Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit. . .

For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven


What does being poor in spirit mean to us in our 21st Century world? Our society considers a person poor if they don’t have what is considered basic needs. Our spirit is what we call our inner being, our real selves. A person who is thought to be poor in spirit has no selfish intent. That individual looks to God for all his or her needs.

The world looks down on those who lack certain material belongings in their lives. A segment of society also feels a person who doesn’t react with ‘Type A’ personality traits is not up to their standard.

God, on the other hand, looks at the heart. He doesn’t look at what people have. He judges His children by what’s inside them.

When we ask God to guide us through our days, and provide us with what we require, we have all of heaven willing to work for us.

And Lead Us Not Into Temptation. . .

But Deliver Us From The Evil One.

As we walk through this world, we want to please God by staying away from things that ensnare us. Some of these issues are small and personal. Others seem to be huge and private, between us and someone else. Then, there can be those stressors that seem to hang on to all of usthe public stories that seem to draw us in.

Temptations come in many forms and disguises. They all come to us from the enemy by way of our fallen world. How can we stay away from temptation? We need to follow God as closely as we can, asking Him to guide us in all we do.

One of the ways to stay away from these entrapping situations is through Bible study. When we do this we find out what God says about issues that affect our lives. Bible study can be done by ourselves or in a group. It can be done on a daily basis, as a part of our devotions, Or it can be done in a group every week or every other week.

Another way we can stay a way from temptation is through prayer. God will answer our prayers if we practice what He tells us in His Word. He tells us to pray and to seek His wisdom. He gives us discernment that guides us away from the temptation and closer to Him.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who

Sometimes even the most obedient child of God transgresses the Father’s Law. When we ask Him to pardon us, He does. What we also need to do is forgive those who have done something to hurt us.

The book of Matthew has Jesus telling the disciples, “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14-15)

Forgiving another person is hard. But we have to do it in order to progress in our lives. Not forgiving someone who has hurt us allows that person to have control over our lives. We can become caught up remembering the hurtful action and stagnate in our personal growth. We don’t do what we did before the incident. We may lose out on some good experiences because we remember what that person said and how much it hurt. We find ourselves acting very carefully around others because we don’t want that one person to know they hurt us. We don’t share the event with others because we know they are friends with you and this one that hurt you. They might believe that person did nothing wrong; then you’d have issues with at least two people.

But, Jesus tells us to also forgive the ones who hurt us as we ask God to forgive us. God’s followers don’t view this as an option but as a command.

Give Us Today Our Daily Bread. . .

Bread, often called the staff of life, is thought of as the basic food for most of humankind. Along with the other basic needs of clothing and shelter, food consumes a lot of our income.

In the Lord’s prayer, Jesus speaks of daily bread. If bread is basic to our food requirements, why does our Lord ask the Father for daily bread? Might he be asking for what we need for each day?

As God’s children, we strive to live one day at a time. We call it living by faith. We have meetings scheduled that we have to re-schedule or cancel because of sickness or because of the winter storms that seem to keep coming through.

We stay home from midweek worship because a neighbor, when he gets home from work, will be calling the authorities about an incident the night before. We and our spouses believe they will want to talk to us, if for no other reason than to confirm the story. We don’t feel upset about the change in plans because God is giving us an opportunity to help someone we know who needs it. We could even be a part of keeping that neighbor and others along our street safe.

Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done

. . .On Earth as in Heaven. . .


All of God’s children want to live their lives according to God’s will. What would our churches, our homes, our communities, our nations, even our world look like if we allowed God’s will to be first in our lives? If we even asked God to guide us through any activity or project?

Our churches would be full. They wouldn’t have any budget issues. Our homes would be peaceful and pleasant. The divorce rate wouldn’t exist. Our communities would be safer places to live. The crime rate would drop to zero. People wouldn’t be afraid to get out at night. Our nations would enjoy a peace unknown to present-day countries.

In order for these lofty desires to come to reality, God’s people have to truly seek His rule in their lives. We have to submit ourselves to God and let Him guide and direct us through the events of our lives.

Our Father in Heaven,

Hallowed be Your Name. . .

Christianity is about the relationship between God and humankind. God the Creator becomes our Father. He lovingly takes on this parental role for all who accept Him. We notice the pronoun used here. Jesus the Son established God’s relationship to all.

We attempt to teach young children that God loves all he creates--whether or not He see that person as good. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of God’s love for the person who sins but not the evil they are doing.

His children are to honor God’s name. Song writers remind us of this quite often, using such words as: “Wonderful, Awesome, Marvelous, and Blessed.” We honor Him by striving to keep His laws, following His teaching, and reading the Word. Praying and seeking the Wisdom he offers are also way of honoring God.

And I Will Dwell in The House of The Lord Forever.

God’s children desire to live in Heaven with God at the time He calls them. This calling home by the Lord comes out of His goodness and mercy. Our verse says, dwell. Believers will not just visit. Their future home is in Heaven. This verse is a statement of faith. Being with God in His home is a certainty.

While we are on this earth we sometimes move to another house. Our home in Heaven is forever. We won’t ever find our home in Heaven getting too small or becoming too large to take care of. It won’t need painting. We will never have to consider remodeling it. God builds our house on the other side and He builds it to perfection.

God calls His children as their reward for walking the walk and talking the talk while they were here on earth.