Monday, February 25, 2008
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
In his first State of the Union speech on January 8, 1964, United States President Lyndon Johnson declared a "War On Poverty." During his term in office, he intended to enact a series of measures that would improve the standard of living for the poor. That might have been a good thing for those with little in their wallets, but a long time ago on a hillside in Galilee, Jesus told His disciples about a kind of poverty that was not so bad; a kind of poverty you would not want to get rid of. He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."
We are "poor in spirit" when we come to God realizing that we have nothing to offer Him for the things we have done wrong. Our pockets are empty. (As the hymn says: "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.") The poor in spirit do not act as though they can satisfy God on the basis of their own righteousness and strength. They know that even their best works are like filthy rags, tainted with pride and other evil. When they sin, they do not try to pretend that they have actually done "well enough" for God.
By the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, each Christian is made to be "poor in spirit." We are all beggars.
So how can we be happy to be "broke" before God? Because while we have nothing to offer to Him for our guilt, that doesn't mean an offering has not been made. We can rest our hearts on Jesus who did have riches to offer. He had the riches of a perfect life, lived without sin from beginning to end. He lived that life for us, giving us His perfection in place of our imperfection.
