Poor in Spirit
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ~ MATTHEW 5:3 (NIV)
Jesus gave the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes describe traits that Jesus was looking for in His followers. He begins each one with the word, “Blessed,” because God has something special in store for those who live out these traits. Jesus demonstrated each trait He describes in the Beatitudes, and He lets us know that they are in direct opposition to the world’s typical way of life. As followers of Jesus Christ, our goal is to be like Him, and the Beatitudes will definitely change and challenge the way we live each day.
“Poor in spirit” is recognizing our need for God. When we are away from God, our spirits are poverty-stricken. Once we acknowledge Him as our King, the kingdom of heaven is ours. At times our spirits are empty or we are at the end of our rope, so to speak. Where do we turn? How do we get filled up and find joy? We go to God because with God, we are truly blessed, and as His followers we have hope in eternity with Him. With God, we find joy. Our circumstances might not change right away, but our way of looking at them will. When we are “poor in spirit,” Satan is at work in us. He will try anything to get us away from God, but we must remember the end of the story — God wins!
Lord, we give our weaknesses to you that we may be strengthened and used for your service.
CHAR GAYLORD, BETHLEHEM LUTHERAN CHURCH
To read all the Beatitudes: Matthew 5:1-12