The Poor In Spirit

Jesus Christ Topical Guide: Sermon On The Mount Series

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The poor in spirit are humble and they rely on the Lord and do not trust in the arm of flesh.

This is the opposite of pride and the scriptures say the proud will be burned in the last days. Clearly, pride is not a characteristic of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, you will not find a prideful person in the Celestial Kingdom because they will not qualify for it. Therefore, pride is not something we can accept in us if we want to go where God is.

What is pride? Haughtiness and arrogance are symptoms of pride but not the core of it. Enmity toward God and man are the center of pride. Instead of doing what God wants, we do what we want. Pride is when the Natural Man takes over.

Charity and service are how we shed pride.

This life was intentionally designed to be nearly impossible to succeed on our own strength. The poor in spirit recognize that man is nothing compared to God.

The poor in spirit are also grateful. The prophets teach that sacrifice and service are two big ways to shed pride, and I think gratitude is another.

If you live in the Salt Lake City valley, I invite you to join us at church on Sunday's. Currently we meet at 9 A.M.; however, starting in January we will change to noon. We are a mid-singles ward; however, if you have a family please don't let that stop you. Please, join us for for our first meeting which is Sacrament meeting, and make sure you ask someone to introduce you to our ward mission leader. Our address is 7155 South 540 East, Midvale Utah, 84047.