Sure happiness is the porterhouse of those who own their need to improve daily. #Blessed Matt. 5:3 #Godsparadoxes
Happy are we, who know we haven't yet arrived. We walk into the doorway of the kingdom of heaven and are filled with joy to understand our new-found position in Christ, for seeing the "New Creation" sign on the lintel of the doorpost. However, with time soon pride steps in and we are overcome with a sense of over-significance. We look back to see the "Under Construction" sign. Moral poverty, which led us to cry with the publican "Be merciful to me a sinner," soon gave way to over-confidence and a bloated self-concept. God used life to drop kick us into knowing once more our spiritual poverty and need to improve in so many dimensions. Poverty revealed in so many compartments of our lives makes us reckon with our moral helplessness apart from God's grace and is a conduit God uses to help us just as he can use riches to similar end to help us improve our state of affairs and happen on abiding happiness for our due diligence.
The poor in spirit are those, who aren't overcome by a sense of over-significance because of their place in God's economy.
They know they haven't arrived; they know moral bankruptcy in different dimensions of their lives and live committed to living more wholeheartedly for improving in those areas.
those who feel within them, the opposite of having enough, and of wanting nothing in a moral point of view; to whom, consequently, the condition of moral poverty and helplessness is a familiar thing,—as the praying publican, Luke 18:10 (the opposite in Revelation 3:17; 1 Corinthians 4:8), was such a poor man. Meyer's NT Commentary
The greater part of mankind are insensible of this their condition; but think themselves rich, and increased with goods: there are some who are sensible of it, who see their poverty and want, freely acknowledge it, bewail it, and mourn over it; are humbled for it, and are broken under a sense of it; entertain low and mean thoughts of themselves; seek after the true riches, both of grace and glory; and frankly acknowledge, that all they have, or hope to have, is owing to the free grace of God. Now these are the persons intended in this place; who are not only "poor", but are poor "in spirit"; in their own spirits, in their own sense, apprehension, and judgment: and may even be called "beggars", as the word may be rendered; for being sensible of their poverty, they place themselves at the door of mercy, and knock there; their language is, "God be merciful"; their posture is standing, watching, and waiting, at wisdom's gates, and at the posts of her door; they are importunate, will have no denial, yet receive the least favour with thankfulness.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Blessed are the {a} poor in {b} spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(a) Under the name of poverty are meant all the miseries, that are joined with poverty.(b) Whose minds and spirits are brought under control, and tamed, and obey God.
Geneva Study Bible
Verse 3. - Blessed (μακάριοι); Vulgate, beati; hence "Beatitudes." The word describes "the poor in spirit," etc., not as recipients of blessing (εὐλογημένοι) from God, or even from men, but as possessors of "happiness" (cf. the Authorized Version of John 13:17, and frequently). It describes them in reference to their inherent state, not to the gifts or the rewards that they receive. Pulpit Commentary
They may not know gift or reward till the afterlife; but their blessing in this life is that in their improving daily they become permanent possessors of happiness.
Happy are we, who know we haven't yet arrived. We walk into the doorway of the kingdom of heaven and are filled with joy to understand our new-found position in Christ, for seeing the "New Creation" sign on the lintel of the doorpost. However, with time soon pride steps in and we are overcome with a sense of over-significance. We look back to see the "Under Construction" sign. Moral poverty, which led us to cry with the publican "Be merciful to me a sinner," soon gave way to over-confidence and a bloated self-concept. God used life to drop kick us into knowing once more our spiritual poverty and need to improve in so many dimensions. Poverty revealed in so many compartments of our lives makes us reckon with our moral helplessness apart from God's grace and is a conduit God uses to help us just as he can use riches to similar end to help us improve our state of affairs and happen on abiding happiness for our due diligence.
The poor in spirit are those, who aren't overcome by a sense of over-significance because of their place in God's economy.
They know they haven't arrived; they know moral bankruptcy in different dimensions of their lives and live committed to living more wholeheartedly for improving in those areas.
those who feel within them, the opposite of having enough, and of wanting nothing in a moral point of view; to whom, consequently, the condition of moral poverty and helplessness is a familiar thing,—as the praying publican, Luke 18:10 (the opposite in Revelation 3:17; 1 Corinthians 4:8), was such a poor man. Meyer's NT Commentary
The greater part of mankind are insensible of this their condition; but think themselves rich, and increased with goods: there are some who are sensible of it, who see their poverty and want, freely acknowledge it, bewail it, and mourn over it; are humbled for it, and are broken under a sense of it; entertain low and mean thoughts of themselves; seek after the true riches, both of grace and glory; and frankly acknowledge, that all they have, or hope to have, is owing to the free grace of God. Now these are the persons intended in this place; who are not only "poor", but are poor "in spirit"; in their own spirits, in their own sense, apprehension, and judgment: and may even be called "beggars", as the word may be rendered; for being sensible of their poverty, they place themselves at the door of mercy, and knock there; their language is, "God be merciful"; their posture is standing, watching, and waiting, at wisdom's gates, and at the posts of her door; they are importunate, will have no denial, yet receive the least favour with thankfulness.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Blessed are the {a} poor in {b} spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(a) Under the name of poverty are meant all the miseries, that are joined with poverty.(b) Whose minds and spirits are brought under control, and tamed, and obey God.
Geneva Study Bible
Verse 3. - Blessed (μακάριοι); Vulgate, beati; hence "Beatitudes." The word describes "the poor in spirit," etc., not as recipients of blessing (εὐλογημένοι) from God, or even from men, but as possessors of "happiness" (cf. the Authorized Version of John 13:17, and frequently). It describes them in reference to their inherent state, not to the gifts or the rewards that they receive. Pulpit Commentary
They may not know gift or reward till the afterlife; but their blessing in this life is that in their improving daily they become permanent possessors of happiness.
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