Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 NIV
At first glance, to be poor in spirit does not appear to be the top award of honor. Our independence shrugs off such a characterization. Our self sufficiency steers clear of needing help. Our dreams for ourselves do not include being needy, but rather being rich and strong in all things.
Then Jesus tells us there is a blessed state for those who are poor in spirit. This blessed state goes beyond the physical abundance of having lots of stuff or having nothing at all.
How do you pursue being poor in spirit? My flesh is arguing like this, “why would anyone want to become poor in spirit? To be poor, in my mind, has negative connotations”. Okay, now you know my bias.
The Pulpit Commentary has this to say to describe those who are poor in spirit – “they have nothing of their own, must be receivers before they give, must be dependent on another’s bounty.” These three thoughts about the inward state of the poor in spirit give us stepping stones in the right direction to acquire this blessing
- Possess nothing of your own – Offering all that you have and all that you are gifted to do and be, is given daily to God to use as He sees fit. God gives you life, speech, the ability to think, to put things in order, to save, to spend, and to give. All of life is from Him and to Him. The poor in spirit recognize constantly we are entrusted with His gifts to us.
- Must be receivers before they give – The physical poor are positioned to receive alms to make life work. The poor in spirit focus their eyes on the riches of heaven’s kingdom. The key is access and not possession. The poor in spirit have access to everything in the kingdom of heaven. Faithful with little, entrusted with much are one of the keys to accessing this kingdom’s treasures.
- Must be dependent on another’s bounty – the key is dependency not on the amount of another person’s stuff. This means you need to learn to wait. This means you need to learn to trust in their goodness and authenticity to be there for you. If you ask for wisdom, He gives it freely. Peter understood that even though he possessed not silver and gold, He gave healing power to another in Jesus name. Dependency upon Jesus is not a weak state of being, but valued for those who know how to stay connected to the Spirit of God.
As a child of God, these blessings from Jesus are ours already. They come with the package of being one of His children. If you had shoes or clothing passed down to you, you probably remember mom saying, “I know they are a little big for you now, but you will grow into them.” May you grow into the blessedness of being poor in spirit. You have the wealth of the kingdom of heaven available to you.
am i, I am blessed to be poor in spirit.
Blessings, Love y’all