Thank God for giving us a new start in 2024. At the beginning of the year, what scripture is a good reminder for us? Thank God for his guidance. The Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel may be one of the important passages.
The Beatitudes are at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus Christ taught his disciples how to understand the Old Testament commandments from the New Testament perspective. But Jesus overturned everyone's worldview, values, and outlook on life with the Beatitudes.
Let us review the meaning of the first blessing.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The meaning of "poor in spirit" is to have nothing at all in the spirit, to be so lacking in the soul that it is like bankruptcy. If we imagine that our bank deposits are zero, we have nothing in terms of money. Poor in spirit is describing such a situation. But in the spiritual sense, it means a person who knows that he has nothing, who understands that he has nothing to boast of, who has nothing to offer, who admits that he is a hopeless sinner. We are utterly sinful in the presence of the holy God. This is a person's recognition, understanding, and acknowledgment of his true self. Only such a person is truly "poor in spirit". Such a person knows that he cannot be saved by his completely fallen self, that he needs a holy God who is willing to save him with love, to actively help him, in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Such a person is valued and pleased by God, and God will not despise the one who is sorrowful for his sin. God will surely welcome these people into his kingdom, and sit with them at his table, so the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
At the beginning of the year, if we start with this attitude, we believe that God will bless us and let us be closer to him. Being with God is the greatest blessing in itself.
Although it is a very short passage, it can already be our goal for this year. Let us recognise our own sinfulness, knowing that we need Christ's salvation. Having this "poor in spirit" attitude is the beginning of our blessing. May the Lord help us, let us yearn for God, yearn to be close to him, do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.
2024年，感謝神，給我們一個新開始，在年初，什麼經文，是對我們有好的提醒的？感恩神的帶領，馬太福音，登山寶訓中的八福，可能是其中一段重要的經文。
“八福”是在登山寶訓的開始，當時耶穌基督教導門徒，從新約的視野，怎樣理解舊約誡命。但耶穌以八福，顛覆所有人的世界觀，價值觀和人生觀。
讓我們重溫一下，第一福的意義。
太5：3虛心的人有福了！因為天國是他們的。
“虛心”的意思是，靈裡完全一無所有，心靈缺乏到一個地步，好像破產一樣。如果想像，我們銀行的存款是歸零，我們在金錢方面，是一無所有。虛心就是在形容，這樣的狀況。但是，在屬靈方面，是指一個人，知道自己是一無所有，明白自己，沒有什麼可誇的，自己也沒有什麼可取之處，承認自己是一個，完全無可救藥的罪人。我們在聖潔的神面前，就是一個徹徹底底，充滿了罪污的人。這是人對真實的自己，一種認知，一種了解和承認。只有這樣承認的人，是一個真正“心虛”的人。這樣的人，他知道自己，沒法靠完全墮落的自己，可以得到拯救，他是完全的需要一位聖潔的神，願意用愛來拯救他的神，來主動幫助他，才能夠進入天國。
這樣的人，是神看重，也是神喜悅的，為罪憂傷的人，神必不輕看。神一定會迎接這些人，進入衪的國度，與神一同坐席，所以，天國是屬於他們的。
在年初，如果我們開始，保持這種心態，相信神一定會賜福給我們，讓我們可以與神更加親近。與神同在，本身就是最大的福氣。
雖然是一段很短的經文，也已經可以成為我們今年努力的目標，在今年，好好認識自己的罪性，認識我們，是完全的需要基督的拯救，有這種“虛心”的態度，是我們蒙福的開始。求主幫助，讓我們今年，努力的渴慕神，渴慕親近衪，行公義，好憐憫，存謙卑的心，與神同行。
