Blessed Are: The Poor In Spirit

Over the next several days I'd like to take a closer look at the teachings Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 5:3-12

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

What does it mean to be poor in spirit?

For years I saw it as an unhealthy form of humility: A brokenness in spirit like an animal trained too hard - beaten down and hopeless. Later, I thought that it meant to be weak, or lacking, in spirit. This conjured images of those who just didn't know any better and followed blindly. I wondered how a loving Father could ever expect and desire for me to be poor in these ways.

I've come to realize, however, that a lot of the issues we have when hearing this verse stems from the fact that in America we are bred on success: Pulling ourselves up by the seat of our pants to gain an advanced education and money, money, money. While there is nothing wrong with hard work and commitment, we have placed way too much emphasis on self. We are told we are special. We can do anything if we just put our mind to it. We have the power within ourselves to accomplish our dreams. We have the right...

I love the line from Disney's movie The Incredibles. The young boy Dash complains to his mother, "But Dad said our powers made us special!"
"Everyone's special, Dash." she replies.
He mutters back to her, "Which is another way of saying NO ONE is."

There can only be One who is Special. And we are not Him.

The New American Commentary summarizes it well. "'Poor in spirit' as a virtue, must refer not to a poor quality of faith but to the acknowledgement of one's spiritual powerlessness and bankruptcy apart from Christ".

We can not live as though we, as individuals, are the most one important to God. Yes, He loves us and has gone through all this trouble for us, but apart from Jesus we are nothing. John 14:6 states, "Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one come to the Father except through Me.'"  Again in Acts 4:11-12 we hear, "This Jesus is The stone despised by you builders, who has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved."

Jesus Himself wonderfully defines what it means to be poor in spirit:
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with His angles in the glory of His Father, and then will reward each according to what he has done.'" Matthew 16:24-27

This is what we need to understand to be poor in spirit:   Stop trying to be your own Jesus.

Say A Little Prayer

Say a prayer for me will you? The Lord is working in my life so amazingly right now that I'm blown away. I really can't even put my finger on it. I just have faith that it will all work out for His glory.

I'm working on a daily lesson for you on the Beatitudes that I mentioned yesterday in the book of Matthew. The Lord has laid it on my heart to take each verse one by one and expound upon them. I had planned to post the first today, but feel I need to listen a little more before jotting anything down.

I've also sent in a form to possibly start writing some material for a Christian publishing company as well! I'm scared to death that they may say yes because I know how unworthy I am. However, the Lord (and a few others!) have mentioned I should try, so I am walking by faith and not by sight! If the Lord wills it, it will happen and be a great opportunity for reaching others. If it doesn't - whew! At least I can say I tried... ;-)

Also, if any of you feel led, I have made up a sort of business card to advertise this blog sight. They are very basic and meant to be handed to people directly or placed in free Wi-Fi areas such as coffee shops. Email me if you would like some cards or the page sent to you for printing. The amazing thing about the internet is you don't have to live in the same city to read it!

I will leave you with a few verses I found about coming together for prayer. Who says we all have to be in the same room?

Acts 16:13 "On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we thought there was a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there."

2 Corinthians 1:11 "And you can join in helping with prayer for us, so that thanks may be given by many on our behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many."

2 Thessalonians 3:1 "Finally, pray for us, brothers, that the Lord's message may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you."

Hebrews 13:18 "Pray for us; for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything."

AMEN

Beatitudes

When I was little I thought the passage in Matthew 5:3-12 was actually called the "Be-Attitudes" because that is the way our attitudes are suppose to be. Take some time to read over Jesus' teaching today:

Matthew 5:3-12
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every king of evil against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

You want to be blessed? Here is how.

Let these Words wash over you anew today.

Hmmm...

Matthew 3:16-17  "After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. And there came a voice from heaven: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!"

I've always wondered...
Did God speak here in Hebrew, because they were His chosen people? Or did He speak in Greek because Jesus was there to bring salvation to the Gentiles as well?

Diet Pledge

What do you think of when you hear the word, Pledge?

Here are some of the definitions according to dictionary.com:

• a solemn promise or agreement to do or refrain from doing something: a pledge of aid; a pledge not to wage war.
• something delivered as security for the payment of a debt or fulfillment of a promise, and subject to forfeiture on failure to pay or fulfill the promise.
• to promise solemnly: to pledge one's support.
• to stake, as one's honor.
• to make or give a pledge: to pledge for someone.

We often think of saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, or of fundraisers. Perhaps you have made a pledge to a club of some sort for membership. Whatever type of pledge you have made, I'd like to ask you a question; How seriously did you take it?

This may seem totally unrelated for now, but I'd also like you to think about dieting. In this country, people usually think of low-fat or low-calorie foods when they consider a diet. Diet foods are easy to find in any grocery and can often be found with the title of Lite, but have you ever read the label? They tend to have a long list of ingredients that are harder to pronounce than the names in the Old Testament. Even if not, there is a certain amount of processing that has taken place to reduce something that was originally there, such as fat.

Over the years as I struggled with weight and health issues I've had to come to the conclusion that if it is too processed and "un-natural" that my body wasn't meant to have it. I was stuffing myself with all of these "diet" things so that my body wasn't getting the natural nutrients and minerals it needed. What it has boiled down to is, eat smaller portions of the real stuff instead of larger ones of the fake stuff. Not only does it taste better, but I enjoy what I can have all the more. If I have felt convicted not to eat a certain food, then I just don't eat it. I don't eat the Fake it.

This is what I feel we have done to our pledges. We have processed them down so much that we at times have changed their whole meaning. When we pledge to something, I truly believe we are staking our honor to it as one of the definitions described. If we are stuffing ourselves on empty pledges, we loose the flavor and richness of the true one. This too, is not healthy for us.

When I pledge to the flag, I am pledging to "One Nation under God." If we pledge money to an organization, we are committing ourselves to what they stand for. Our commitment to what we pledge is directly related to our all commitments. If we are lackadaisical in our pledges and commitments to those around us, what makes us think we will be different with what we pledge to God?

Your Everyday

One of the things I love about the parables of Jesus is that they are so personal. He used things that the people understood; things that they worked with or experienced on a daily basis. One of the things I have been encouraged with while doing this blog, is that God very much is in the everyday. He time and again teaches me by what I am experiencing around me and then confirms it through His Word.

Recently while studying, I read in Mark 1:17 when Jesus calls to four of His disciples to follow Him. These men have been, or have been around, fishermen since the day they were born. Jesus doesn't call them to come and study under Him as He might to a student or apprentice. He doesn't tell them to pen His precises Words as He might have to a scribe. He tells them, "Follow Me,... and I will make you fish for people!" He calls them to a live for Him through who they are.

Remember the Samaritan women at the well in John 4? She came every day to draw water. Jesus didn't tell her that she should come and fish for men, did He? She may have taken that completely the wrong way with her background! (4:18) Instead, He speaks to her about asking for the living water so that she would never thirst again. (4:10-14).

Christ calls to us to start following Him where we are. It is then by His amazing grace and providence that we become so much more. Simon, the fisherman called to fish for people, became a Rock (Peter) on which the early church was helped to stand. The outcast woman, drawing water alone, became the catalyst for her town's understanding of the True Living Water. (John 4:39-42).

Take some time today to think about where the Lord has called you to follow Him from. Where is He calling you from now?

To what part of who you are does the Lord, Jesus Christ say, "Follow Me, and I will make you...............!"