APRIL 5, Matthew 5:3

Isn’t it wonderful that God promises us that if we ask Him to forgive us of our sins and for Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour, He will bring us to Heaven? In contrast, if you do not have poverty of spirit, God’s Word is very clear - you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew 5:3 says that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. This is written in the present tense. The wonderful promise Jesus gave to His disciples is that if we believe in Him, we are immediately guaranteed a place in Heaven. And more than that, the peace of Heaven can be within us and present with us this morning, this afternoon, this evening – all the time!

Dear child, are you sure you will enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Have you confessed your sins to God and have Jesus be the Lord and Saviour of your life?

Our verse for today contains one of the most important truths. We can only gain access to Heaven if we know we are spiritually unable to do anything on our own and therefore go to Jesus, asking him to be our Lord and Saviour. If we do not do that, we will not be able to go to Heaven. God is gracious and He will answer that prayer - not because of anything you have done, but because of His goodness. This brings us great relief because now our salvation is dependent upon a loving and dependable God, and not the fickleness of man’s heart.

Thought: Am I a citizen of Kingdom of Heaven?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the lesson that there is absolutely no way I can go to Heaven, unless I first realise that I am totally unable to go there myself, and therefore need to rely completely on Jesus to save me and carry me there. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.