Becoming poor in self-sufficiency and self-righteousness

Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Matthew 5:3 (TEV)

When Jesus says, “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:3 NLT), he means we must come to the end of ourselves. We have to leave behind any self-sufficiency or self-righteousness and come to the place where we realize our only hope is in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We must be desperate for God: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule” (Matthew 5:3 MSG).

The original disciples had no experience in how to be a Christian. All they could do was follow Jesus for each next step; they couldn’t rely on worn-in traditions that we so easily lean on instead of our relationship with Jesus. They had nowhere else to turn but to Jesus — and that is how we are meant to follow Jesus too.

By becoming poor in self-sufficiency and self-righteousness, we become blessed heirs of the kingdom.