Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven –Mat 5:3.
Jesus says the poor in spirit are blessed! This is where the blessing of God begins. To be poor in spirit is the gateway to a blessing that leads to all the other blessings. Without this, no other blessings from God are within our reach.
Did you notice that Jesus speaks about heaven in the present tense? “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Heaven is future, isn’t it? We might have expected Him to say, “for theirs will be the kingdom of heaven,” but that’s not what He says. It’s all the more striking because all the other Beatitudes speak about future blessings: Those who mourn shall be comforted, the meek shall inherit the earth, and those who hunger for righteousness shall be satisfied.
When Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” He is talking about a taste of heaven now! Life in this world is a long way from heaven, so in what way can I have a genuine taste of heaven now? This week?
What comes to your mind when you think about heaven? Streets of gold? We don’t have that now. Redeemed people made perfect? We don’t have that now. The lion lying with the lamb, the nations waging war no more, and every tear wiped from our eyes? We don’t have any of that now.
What taste of heaven do the poor in spirit have now? For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones –Isa 57:15. That is staggering! God inhabits heaven—high and lifted up, but God wants us to know that He also lives with the person who has a lowly spirit. Heaven is to live with God, and the poor in spirit get a taste of it because God comes to live with them! God dwells with the person who is poor in spirit. Heaven is in the humble, before the humble are in heaven.
We know that God can call us to things that are beyond the range of our ability. These types of circumstances in our lives may bring us to a place where we are poor in spirit. Christ doesn’t just come near to us in a church service and then leave us during the week. We have the Lord’s promise in His Word …I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people –2Co 6:16.
Being Poor in Spirit Will Impact Your Life.
People who are poor in spirit give up the idea that God owes them something. As God’s creatures, we have a duty to Him, but it’s so easy, especially in our culture, to forget this and slide into the idea that God is the one who has a duty to us. We expect God to provide certain blessings, such as a certain level of income and of health that will support a chosen lifestyle, protection from the sufferings experienced by others in this world… And woe to God if He does not meet our expectations! Do you see how pride lies at the root of this? Pride says, “I gave Him something. He owes me something bigger and better than what I got.” Pride always leads to disappointment, bitterness, and resentment towards God. It kills His blessing. Remember our verse: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
The person who is poor in spirit says, “What do I have that I did not receive? I owe God everything, yet I can give Him nothing. God owes me nothing, yet He has given me everything.” People who are poor in spirit are not afraid to ask. People who are aware of what they have find it difficult to ask, but the person who is poor in spirit is never afraid to ask of God. (The poor are always begging.) He who is poor in spirit will be much in prayer. Is that you? Or do you feel that you have what it takes? People who know of their own need have an active prayer life. And when they pray, they ask! Is there anything in your experience that resembles what could be called an active prayer life?
Jesus told a story about two men who prayed. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector, a man who was known for his many sins. Both of them prayed, and yet there was a vast difference between their prayers. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers… –Luk 18:11. Look at his prayer. The striking thing about it is that this man comes to God and he never asks for a thing! Why? Because he is miles away from being poor in spirit. He feels no need to ask. He was proud of the fact that he was not a ‘sinner’ in the eyes of the people around him. In God’s eyes, he was just as much of a sinner as anyone else without Christ. The tax collector stood at a distance. He didn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven but said …God be merciful to me a sinner –Luk 18:13. Jesus said this man, and not the other, went home blessed, justified, forgiven, at peace with God. Why? Because he was poor in spirit.
People who are poor in spirit are in a position to receive. People who feel they have something to offer to God are always coming to Him with their hands full: “Lord, this is what I want to offer you. This is what I want to tell you that I’ve done for you.” As long as your hands are full, you’re not in a position to receive. You can’t cling to the cross of Jesus when your hands are full. Only those who come to God empty-handed, aware of their own need, can cling to the cross. When you know you have nothing to offer God, then you are in a position to receive everything He offers. That’s why the blessing of God rests on the poor in spirit. Heaven is theirs because their hands are open to receive it!
People who are poor in spirit boast in the cross—but God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ… –Gal 6:14. The more someone sees in himself or herself, the less they will see in Christ. The more they see in Christ, the less they will see in themselves. The poor in spirit have the attitude of the song “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us”.
I will not boast in anything,
No gifts or power or wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection.
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart:
His wounds have paid my ransom.
So, what does being “poor in spirit” look like for us as youth today? One who is poor in spirit is a person who has an attitude of humility. The poor in spirit is the person who is under submission even when they do not agree. The poor in spirit is the person who is always asking God for help throughout the day
Let’s look at an example. I was witnessing to someone one time and he gave a lot of arguments about the Bible and why he did not believe it. I went on to explain that the Bible is the truth and that we must live our lives by it. This man who did not believe the Bible got very upset at me because I was talking to him about the Bible. Soon another brother came and started to converse with him about the Bible and the same thing happened again—he got very upset. Eventually, he told us to get off his storefront sidewalk and never step back on his sidewalk or he would call the police. A few months later, I had another encounter with him. This time he was a lot calmer and was open to hearing the gospel a little bit. For a short time, he just stood there, calmly listening to the gospel message. He also told me that the only reason that he would listen to me is that I was calm and quiet when he was not in our earlier conversation, and that I had not thrown questions back at him when he had thrown them at me.
Does that look like being poor in spirit? In this situation, we see that the poor in spirit is humble. It is calm when the situation is boisterous. It is quiet when the people that we talk to are not quiet. It is careful to not defend itself when challenged. People who are far from God make much of themselves. People who live near to God make much of Christ. People far from God are always talking about what they’re doing for Him. People near to God make much of what He’s doing for them. As youth, let’s practice being poor in spirit.
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