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by Rose Murdock
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"Blessed are the poor in
spirit, If someone were to ask who the Kingdom of Heaven belonged to, I imagine that many would say it belongs to those who are strong in faith. To those who are spiritually mature. To those who are knowledgeable and have a clear understanding of God and His ways. Do you think that describes the poor in spirit? Yet that's who Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to. Yes the Lord wants you to be strong in faith, spiritually mature and filled with knowledge and understanding of His ways. Yet I think we've missed something when describing what that person is like who has all these characteristics. We tend to gravitate towards those who look like they have it all together, spiritually, and seem to know all the answers. And we then strive to get to the same place they are. The problem with that is that we think that spiritual knowledge and strength is to be our goal. And once we arrive there, or close to it, we've lost our passion for the Lord, as well as our humility and we take too much credit for what we've "accomplished". God never intends for you to grow to a place where you no longer need Him, (or want Him). For a time I thought that God expected me to come to a place that I considered to be a place of spiritual strength. A place where I would be strong enough to handle everything that would come my way. That I would be able to stomp on adversity and troubles without flinching. And in this place, the resources of heaven and earth would be at my disposal, having learned how to tap into it all. I saw myself victorious over everything on the top of the mountain. I wouldn't have described that as being poor in spirit. And I didn't really understand the message of this verse--the first words Jesus preached in His first sermon--the Sermon on the Mount. According to Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are poor in spirit. If that's the case, then being poor in spirit is a good place to be. It's not something we should grow out of. I suppose I thought that being poor in spirit meant that as an unbeliever, you realized your sinful condition, confessed your sin, accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and then you were no longer spiritually poor, you were full. I thought that the place of spiritual need was a temporary thing that you repented your way out of. But there are a few problems with that theory. First, consider what Jesus said to the Pharisees. He said that He, Jesus, came so that those who are blind might see and those who see might be made blind. He told the Pharisees that because they insisted that they could see, their sin remained. If they would admit that they were blind, that they couldn't see, that they were spiritually needy, then He would open their eyes. But because they wouldn't admit their need, they remained the way they were. God wants you to admit your need. He wants you to see your true spiritual condition. As uncomfortable as that might be, when you see your faults and shortcomings, your spiritual needs, then the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to you. And when you remain in that place of recognizing your need for Him then you remain in a heavenly place. This may not sound appealing because people don't want to remain in a place of need. They want to become full and satisfied. But consider what the Lord said to the Laodiceans. He told them that they were saying that they were rich and wealthy and had no needs, but they didn't realize that they were wretched, poor, blind and naked. The Lord knows that you need to continue to see your needy condition. When you walk around saying you are rich and wealthy and have no needs then you will begin to doubt your need for Him. And you will never outgrow your need for Him. Recognizing your spiritual need is not something you do one time. It's a frame of mind that's to remain constant. Because we have a natural tendency to want to solve a problem when we see it, this goes against what we want to do. We want to fix a problem, we want to meet our needs. But you can't fix your spiritual condition. You can only keep your eyes on Jesus, remain aware of your sinful tendencies and ask Him to lead you each step of the way, helping you to overcome each one, one at a time. And through this slow process of walking with Him every day, you will grow more and more into His image and begin to overcome your weaknesses. But its not an instant fix that happens as soon as you acknowledge your need for Him. If you are one who can still see that you are spiritually poor and needy, then you are blessed. The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to you. It takes strong faith, being spiritually mature and understanding of God and His ways in order to be able to be "poor in spirit". One who is poor in spirit is one who remains humble. One who knows that he can be tempted and can fall if he doesn't remain alert. One who has compassion on others who are going through trying times and is merciful. One who knows that he must remain close to the heart of God in order to see clearly because if he wanders too far off he'll stumble in the darkness not having enough light on his own to see. Those who are poor in spirit are often persecuted for not being ambitious enough or for not doing and saying what might appear to be the correct spiritual thing for the moment. This persecution may very well come from those who would like to think they are on their way to being some type of spiritual leader. But what did Jesus say? He said that "he that finds his life shall lose it and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it." He also said that "many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first." What are you pursuing? Are you pursuing the kind of Christian life where you are in a prominent position? Where you look good, where people can't see your flaws. Where they look up to you and respect you for your spiritual strength and insight? Are you looking to tap into the miracle working power of God for show? Or are you looking to express your gratefulness to the Lord, to fall deeper in love with Him, to draw close to His heart and to be the best expression of His love in the earth that you can? And, are you poor in spirit, meaning do you admit that you have spiritual flaws that get in the way? Flaws that you are not willing to cover up or ignore, but you ask for His light to shine on them so you can see them and be free of them? If the latter is true of you then you are truly blessed, for the Kingdom of Heaven is yours. Matthew 5:3, John 9:39-41, Revelation 3:17-18, Matthew 10:39, Matthew 19:30 |
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