Jesus Christ is coming again soon to establish the kingdom of God on the earth. If we want to prepare for His second coming, we must know the constitution of God’s kingdom and live by it today. Only those who already live under the rule of Christ today can be part of the coming kingdom.
The beatitudes at the beginning of this constitution (the so-called Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7) describe the virtues of a person in whom Jesus Christ rules. To be in God’s kingdom, we must be those who mourn and are meek, and at the same time righteous and merciful. We must also be peacemakers. Two of the characteristics described in Matthew 5:1-12 stand out, however, because they have to do with our own being. These characteristics cannot be seen directly in our dealings with others. They are:
- Poor in spirit
- Pure in heart
Poor in spirit
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
Nobody wants to be poor. Why is this condition blessed by God? The problem with us believers is that we quickly become spiritually full and content ourselves with Bible knowledge and experiences. But the spirit in us always has the desire for fellowship with the Father and the Son. Our spirit is always hungry for more of Christ. Paul says:
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on…” (Philippians 3:12a)
The Word of God never gets old – it is always up-to-date, fresh and living. But we can very well become spiritually old. We quickly settle for “old food.” For example, we like to read Christian books that are decades or centuries old and stick to what the authors saw concerning the truth back then. But someone who is poor in spirit is someone who always seeks fresh food from God and asks: What is the next step today? What is God’s current speaking (Jeremiah 33:3)?
Pure in heart
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)
The Spirit of God has been in us since we were born again, but the question now is: What is it like in our heart? Without a pure heart, God’s kingdom cannot go on. The first task of the spirit is to bring light into our heart and clean it up:
“The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.” (Proverbs 20:27)
The spirit must shine through our entire heart. It must shine upon our will, thoughts and feelings. Having a pure heart has much to do with the thoughts we allow into our hearts. If we have impure or strange thoughts in our heart, we will not understand God’s will. Our mind must be renewed (Ephesians 4:23; Romans 12:2). As believers, we need a healthy and pure heart. Our cooperation is necessary for this. This is the prerequisite for the Holy Spirit to be able to work in us and for fruit to grow in us for God’s kingdom. This is how all the virtues of Christ described in the constitution can become our reality today!
