Sunday, January 23, 2011

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit: A Study of the Beatitudes

Last week I talked about the importance of readjusting our gaze inward, to the matters of our heart.

It is so easy to read verses in the Bible and not quite comprehend the meaning and life application of them. The problem comes when we just pass them by and miss what the Lord wants us to see. Because this passage is so good I want to break it down to one verse a week.

The beatitudes are part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. He was teaching that the things of this world are not what matter in life, but rather who we are on the inside. Faithful obedience and a heart for Him far outweigh the power, wealth, and popularity that the world can give. The beatitudes are a map of how we need to live our lives.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 5:3

In order to move on to the rest of the beatitudes we must understand the first. Being poor in spirit is the foundation on which the rest of the beatitudes are built.

Poor in Spirit means that when we look at ourselves in the light of God we see that we are absolutely nothing.

"I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh" -Romans 7:18


To me poverty of spirit is:

realizing our need for God

fully focusing on him and not on ourself

acknowledging our daily dependence on Him

ridding ourselves of traces of pride and self-reliance

completely turning from the path we were on and walking with Him

acknowledging that all credit we get from others is due to Him


"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." -James 4:7-10


For if Jesus had not loved us and paid the price on the cross we would have no remission for our sins. We need to realize that we, on our own, are sinners and need Him. We have to humble ourselves before him and recognize that our worth comes solely from him.
The reward for the poor in spirit is the kingdom of heaven!



What are your insights to being poor in spirit?


2 comments:

Kathy McC said...

Thank you Katie. This is beautiful. This is a feast of truth.

Misty said...

I am loving this series. Thank you for your dedication to this blog. I do truly agree with you, it starts with being poor in spirit, recognizing that it isn't US, but God working in us... When we humble ourselves and know that apart from Him, we can do nothing, it is there He can begin to mold and use us for His kingdom. Praise the Lord.

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