Poor in spirit

By Nate Heater

No one wants to be poor. We work hard to avoid it, we hide it if we think it’s true of us, and we pity those who are. We certainly don’t see it as a blessing!

When Jesus tells us, then, that the poor in spirit are blessed – that they will, in fact, inherit the kingdom of God, it sounds…well, ridiculous. I don’t want to be poor in spirit (or anything else). How can that be good? To be poor in spirit isn’t talking about material wealth, of course. The Bible has plenty to say about money and riches, but this is a different kind of poverty, a spiritual poverty, an attitude of humility and awareness of our sin before the holiness of God. In a world that tells us that ‘being true to oneself’ is a virtue and that ‘you are enough just as you are’, this sounds wildly countercultural. But Jesus’ invitation to be poor in spirit is glorious good news.

Jonathan Landry Cruse defines it like this: “To be poor in spirit is to realise…there is nothing we have in or of ourselves on which we can bank our eternity. The poor in spirit know that they are empty, and they also know that only God can fill them.”

What Jesus is saying is a simple fact of the kingdom of God – it’s the poor in spirit, and only the poor in spirit, who will inherit the Kingdom. Why? Because only the poor in spirit see their need for a saviour; only those who see God and themselves rightly will run to God for rescue from sin – or even see their sin as something needing rescued from!

Psalm 40:16,17 says it perfectly: “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, ‘Great is the Lord!’ As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and deliverer; do not delay, O my God!”

It’s the posture in which we come to Jesus for salvation, but it’s also how we should live each day – in dependence on his grace and help. To be poor in spirit is to be rich in Christ. The emptier we come to Christ, the more of his fullness we experience. Cultivate a big, glorious, great view of God, constantly setting his glory before you as you travel through life. Have a right view of your sin and need – and rejoice that God in his mercy has invited you into his kingdom and into his unending blessing. And as we serve this summer, point each person you meet to the great riches of Christ, proclaiming that their great need is met fully in an even greater Saviour.

To study during the week:

Read Isaiah 57:15-21

1. What attributes and promises of God do we see in this passage? How do they encourage us to live for Jesus this week?
2. We see two different responses to God’s mercy in this passage (v. 15, 18 and v. 20, 21). What are they, and what is the outcome for each?
3. How might we use the idea of ‘poor in spirit’, and the picture of God’s patient mercy in these verses, to communicate the gospel with someone?

Read Philippians 3:8-12

1. Where do we see a ‘poor in spirit’ attitude in Paul’s words here? What impact does that make on how he thinks and approaches his situation (in prison in Rome for the sake of the gospel – possibly facing death)?
2. How does viewing himself and Christ properly give Paul joy and peace? How can being poor in spirit help us rejoice and be faithful in both the good and less good seasons of life?