What is it to be poor in spirit? This attribute is foundational to Christian living. Those who are truly poor in spirit are on the road to true spiritual riches.

It is quite rare to see a person who truly hungers and thirsts after God's way, but this is the kind of desire God wants us to have.

Mercy is a virtue that has gone out of vogue, though it is sometimes admired. Jesus, however, places it among the most vital His followers should possess.

Blessedness and mourning seem contradictory, but obviously Jesus saw spiritual benefits to sorrow. True, godly mourning gets high marks from God.

The Sermon on the Mount is as vitally important today as when Christ preached it. It contains the way we are to live as God's representatives on this earth.

Persecution is a fact of life for a Christian. Jesus Christ says we are blessed if we are persecuted for righteousness' sake — here's why.

This world lauds warmakers, but God says that peacemakers are blessed. The first step in becoming a peacemaker is to be reconciled to God.

Purity before God is far more than just being clean. To Jesus, being pure in heart, described in the Beatitudes, touches on the very holiness of God.

Christ's followers should be caring shepherds, invested in the success of the flock they serve, cheering them on and rallying them to perform at their best.

Meekness is often confused with weakness and considered to be undesirable. But Jesus lists it as a primary virtue of one who will inherit His Kingdom.

In the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, Jesus exposes the depths of His own heart, while demonstrating the deficit of our own carnal hearts.

Matthew's encapsulation of the Beatitudes, the essence of Jesus Christ's teaching, contains the foundation of His teaching through the entirety of His ministry.

The prospect of death makes one more mature and self-aware, illuminating the meaning of Ecclesiastes 7:2-4 that it is better to go to the house of mourning.

God's children will reap the rewards of humility: glory, power, judgment, honor, and much more besides! All of this will happen because of God's purpose.

Meekness is one of the hardest virtues to define. The Bible shows meekness to be strength, as the character of such people as Jesus and Moses shows.

Happiness is a by-product of our response to God's calling, coupled with our determination to connect with the Father, the Son, and the whole spiritual family.

The Greek author Xenophon, in his work The Art of Horsemanship, dispels the notion that meekness is weakness by describing the 'meeking' of war horses.

When we ask to be blessed, it should be exclusively on God's terms. What God has done in our lives is the best preparation for our future responsibilities.

Being poor in spirit is a foundational spiritual state for qualifying for God's Kingdom. Poor in spirit describes being acutely aware of one's dependency.

As we look at the insanity around us, we need to remember that our citizenship is in heaven. We cannot allow pride to draw us into the controversy before us.

The word 'blessed' in the Beatitudes means happy from within, not dependent on circumstances. It comes from having God's spirit and hope for the future.

Physical hunger and thirst provide important types of the desire one must cultivate for spiritual resources, realizing that man cannot live by bread alone.

Paradoxically, God stoops to us when we humble ourselves. Humility produces honor from God; if we humble ourselves, He will hear us.

In the matter of godly standards for dress, we must adopt the humble, childlike, sincere, unassuming, and teachable attitude, loving God intimately.

Those who are meek are capable of anger but keep it under control. They are humble, open-minded, willing to listen, don't jump to conclusions, and aren't defensive.

Joy is more than happiness. God gives a superior kind of joy through the action of His Spirit in us that far exceeds mere human cheer and well-being.

Without God's Spirit, the fruit of joy is unattainable. Godly joy buoys people in the midst of grave trials, providing hope for a glorious future.

The prevailing view is that at the end time, God will judge between the righteous and unrighteous, consigning each to heaven or hell, an idea from paganism.