September 21st

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:3-4

Things mean quite the opposite between heaven and earth. In heaven poor in spirit signifies a rich treasure that someone can obtain. This is the attitude of humility, which is the gateway to God’s blessings. God resists the proud, but He blesses the humble. Believe it or not, Christ Himself was humble to the point of becoming a helpless baby in the manger, teaching at age 30 about God’s character and plan and then giving up his life on the cross for our salvation. This was especially remarkable and amazing because Jesus possessed all power and authority to do anything He wanted, but He chose to sacrifice His life in humility for us.

On earth we feel sorry for those who mourn. In a heavenly attitude, we will find that mourning shows that we want to change ourselves to be more like Jesus and have a repentant heart. A heavenly mourning also develops the gift of compassion in us. It is then that we will gain the ability to comfort others as God has comforted us.