in His faithfulness, will purify your heart and lead you in the everlasting way!

Meekness is one of the defining qualities of the follower of Christ.  The Greek word translated “meek” in Matthew 5:5 speaks of showing humility, gentleness, patience, non-retaliation, and strength under control. Our society would equate meekness with cowardice or weakness, yet Jesus gave us the perfect example of humble strength under control by not lashing out when He was falsely accused. He even identified Himself as meek in Matthew 29:11, when He said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and humble in spirit . . .”

Seeking meekness is seeking to be like Christ. The reward is not only the peace that comes from the blessings of following Christ’s example, but those who persevere in meekness will inherit the Earth. The Greek word “inherit” means “to receive on allotted portion.” Jesus is saying the Earth will belong to the gentle, meek and humble. God will someday establish His kingdom on Earth, and every believer will reign with Him. Proud, self-righteous people, however, won’t qualify. Just as we will inherit eternal life by persevering to the end with Jesus, we will inherit the Earth and reign with Him in His Earthly kingdom (Rev.2:16) That inheritance is secure and goes far beyond a name being carried on or money a family member may leave behind, because the honor and name of Jesus will be exalted above all, forevermore.

Seek to be all that He wants you to be, and take joy in the blessings of a life of meekness and the assurance that you will inherit the Earth and reign with Him forever in His kingdom!

If you take a stand for Christ and manifest the Beatitude attitudes, you will be in direct opposition to the devil and the world system, and eventually you will encounter some sort of persecution.

The Beatitudes end with what happens when people mock, persecute and slander those who take a stand for Christ. It is the exclamation point to all the previous Beatitudes. Jesus said, “A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20) The persecution you receive for proclaiming Christ is really aimed at Him.

When you suffer for Christ’s sake, thank Him for that privilege, remembering how much He suffered for you. Ask God to continually grant you grace to follow Christ’s example when trials come your way, and pray for those who treat you unkindly, asking God to forgive them and grant them His grace.

God will give grace and reward the person who takes a stand for Him. 1 Peter 5:10 says. “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered for a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

You can rejoice and take heart when you go through times of suffering for Christ’s sake and find comfort because the Lord went through it too, and He understands how hard it can be. He will give you His abounding grace to help you persevere and mature you through it.