what happiness goes with…

Now in looking at what it means to be happy JESUS would say that happiness means to be humble. 

Matthew 5.3 in the Good News Translation says, “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them!”

What does HE mean by they are spiritually poor?  Well, HE’s not talking about low self esteem.  HE’s not talking about putting yourself down all the time.  JESUS did not die for junk; HE died for people. 

You have value, you have worth, you have significance.  That doesn’t mean you’re perfect, you’re not.  You have sinned, I’ve sinned, we all have. HE’s not saying you run around putting yourself down all the time:  “I’m lousy!  I’m no good!  I’m evil, wicked, bad and nasty!” 

What does it mean to be spiritually poor?  It simply means to depend on GOD.  HE’s talking about humility, admitting that I don’t have it all together, realizing that I haven’t arrived, realizing that I haven’t learned it all, that I’m not the sum total of the universe, that I’m not perfect.

The opposite of spiritually poor is arrogance or egotism.  JESUS said if you’re full of arrogance and egotism you’re never going to be happy. 

They know they don’t have it all together, they know that they need GOD.  Living Bible says, “Humble men are very fortunate...” 

The point that JESUS is stateting here is simply, humble and happy go together. Humility and happiness go together.  They’re twins, soul mates. If you want to have lasting happiness then you need to learn to be humble.

Just a thought from the front porch…