It’s easy to imagine that the joy, the fulfilment, the contentment we all long for lie in recognition, comfort and success. And yet, you can imagine all you like, but you’ll never find them there.

Twentieth-century American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst built a massive media empire and lived in opulence on his vast estate, Hearst Castle. He influenced presidents, shaped public opinion, and lived like royalty.

But Hearst’s deep sense of entitlement to admiration and control eroded his joy. Obsessed with legacy and public image, he manipulated headlines, crushed competitors, and clung to a long, scandalous affair. In later years, isolated and anxious, his empire crumbled during the Great Depression.

So despite outward success, his joy was hollowed out by pride and possessiveness, which, let’s be honest, is always how these things end. Jesus, in His famed Sermon on the Mount, said this:

Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (ESV)

To be poor in spirit is to come before God with humility, not entitlement. Lord, I’m spiritually bankrupt. I can’t save myself. I need your mercy.

Such a person is blessed, according to Jesus, because that blessedness begins where our self-entitlement ends. Or as someone once said, joy dies in the spirit of entitlement but thrives in an attitude of surrender.

Friend, the longer we aspire to the things of this world, the more deeply we’re gripped by our sense of self-entitlement, the more joy will elude us because surrender is the gateway to joy.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.