Red Letters

5:3 Beatitudes
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The kingdom of heaven, still sketchily described, is to be possessed, ruled, enjoyed, inhabited, experienced by the “poor in spirit.” The poor in spirit are those whose spirits have been broken, who are not ambitious, who are not self-important, self-absorbed, self-confident.

Brokenness and humility are the character qualities involved here. The kingdom of heaven, like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, can only be inherited by those who are willing to do it the master’s way, who don’t come in with their own ideas and methods. Christians need to allow their selves to be finely ground into a clay that can be molded by the potter -- larger sand particles can’t hold a shape like clay can.