Most of us begin a New Year with optimism! We hope it’s even better than previous years, and many of us seek to change our lives and do better in many areas: lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier, be kinder, stop looking at technology so much, read the Bible more, go to church more, etc.  All “good stuff”! And, doing any of that will make your life, and this new year, a little better!

But, did you realize that God wants to bless us with “great stuff” that is far better than that? Jesus tells us in Mathew 6:33 not to worry about all the stuff we see around us, but rather “seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”!  What “things” is Jesus talking about here? And what does it mean when we say, and pray, that God will “bless you”?

In Matthew 5-7, we read the “Sermon on the Mount”, given by Jesus probably over several days. Here Jesus lays out what it means to become part of his Kingdom, both now and in the future, when he returns to rule the entire earth and universe. In the beginning of this sermon, in Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus gives us eight distinct “Kingdom Values” to live by, and if we do live them out, there is a distinct “blessing” for each one from God that will only be given to those who live out these values, with God’s help. These values are also character traits that reflect the perfect life of Jesus. And, if we live them out daily, we will reflect Jesus to others, bring glory to him, and be blessed ourselves!

In this and some following blogs, I would like to highlight these eight Kingdom Values. I was inspired to do this by reading a wonderful new book by Dr. Tony Evans called “Kingdom Values: Character (Greater Than)  Chaos. I would encourage you to read this book and get a fuller understanding of what these values are and how God will “bless you” by living these out! You will notice 2 very important aspects to these Values: 1) they are almost always the opposite of what this secular world values most, and 2) you cannot fully live them out and receive God’s “blessing” for each one unless you surrender to God and let him help you! Let’s look at the first Kingdom Value:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” – Matthew 5:3

The Kingdom Value: Spiritual Poverty!

Here Jesus is saying he will bless those who recognize that they do not have the spiritual capacity to address their own spiritual needs. The Bible says that because we are all born sinful, we are already “spiritually dead” and separated from God because of that fact! We can do all kinds of things to improve ourselves in body, mind, and spirit, but they all fall short of what only God can do for us. Thus, to be “poor in spirit” is to in essence declare “spiritual bankruptcy”, to recognize all my best efforts cannot come close to what God wants to give me spiritually if I surrender to his rule over my life. Tony Evans puts it this way: “A person who is poor in spirit understands that if God doesn’t act out of charity and give them what they need to live life as it is meant to be lived, they are going to starve to death spiritually.”

What does that say about common New Year’s resolutions? You can join a gym, lose all the weight you want to, feel great physically, fill your mind with all the positive thoughts to make you “the best you you’ve ever been”, and in God’s eyes, you’re still spiritually dead and impoverished and will miss out on the all the real power and blessings that he wants for you, now and forever! (I’m not saying that’s not good stuff, and being healthy is great, but don’t you also want the “better things” that God wants to give you?)

The apostle Paul was a powerful, influential, respected Jewish spiritual leader when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus and literally blinded him for a brief time so that he could spiritually “see” who Jesus was, and then follow him. Paul came to see all his worldly fame and knowledge was useless and even the antithesis to what Jesus wanted to give him. When he finally came to know, love, and follow Jesus the “light came on” in his mind and he could see his previous life as spiritual garbage compared to what he gained by surrendering his life to Jesus! He described it this way:

Philippians 3:4, 7-11 (NIV)
⁴  If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:

⁷  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹  and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

The Blessing: The Kingdom of God!

The “blessing” for spiritual poverty is that you get to be part of God’s Kingdom! And, it’s ONLY for those who recognize they are poor in spirit. Our culture values pride, personal success and strength, independence and control, a “self-made person”. We esteem those with power, control, and total self-reliance. Those are this world’s “winners”. In God’s upside-down Kingdom, he is basically telling us “If you think you have it all together and are the captain of your soul, go for it! But you will have no help from me, and you will never enter my Kingdom.” Just the opposite is true to enter God’s Kingdom:  he values humility, gentleness, and mercy, and only the person who sees they need Jesus as the source and sustainer of life is the “winner” and will inherit God’s Kingdom as a reborn and redeemed son or daughter!

The concept of God’s “blessing” can be described as “a state of well-being where Kingdom followers of Christ both enjoy and extend the goodness of God in their lives”. This becomes a normal way of life for a Kingdom disciple, not just a momentary feeling of happiness or energy. It’s similar to the idea of “joy” in scripture, which is described as an inner river that keeps flowing even in times of drought. The Holy Spirit is the source of all this peace, joy, and assurance. These are INNER resources that only God can give you!  And, it’s only for those who humble themselves before God and allow him to give them a brand new life as sons and daughters of his Kingdom, now and forever!

So as you begin 2023, it’s OK and even good to want to eat more healthy food, lose some weight, read the Bible daily, play more & better golf (my resolution, lol), and whatever else is productive and healthy for you. But, I hope you seek more than that! I hope you want to experience the inner power, peace, joy, and assurance that only come from Jesus as you surrender to his rule and live as a Kingdom follower. And the good news is, you don’t have to be perfect (because you’re not), and you don’t have to perform and look good for others! You just have to humbly trust Jesus, and ask him to help you!

I will soon write some more blogs on the other seven Kingdom Values that God wants to give us, and the blessings that come with them. Have a wonderful 2023! I pray the circumstances of your life are good and enjoyable for the most part. But even when they are not, I pray you will seek God’s Kingdom above all else, and experience the inner resources that will sustain you and give you peace and joy, no matter what!

¹⁴  For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶  that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷  so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰  Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. -Ephesians 3:14-21 (ESV)