The Kingdom of heaven is not made up of bullies, it is not for those who are high-minded and self-seeking, but it is for those who are meek and gentle hearted. Those who feel that might is right will never have a place in the Kingdom.
The more man raises himself up the less he will be aware of the Spirit of God in his life. The less of man, the more chance that God will reveal Himself to the individual. (Prov. 16:18).
” Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall “.
How many friendships, marriages and business relationships are damaged, and wars have started because of pride? No one wants to bend their knee and say, ” sorry, I was wrong “.
Three little words that can have a big impact on every hard heart and conflicting situation.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”.
One always associates being poor with lack of food, being homeless, penniless and miserable.A person could have meat and drink in abundance and still be poor in spirit when one is proud, selfish and greedy, but if one comes to Christ and recognises that they lack rightneousness, peace and joy and earnestly seek God who is no respecter of persons, then they will receive from Him these things because the have come humbly before Him and confesses that they are in need.
We all tend to lie to ourself and also to each other that we are fine, there is nothing wrong with us, but anyone will tell you that the only way to change is to be honest and admit there is a problem.
Many years ago I did voluntary work in a Christian Rehab, it was very interesting to see that the ones who came in and were willing to admit that they were addicted and wanted to change were the ones that really made it.
Those who kept lying to themselves that they could quit drugs anytime they wanted never made it. They were not really poor in spirit. A poor man knows that he is poor, but the question is, will he admit it?. For then he will start looking for a solution.
Thus, character is very important in the Kingdom of heaven. Romans 14:17 tells us that the Kingdom of God is not made up of meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Proverbs 19: 22-23:
“The desire of a man is his kindness and a poor man is better than a liar”.
In my introduction I mentioned the Beatitudes ( Mat.5: 1-12 ). Jesus first started teaching about what manner of person qualifies for the Kingdom of heaven.
It is interesting to see that He did not give a formula on how to get rich, but he did however give us a formula, that when we look at it and compare it to the world’s standards it would seem impossible to achieve, for the world’s attitude is you kill my cat, I will kill your dog. Indeed it is impossible to achieve spirituality when one is still carnally minded.
Gal:5:16.
“This I say then,Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh”.
Each one of the Beatitudes has to do with denying one’s self, and this can only be accomplished through prayer, fasting and studying the Word of God. It is then and only then that one is able see our true character and bow one’s head in shame as we come to realise how much God loves us and is willing to forgive us of our sins, and give us a chance to be a part of His kingdom.