The first step to the righteousness of the kingdom is poor in spirit. The next is a little deeper, they that mourn. Because now we must become pliable, we must be broken, we must be like the metal in the fire which the Master can mold. It is not enough to see our unrighteousness, but deeply to feel it, deeply to regret it, deeply to mourn over it, to consider it no little thing that sin has come into our lives. And so God leads us into His righteousness. He usually leads us through testings and trials. I do not think it necessary for us to have deep and great suffering before we are saved. He will put us into the fire when He knows we are saved, when we realize we are accepted, when we are not afraid of the discipline, when we know it is not the hand of wrath but the hand of love. Then God can take us down and make us poor in spirit, and make us mourn until we come to the third step, which is to be meek, broken, yielded, submissive, willing, surrendered and laid low at His feet crying, "What wilt thou have me to do?"
