SUNDAY EDITION
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:3
What is the accurate measure of being blessed? To answer that question, we need to know that another term for the word blessed is happy, so what is the true measure of happiness? External factors strongly influence our happiness; for example, we are often not too happy when someone cuts us off in traffic, but we are delighted to say blessed when we get a new car.
When we see the good fortunes of others, knowing that all good things come from God, we may find ourselves saying, “Wow, what a big house! How blessed can they be?” But is our physical prosperity an accurate measure of what it means to be blessed?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus introduces nine beatitudes, and the first states, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). When we read this, does it mean to go out, empty your bank accounts, and sell all your things to be poor in spirit?
The answer is no, but to understand what it means to be poor in spirit, let’s examine what it means to be rich in spirit. A person rich in spirit is arrogant, boastful, and self-assured, and we have all met such people at one time or another or were such a person. More often than not, such people are relatively prosperous in a worldly sense but empty spiritually.
A person poor in spirit is humble, modest, and not self-assured but Christ-assured. Frank Stagg (1971) explains it another way. He writes, “Neither material nor spiritual poverty is blessed, but one’s honest and humble acknowledgment of his impoverishment opens the way for the reception of God’s blessings” (p. 105).
Stagg adds that when we recognize our true spiritual emptiness, that is when God will give or bless us out of His fullness. That aligns with what Jesus later shared with His disciples, “Seek first the kingdom of God,” when we seek and acknowledge God first in all things, He will see to our needs and make our paths straight.
Therefore, let us always recognize our victory in Jesus and let the disappointments of the past fade in the rearview mirror of life; let us remain steadfast in our persistence to seek the kingdom of God first. Let us do so with a heart of humility, modesty, and the assurance that we are children of the living God.
God will never leave nor forsake us, and He has a plan for our lives, not one of calamity, but one that will give us a future and hope. Yes, let us strive to be poor in spirit to receive the outpouring and fullness of God’s infinite love for us, and in so doing, serve as a conduit to share and express that love to others.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
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