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Thursday 21 May 2020

Daily Devotionals for Difficult Days [65] Blessed are the Poor in Spirit


Our Thursday devotionals are written by Mike Loveridge, assistant Pastor of Manor Park Church

Sermon on the Mount 

Blessed are the poor in Spirit

 The first of the beatitudes comes in verse 3 and says:

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

What does it mean to be poor? Instinctively, our mind jumps to a lack of money. The Psalms have many examples of the Psalmist describing themselves as poor and needy (Psalm40:16-17, Psalm 69:32-33, Psalm 72:12-14). Indeed, physical poverty is a theme that runs throughout the whole Bible. Even the apostle Paul says he knows what it is to have nothing, to be poor (Philippians 4:11-13). But the actual definition of poverty is broader than just a lack of money. Webster’s Dictionary defines poverty as “the state of one with insufficient resources”. What those resources may be, depends on the situation. Energy, patience, company, time – we’ve all experienced poverty of one kind or another!

But what then does this beatitude mean when it says poor in spirit? If to be poor means we are insufficient in something, then to be poor in spirit means our spiritual lives are somehow insufficient before God. We come up short before God because God does not look on our economic status but on our heart attitude towards him. To be poor in spirit is a fundamental characteristic of being a Christian. The reality is before we have faith in Jesus we are spiritually bankrupt and have no right standing before God. We are dead in our transgressions and sins. So to be poor in spirit means to be humble and to have a correct estimation of oneself and our standing before God. This happens when we see ourselves as the word of God views us. So how are we to think of ourselves? Paul helps us there in Romans 12:3 when he says:

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

As we think of ourselves with sober judgement, we remember our fallen, sinful nature and our lack of ability to change. The poor in spirit are those who acknowledge this. David in his Psalms often does this when de describes himself as poor and needy (Ps 86:1, 109:21-22), acknowledging he is a helpless sinner and completely dependent upon God’s grace and mercy for deliverance. David is a good example to us. He was materially rich and powerful, yet he humbly comes to God acknowledging his sinfulness and need for God. He was only too aware of his spiritual poverty.

We need to be careful not to think too much of ourselves. When we remember that it is by God’s grace and mercy that we have been saved and that it is his Spirit at work in us changing us then we realise that we can claim nothing of ourselves and instead all the praise and glory goes to God, where it so rightly belongs. We need to remember that we ourselves have nothing good within us because of our sinful nature (Romans 7:18) and that it is God who works any good in and through us. We need to rightly evaluate ourselves in the light of our faith and where we are at in our journey with God. If you have been a Christian for years God will expect you to be more like his Son than a believer of just a few days, because you have had longer for the Spirit to work within you. So, evaluate yourself based on the faith you have.

The person who is poor in spirit acknowledges the righteousness, holiness and goodness of God. They acknowledge that humanity is sinful and wicked and utterly undone but that Jesus is perfect, sinless and absolutely righteous. They then put all their hope in the righteousness of Jesus, understanding that they are nothing and have nothing without Jesus. They understand that all their good deeds are but filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6).

Today, do you see yourself as poor and destitute before God? Do you come to him humbly as a sinner? Are you poor in spirit? Have you put your trust in him? If you have, then take heart because Jesus has dealt with you sin upon the cross and placed his righteousness upon you. The second part of this first beatitude is that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. What an incredible thought that is. Through absolutely no work of our own and simply by faith in Jesus you are a child of the King and a citizen of heaven.  Rejoice in that by praising God for it was he who did the work.

As Christians we must always regard ourselves as poor because we are always in need of God’s grace. We must never stop clinging to the cross.

Prayer for today

Loving and gracious Heavenly Father,

We come to you today and once again thank you for Jesus. We remember that without Jesus we had nothing and were spiritually bankrupt. Thank you that through the death and resurrection of Jesus we have been make righteous and perfect in your sight and because of that we are part of your heavenly kingdom.

We ask today that we will never lose sight of your grace and love for us and that we will cling to the cross as our salvation. By the power of your spirit will you give us a right view of ourselves and show us areas in our lives where we can grow in our likeness of your Son.

We ask all this in the glorious name of Jesus our Saviour,

Amen.

Song for today

Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
Where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
When I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus, You're my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

 Lord I need you – listen HERE.

Photo from unsplash by Arjunsyah

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