"Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, 3 Nephi 12:3)
Definition: spiritually needy (Teachings of the Prophet: Harold B. Lee)
Opposite: proud; self-conceit (Teachings of the Prophet: Harold B. Lee)
Examples:
What do the poor in spirit look like?
"...those who are facing personal trials and family struggles, those who endure conflicts fought in the lonely foxholes of the heart, those trying to hold back floodwaters of despair that sometimes wash over us like a tsunami of the soul...[those] who feel your lives are broken, seemingly beyond repair." (Elder Jeffery R. Holland, Broken Things to Mend)
What do the poor in spirit think?
They acknowledge dependance upon the Lord for clothes, food, air, health, and life. (Teachings of the Prophet: Harold B. Lee)
What do the poor in spirit do?
They pray for guidance, forginveness, strength, and fervent thanksgiving daily. (Teachings of the Prophet: Harold B. Lee)
Application: Pray as the poor in spirit do; what else?
Question(s): I feel grateful to the Lord for my life and sustinance. I don't fully understand how I am dependent on the Lord. I believe I readily accept the idea, I just don't understand how I am dependent when thinking of - If he gives me my "daily bread" does that mean he witholds daily bread from others that don't have it? Any thoughts?
I think about it as because He gave us teachings like how to spend and save our money wisely, to be self-sufficient, to help others, then He blesses us with daily sustinence such as our daily bread. Sometimes the daily bread is given directly from the Lord like the lady in the scriptures that was blessed with continuous food because she fed the Prophet, but I think sometimes it comes through us being obedient to the Lord's teachings. I can see examples of people that don't have sustinence because they have made poor decisions in their lives. Does that make sense?
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