“How blessed are those who are destitute in spirit, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to them!” Matthew 5:3
In the eight beatitudes Jesus gave us a map of how to live our lives. The first step for us to take is to become poor in spirit. Must we give up our material possessions to become poor? No, Jesus didn’t mean that we had to lack money. He was clear that we become poor in spirit. By this He meant we must empty ourselves of our egos and the desire to exercise our self-will. We are not to rely on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). We let go of our current habits and prejudices and thoughts; anything that stands in the way of our ability and desire to seek God. We must, at all costs, let go of our pride which puts our confidence and reliance on what we have achieved, earned, own, or believe. (“Cursed are the proud.” Proverbs 16:5)
We can’t really see Christ in all of His splendor and glory until we become spiritually poor. Only then can we see how precious Christ is! Only then can we understand that He came not only to save us, but to heal us. (“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.” Isaiah 61:1) When we admit that we are alcoholics or addicts, and that our lives have become unmanageable, we take the first small step towards renouncing our reliance on ourselves. We begin the journey to becoming fully reliant on God.
Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them! We humble ourselves before our mighty God and we allow God to run our lives. No longer do we rely on our egos and our understanding to run the show. We become poor in spirit to become rich in God.
F.R.O.G. Practice: Empty yourself of your pride that puts your confidence and reliance in your achievements, beliefs, prejudices, thoughts, habits, etc. Humble yourself before God. Ask God to come in and fill you with love, grace and salvation. Let God bind up your broken heart and soul. Become poor in spirit so that you may enter into God’s kingdom.
