Blessed Are The Poor In Spirit

Do you know that it's not only the rich/wealthy that could be proud? Some poor people are so proud that you begin to wonder what they are proud about. They glory in the nothing that they have. They won't accept their condition and of course their pride will make them fall further. The spiritual state of wealth is even a more serious issue.

Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favour 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! (Matthew 5:3)

There is this saying the principal of my secondary school taught us, "He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a fool".

You know, I agree. When you meet someone you can label 'I too know' (and who actually knows nothing), what is going to be your likely reaction? You leave the person in his state of ignorance after trying to make him see the light.

The Good News Translation puts Matthew 5:3 as “Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor . . .)

God expects us to come before Him humbly, acknowledging the fact that we are truly insignificant and that we need Him to make us significant.  He despises the proud. He wants us to realize that we are/have nothing outside Him. When He sees that we rely on Him for help, He sends us help. He empowers us in our lowly estate. He raises us up from our valley of nothingness.

We must trust Him for spiritual strength. Our righteousness is like a filthy rag before him. It's not by works that we gain His blessings upon our spirits but by His grace alone. Only they that wait upon the Lord shall have their strength renewed. It is someone that knows she doesn't have any power of her own that will wait upon someone stronger and mightier. We must rely on God. And then He will bless us.

~OMOSEBI Mary Omolola