Monday | Matthew 5:3

The Poor In Spirit | Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” 

The beatitudes of Christ are lovely, challenging, and convicting because it is Christ, through His word and Spirit, who places a mirror before us in order to examine the condition of our hearts and our affections for Christ, His church, and our neighbor. The invitation to the poor in spirit is an invitation to the grace of God in Christ Jesus. Often, we can grow proud as we look to the left and to the right of our walk with Christ and believe that we’re doing well and perhaps without sin. However, the poor in spirit are not those who have achieved moral satisfaction, but those who have been emptied of their pride and self-righteousness. 

The poor in spirit are those who have been confronted by God with the truth and grace of the gospel of Christ. The poor in spirit are those whose hearts have been broken and grieved by their sin; those who have had the scales of their eyes removed with the cleansing of the gospel. The poor in spirit are those who have encountered and received the grace of God and have been humbled because of what Jesus has done, not their efforts. 

The gospel of Jesus proclaims that Jesus’ work of redemption on the cross is what allows the sinner to be reconciled to the Father; to have the fence of separation removed. To be poor in spirit is to be in desperate need of Jesus. Christian, are you poor in spirit?