A BLUEPRINT FOR HAPPY LIVING

 

January 27, 2005

 

Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

                              -Matthew 5:3

 

Jesus said, “Happy are the poor in spirit.” You may be saying, “Now, wait a minute. I though the rich were the people who were really happy.” But, Jesus said just the opposite. He wasn’t talking about those who are financially wealthy or those who are materially well-to-do. But, he’s talking about the realm of the spirit.

 

When I was pastor down at West Palm Beach, Florida, we looked from the coastline over to a little island called Palm Beach. And it was the playground of the ultra-rich and famous. One-sixteenth of the world’s wealth belongs to property owners on Palm Beach. If you’ve been there, you’ve seen the mansions an the incredible wealth.

 

But I found as being a pastor there at 31 years of age, I was somewhat intimidated by it all until I realized that the people who lived on that island were living in virtual reality. They had many possessions, but they were miserable because they hadn’t learned the lesson that is described here by Jesus to become poor in spirit.

 

Don’t get me wrong…Christ doesn’t say “happy are the spiritually poor.” We are not to be “spiritually” poor. But the way to enter into the kingdom of God is to recognize that we are beggars. We are spiritually impoverished. We are without any human capacity or resources in and of ourselves to know God and experience His happiness.

 

Until you get to the place in your life where you say, as the Apostle Paul said, “In me…(that is, in my flesh)…there is no good thing,” you will never find the happiness that comes from Jesus Christ.

 

THERE IS NO VALUE TO YOUR LIFE

APART FROM JESUS CHRIST.