Poor In Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:3

To be poor in spirit is to have humility before God. Since everything we do and say is seen and heard by God we need to be aware of this and consider how we will react to the words being spoken against the believer, the actions being brought against the believer's faith in Jesus Christ. 

To be poor in spirit is have joy in our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a knowing of who He is, who He is in us and who we are in Him. It is joy in our salvation through Him. Why do we rejoice in such salvation? Salvation through Jesus Christ is necessary to not only reach God, but stay in God's eternal presence, in His heaven for all of eternity. 

When we die, our bodies are not just buried and that's it. Cremation may turn the body to ash and the winds may blow it to the four corners of the earth, but that's not the end either. A living person has three integral counterparts: the body, the soul and the spirit. 

The body is the physical part. The spirit is breath. The soul is our mind, our will, our emotions. The soul is the spiritual part of the body, the heart of the body that makes decisions and causes the body to go where the heart wills. 

When the body dies, the spirit, the breath, leaves the body. So does the soul. But where does the soul go? If you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, that He died on the cross and rose from the dead, and lived according to the Word of God on how a Christian (a follower of Jesus Christ) should live (precepts), then your soul is going to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

If, however, a person never believes that Jesus Christ is Lord, then that soul will go to hell. God clearly outlines what is required to enter into His kingdom and what happens when that requirement is not met. Hell is not one big party. If all of your friends are there, they don't want you there with them. It is a horrible, nasty, dry place without love, without relief. As a person lived in life, so that person will die in death: selfish and prideful. (see Luke 16:19-31)

What is the kingdom of heaven? A gift from God to those who believe that He sent His Son to Earth to take our punishment for sin by surrendering His will to His Father's will. (see John 3:16, 17; Luke 22:42) 

The kingdom of heaven is God's dwelling place, where God lives and abides. The believer is given the keys to the kingdom (Matthew 16:19). And lives according to kingdom rules (Matthew 7:21). 

But just remember: however you believe while you still draw breath determines the eternal destination of your soul. God does not send a person's soul to hell according to how 'bad' a person has been in this life, but how that person believed: God can see our hearts: our thoughts, our decisions. You cannot blame God for your actions. When He created us, He created us with the power to choose. We can choose life in Jesus Christ and be saved or we can choose not to believe and be condemned. 

I am a Christian. I choose to follow Jesus Christ and live according to godly precepts. I am a believer.