Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

When I sat down to plan what I would write about this year, I decided it made perfect sense to start the year with a series about Jesus. As the Holy Spirit dropped a series about the Beatitudes into my spirit, I was excited but at the same time apprehensive. What triggered my apprehension? Well, the Beatitudes are quite straightforward.

Take for example today’s verse. Simply put, God will bless us if we are poor in spirit (humble). What do we get in return? The kingdom of heaven. What does the kingdom of heaven mean? Well, again the Bible has an answer for us.

Romans 14:17 - For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (NLT)

So, if we are humble, we will receive the blessings of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Now, at this point, some people might get distracted by the blessing and enter into theological debates about whether the kingdom of God is the same as the kingdom of heaven. Or whether this is a future blessing about life after death rather than experiencing God’s heavenly kingdom on earth. These might be good questions to ask, but ultimately it is probably better for us to focus on becoming humble so that we can receive the blessing (whatever that blessing might be).

With that in mind, all that is left for us to reflect on is where are we lacking in humility. What areas in our lives are we proud and the opposite of poor in spirit? Once we have identified these areas, like David our prayer ought to be

Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (KJV)

Questions for reflection: Am I poor in spirit? What areas in my life do I need to exhibit more humility? Are there any areas in my life where I think I can never be wrong or that my way of doing things is the best and only way? Have I prayed for the spirit of humility?