Blessed Man 6

Poor in Spirit

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This often quoted phrase is not a prophetic pronouncement of future bliss. It is a statement of present reality. The poor in spirit have the kingdom this every minute. They operate on a different plane; one misunderstood by the rest of the world. Being poor in spirit is the narrow entry way that leads to the door to the kingdom.

To be poor in spirit is not the same thing as spiritual poverty or moral bankruptcy. Spiritually speaking, being poor in spirit is a measure of attitude. On the other hand, spiritual poverty is a lack of resources. The poor in spirit don't lack for spiritual gifts or talents. They simply don't boast of them, nor do they trust in their own abilities. They know that, by their own efforts, they have failed at holiness.

The poor in spirit have a keen awareness of their past sin; their present weakness; and accept their future vulnerability. They rely on God for simple things; things others do everyday of their own accord. They do not see themselves as super Christians, though they might well qualify as one. They see themselves as unworthy recipients of God's grace.

Poorness of spirit is one of those paradoxical virtues common to Christianity. It is akin to losing your life in order to find it. The poor in spirit face criticism and challenges to their personal integrity without feeling the need to defend themselves. This is because the truly see themselves as unprofitable servants doing no more than their duty. They are not delusional. They are able to perform a sober self-evaluation with giving in to self-pity or self-aggrandizement.

The poor in spirit have mastered the scriptural admonishment: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

The Pharisees were focused their spirituality on ecclesiastical position. They were obsessed with being seen by others as superior servants of God. In their own eyes they were the epitome of what it meant to be a child of God. There is no place in the kingdom of heaven for such thinking. Jesus said, ”Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The poor in spirit focus attention on God. He has more than their allegiance; He has their all. They possess nothing on their own; they hold nothing back; and that which they do have is by the grace of God. Such an attitude of selfless simplicity is foreign to modern thought. It is a narrow gate few find. Those who find it are indeed blessed.