The Beatitudes of a Christ Follower: Poor in Spirit

Intro:

As we discuss these beatitudes, understand that they are not meant to be thought of as a position or a possession that you have, or even a feeling that you sometimes get, but a characteristic of who you are and who you know. The beatitudes are very soul searching and will cause you to reflect on the person you are now and who you want to become in the future. They are frames of mind that are present in the heart of every true believer in Christ and are always growing as you get closer and closer to Christ. The closer to Christ you get, the more that these beatitudes become ingrained into your being. Over and over again, Christ calls those who display these beatitudes, blessed. The word “blessed” that Jesus uses can be thought of as blissful, privileged, peaceful, fortunate, prosperous, or happy. This is what Jesus declares of those who have these God given characteristics within them.

Blessed are the Poor in Spirit:

Christ’s teaching on the beatitudes is profound not only in the content, but there is also meaning in the sequence that He presents them. The first beatitude Christ teaches is Poor in Spirit. You can think of being poor in spirit as knowing that you do not have the ability to come to Christ nor live this Christian life apart from His saving and keeping work within you. The word poor can be thought of as spiritually bankrupt apart from Christ. Being poor in spirit is admitting that, because of your sin, you are completely destitute spiritually and can do nothing to deliver yourself from the sin that so easily ensnares you. Jesus is saying that, no matter your status in life, you must recognize your spiritual poverty before you can come to God in faith to receive the salvation He offers. Even though the thought of being poor in spirit is not comfortable or self-fulfilling, it is exactly the type of mindset that we must have to become true followers of Him, and to have any hope of being with Him in His Kingdom.

Scriptures:

Matthew 5:1-3 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Be Encouraged:

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us pursue spiritual humility, knowing that it is Christ who saves us, Christ who keeps us, and Christ who will bring us to Glory with Him. Let us daily acknowledge Him for His grace and mercy in our lives and thank Him for saving us from a life of misery and hopelessness. Combat the spiritual pride that causes you to think more highly of yourself then you ought to, thoughts of self-sufficiency, or thinking that you are self-made. These types of thoughts are vices and are of no virtue in the Kingdom of Heaven. Everything that we have is Christ’s, our material possessions, our family, our friends, our futures, and the gifts/abilities that He created us with and enables us to develop. Let us believe as Paul when he said in 1 Corinthians 15:10 that “I am what I am by the Grace of God.”

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