Read Matthew 5:1-3
Key Verse: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Matthew 5:3 CSB)
When you think of someone who has been blessed by God, what comes to mind? Is it the person who owns a big house, drives an expensive car, or gets to go on exotic vacations? Is it the person whose life is free from stress, anxiety or hardship? Are these the indicators that God’s hand of blessing is upon someone?
Not according to Jesus. The blessing of God in a person’s life isn’t measured by material wealth or prosperity, nor is it about the absence of challenges or problems. A blessed person is the one who is in right standing or relationship with God, regardless of whatever else is happening around them.
So how do we experience God’s blessing in this way? For many people, they assume that they need to earn God’s blessing in their lives. It’s about gaining merit through acts of charity or any number of good works. They assume that so long as their account is showing in the positive, then they are good to go before God.
The only problem with this approach is that it is exactly the opposite of what Jesus teaches. As Jesus began teaching His disciples about what life in His kingdom looked like, He told them that God’s hand of blessing extends first to those who are “poor in spirit” (verse 3). To be poor in spirit doesn’t mean to lack the basic goods of this world, like so many do. Rather it is to be a person who recognizes his desperate need for God and his own inability to come to Him on his own merit.
A person who is poor in spirit truly understands that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favour. It’s not about ensuring that the scale is in our favor when it comes to our good deeds. Rather it’s to recognize that because of our sin, our account isn’t just in the negative with God. We are completely bankrupt! Apart from His grace extended to us through Christ Jesus, we have no ground to stand on before Him.
In Psalm 40:17, David cried out to God saying, “But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me.” In Isaiah 66:2, God declared, “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” God’s hand of blessing is upon the one who takes a posture of humility instead of pride before the Lord. It’s upon the one who recognizes how desperately we need Him.
This is the foundation of the Christian life. This is where the good news of Jesus Christ begins to take root in our hearts and transform our lives. This is the one to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs.
Prayer: God, I recognize that I am poor and needy without you. Apart from your grace extended toward me through Jesus, I have no other hope. Thank you that because I am in Christ, I am truly blessed. Fill my heart with gratitude and wonder today for all that you have done. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
