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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