Matthew 5 This is the sermon that Jesus preached.. probably more than once, I would think.  It is the culmination of every message.. full and complete.. exposing the Truth of what it takes to be God's child. Remembering that Jesus spoke these words to the multitudes and to His disciples.. to "teach" them what they had not learned from the religious leaders of that day..  that I want to hear what He wants to teach me this time.. as I once again mediate on this passage. 

What does it mean to be "blessed"?  Isn't it more than just being happy or satisfied?  Once commentary suggests that it speaks of a "quality of God".. of being indwelt by God with God's nature within...

Therefore we are blessed to be  "poor in spirit".. to know that we are utterly helpless.. and to be completely humbled at our inability to have any spiritual life except for the life of Christ that dwells within us.  That is a blessed state, for then and only then does He give us His kingdom.

We are blessed to be mourners. We have felt the grief of sin, or sorrow, and of death. That grief has led us to the One who comforts us with His Presence. He takes our sin and our sorrows.. our burdens.. our grief...and He bears them Himself.. It is in this precious abiding .. Christ abiding in us and we abiding in Him.. that we experience blessedness as He, Himself, is our Comfort. 

We are blessed to be "meek" or "gentle".. or "humble".  We have come to know the One who is greater, who humbled Himself on a cruel cross, who "although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:5-8)  What a blessedness to be conformed to His likeness!  Jesus says that we will "inherit the earth" as a result of this deep abiding with Him.  As we learn in Romans 8:17 we are "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.." 

Father in heaven,  every spiritual blessing has come from You, our God and Father.  You have chosen us "before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before" You.  In love You have called us, adopted us, bestowed Your grace on us, redeemed us, and have made known the mysteries of Christ and Your eternal kingdom. We confess our poverty, we mourn our sin and failures, and we yield to Your Spirit that we might be gentle and meek as our Lord Jesus was and is.  Oh abide in us sweet Spirit of Christ we pray.. Amen.