Matthew 5:3

Jesus said: “God blesses those who are poor and realise their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

This is the first of Jesus’ famous sayings at the start of his Sermon on the Mount, popularly known as the Beatitudes. It takes us right to heart of Jesus’ Good News. It’s vital that we understand what Jesus was actually saying, and also what he was not saying. He was definitely not saying that poverty is a wonderful thing, because it isn’t. Poverty is a tragic state that limits life and opportunity and causes real suffering to those who experience it.

Jesus was talking about people who realise that they are unable to cope without God. They recognise that they can only be helped by God reaching out to and blessing them. The truth is that God longs to bless everyone, but he is unable to do so until we realise our need. All the time we imagine that we can cope by ourselves, God cannot get close to us.

The wonderful thing about this saying of Jesus is that he is not promising his blessings in the distant future. His blessings come here and now to the person who is open to him. The moment we recognise our need of him, God is ready to bless us. And his blessing is to admit us to his kingdom. Once again this isn’t something distant from us but happens wherever God is allowed to be in charge. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.” God’s kingdom comes wherever we welcome God as King. That can happen in our lives right now if only we will admit that we need him, and are willing to open our lives to him.

Question

Are you willing to recognise your complete need of God today?

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I welcome you into my life. I have failed in so many ways and displeased you. Please forgive me and help me to commit every part of my life to you. Amen