BeAttitudes - Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 We must be humble in our hearts (spirits). If you put the word “humble” in place of the word “poor,” you will understand what Jesus meant right here.

In other words, when we come to God, we have to be transparent and attest to our own sin and our spiritual emptiness and ‘poverty’. We cannot be complacent or proud in our hearts, thinking we don’t really need God, or know how to do things on our own without Him. If we have this attitude of heart, God cannot bless us. James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”

Pride can take all kinds of forms, but to me the worst is spiritual pride.  Jonathan Edwards writes, “It is by spiritual pride that the mind defends and justifies itself in other errors and defends itself against light by which it might be corrected and reclaimed.  The spiritually proud man thinks he is full of light already and feels that he does not need instruction, so he is ready to ignore the offer of it.

On the other hand, the humble person is like a little child who easily receives instruction.  He is cautious in his estimate of himself, sensitive as to how liable he is to go astray.  If it is suggested to him that he is going astray, he is most ready to check into the matter.”

Many years ago, one of my precious cherubs confronted me on something I was doing. I loved watching C-Span (no haters now please..ha). I am a news junkie. I admit it. It was not in moderation either. It was probably Election time. One day I guess Ms. Bunny had had enough of it. She asked me, “Momma, how does this show give glory to God?” I instantly tried to justify and defend myself. I mean, really.. little 5 year old, who do you think you are dealing with here? But then I heard that little voice inside me. ‘Listen to her words. They are truth.' My pride tried to clog up my good judgment. Here I thought I was so full of spiritual stuff that I almost missed out on Godly instruction. From my 5-year old! Thank you Lord!

The poor (humble) in spirit are happy. They are humble and know where they were before knowing Jesus relationally. They see their shortcomings, they repent, and have a passion to follow their Savior - no matter the cost. The kingdom of grace is made up of the humble of heart; the kingdom of glory is theirs. 

 

Prayer Time
Oh Heavenly Father, I almost missed a good lesson from You by blocking my listening ears with pride, with distractions, with vain justifications and blind defenses. Please forgive me. I want a heart that chases only after You. Please keep talking to my heart; even if you use a 5 year old. I will be listening. I promise. 

Copyright © 2015 Christine Osberghaus