The poor in spirit are those who understand their spiritual bankruptcy, their moral destitution, and their desperate need before a sovereign and holy God. Radical transformation begins with demolition. This is the initial and fundamental characteristic of embarking on the kingdom pilgrimage. This generates within us a desire to mourn, or a state of reflective repentance which becomes a consistent reality for a lifetime. This “godly sorrow” comes with a promise of enduring comfort. Once the craving for self-righteousness and self-confidence is in the process of being diminished, we begin to get a sense of who we really are before God. In other words, the meek are those who experience their true and genuine self-worth in Christ. This true view of self is correspondingly displayed before others. What manifests from this is a winsome approachability, a desire to learn from others, and a genuine desire for God’s will. Meekness, however, is in no way synonymous with weakness. Meekness manifests great strength and an innate spiritual authority. Jesus stated that it would be this kind of person who would inherit the earth, in contrast to the materialistic and the militaristic.
