Devotions: the Blessings of Being Poor

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

Matthew 5:3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

This verse is the beginning of a passage known as the beatitudes, part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes are a series of verses that talk about “those who are blessed.” This verse says that those who are “poor in spirit” are blessed. Poor in this verse does not mean those who have no money, but those who are afflicted, whose soul has been brought low. It refers to the humble, those who acknowledge their own sin and lowliness before God. Only those who are humble before God, who admit their need for a Savior, acknowledging their own inability and unworthiness to gain salvation on their own merit, will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who do not do this are prideful. They do not see their need for a Savior because they think they are good enough on their own. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who are this way. They believe God is who He says He is, and they consider themselves saved, but they are unwilling to humble themselves, to bow before their Lord and Creator and admit that they are nothing without Him. But James 4:6 says that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Other translations say that He despises the proud. Essentially, to be proud is to put oneself in the place of God, but God will have no rival. So we need to be humble before God, we need to acknowledge our complete unworthiness for anything good and our utter inability to save ourselves, and accept His love, grace, mercy and salvation. Humble yourself before the Lord and be blessed!