January 7, 2014

Today's devotion is centered on the first sentence of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:3 says, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  (NIV)  The Message Bible translates as,  You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.  The Living Bible interprets as, "Humble men are very fortunate!” he told them, “for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them."  Dungy's study uses the New Living Translation which writes, God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

The Amplified Bible defines the verse as follows, Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous — with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! 

There is a thought that could be missed in these interpretations, in my opinion.  The idea seems to be that God blesses poor people and that poor people are humble.  While many poor people might be humble and still many more recognize with their little belongings how much they need God, it certainly is my experience that that not all poor people are this way.  In fact, a recent experience with a homeless man left me convinced that he was bitter, angry, disrespectful, and that he felt slighted by everyone including God Himself.  I'm pretty sure he believed the world owed him a better life (he might have been more sensible if he would have been less drunk). 

Dungy comments, "The Bible says God blesses those who realize their need for Him."  I think this is the proper definition of "poor in spirit".  Blessed are those who realize they are spiritually bankrupt.  Blessed are those who know that without God there is no way, no purpose, no life.  Blessed are those whose worth is determined by the Creator and not the world. 

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3, For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  Certainly, being "poor in spirit" is a spiritual war.  We must be diligent to study our character, our emotions, our reactions to events, or our feelings towards others to find where pride, arrogance, or ego have found a crack and is penetrating into our life.  Are we not all beggars at the foot of Christ?  Any thought or consideration that tempts me to think that I am any more or less of a person or more or less deserving than everyone else on earth is not of God.

Sit at the foot of the Cross today, be grateful that Jesus is no longer on it, and receive His gift of conversation, friendship, and Lordship - and be blessed!