Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

The Sermon on the Mount begins with the words: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:2).  Jesus was not speaking about financial poverty; He was speaking of being poor in spirit. As we study these beatitudes, you will notice there is a progression.  It is crucial to note that Jesus began with poor in spirit. We can’t have the kingdom of God and we can’t be or do any of the following beatitudes if we are not first, poor in spirit.  We cannot experience the kingdom of God unless we are first poor in spirit.  There are two Greek words translated as “poor” in the New Testament – one describes a person that has been reduced to begging; the other describes a person whose poverty demands that they work diligently every day to survive; someone who doesn’t have a stockpile or a savings account – if they don’t work, they won’t eat.   Which poor is used by Jesus in this Sermon?  The first one – the one that describes the beggar.  The one that sees herself as having no means of survival or fulfillment has got to come from an outside source. 

Consider these two statements: “Isn’t “Christianity a crutch for people who can’t make it on their own?” and “God helps those who help themselves”.  Now, neither of these is written in the Bible.  But, the truth of one is in this first beatitude.  Which one is it?

Christianity is a crutch for people who can’t make it on their own.  Doesn’t that just grind against our flesh?  Against our pride?  How contrary can one get?  It’s so offensive to our self-sufficiency to label Christianity as a crutch. But Jesus said Mark 2:17  … "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

What is Jesus saying when He says “Blessed are the poor in spirit?”.  He is saying happy are the destitute; happy are the beggarly, happy are the hopelessly dependent; happy are the people who know they have nothing in themselves to gain God’s blessings.

Happy are the people who realize I can’t get it right, do it right, understand it right, know what’s right without God showing me and empowering me.  But – but, then I can.

In this first beatitude, we can see the “ledger” that I wrote about yesterday – poor in spirit on one side and the kingdom of heaven on the other.  It is only when we recognize the left side, that we can enjoy the benefits of the right side. 

It is my desire to have a daily post ready for you to read each morning.  Today’s is late.  It is also my desire that we would interact by using the comment section of this blog.  So, I encourage you to post your thoughts.  So, for starters, what are your thoughts when you consider your personal ledger and what God has done for you?

Love in Jesus,

cathy

Black Friday

Black Friday – the day retailers hope that their income statement will transition from red to black, loss to profit. For, us, as believers, we each have a “black Friday” in our lives. It became available for us over 2,000 years ago when Jesus died on the cross in payment for our sins. The day you surrendered your life to Jesus became your own personal “black Friday” - the day you surrendered your life to Him. On that day, your life went from loss to profit; from debtor to free. On that day, Jesus blotted out all of your sins and failures. There is absolutely nothing written on the debt side of your ledger. And then, and then, Jesus didn’t stop there. He wrote many, many things on your credit side – all the privileges you now have access to because you asked Him to pay the debts you couldn’t pay. And He made a deposit as His guarantee – He placed the Holy Spirit inside you as His guarantee of payment. (Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.) Many of the stores charge extra for extended guarantees – Jesus does not. 

On which side of the ledger are you living? Do you still see debts that Jesus blotted out? Satan remembers them; you probably do too. He loves to remind you of them. But, Satan has no access to your ledger. He can’t rewrite what Jesus has erased. His marker doesn’t work, but his voice does. Colossians 2:14 reminds us that Jesus nailed our debts to the cross and declares them paid in full. Satan is like an old creditor who calls and claims you still owe. Hang up on him. He has no claim on you. 

Whether you venture out to the malls or not today, enjoy Black Friday. Take a moment and draw a ledger sheet with the left side labeled “debts” and the right side labeled “credits”. Leave the left side blank (because that’s how God sees it). On the right side write out just some of the things Jesus has placed on your credit side. Or just bow your heart right now and thank Him for those things. 

Tomorrow we will begin our holiday journey through the first sections of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. 

Love in Jesus, 

cathy