Love God Greatly: BeatitudesНамуна

Many people spend their lives trying to answer one question: What will make me happy? Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by giving a strange answer: bankruptcy. It is when we have come to the end of ourselves, when we are painfully aware of how broken and empty we are, that we are most blessed.

We are often like children who run away from home in defiance of loving parents, convinced that a backpack full of toys and snacks would help us survive in the world. It's when we realize how small our resources are that we begin to truly depend on God. Luke's account of the sermon simply says "poor" because economic need often helps us realize our spiritual needs. The kingdom of heaven is promised to those who are willing to admit their poverty and practice depending on their loving Father. 

Thank You, God, for promising to meet us in our need. Thank You for showing us what it means to be truly blessed in life: to practice dependence on You and live in such a way that we witness to the kingdom of heaven. Help me, God, to value and honor the poor among me, and to learn from them what it means to be truly dependent on You.