Needing God
1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Poor in spirit? It's the first Beatitude but what did Christ mean by this? I've heard this a million times but now that I had to explain it, I was stumped. I hustled through my work day at a loss for how to define "poor in spirit." I didn't want to just copy a google answer... We've all heard those.
By his grace, God illustrated what it means to be "poor in spirit" through my three year old son, Silas. He has been recovering from a cold this week and this morning he stepped on a rusted nail. (Big time parent fail, I know.) I left work early to take him to the doctor. When I picked him up from preschool, it was nap time. I carried him to his appointment. He woke up in the waiting room and cuddled with me in silence. He was tired. He's still recovering from his cold and all he wanted to do was rest in my arms. All week, day and night, he has looked to me for comfort, depended on me to sooth his symptoms, and has occasionally paid me back in smiles, kisses, and company.
This week, Silas' sick body made him poor in spirit. He needed his mom. Took comfort in his mom and enjoyed her company.
In turn, he took delight in the small things we did together. He smiled in satisfaction from the simple things in life. He was content with the comfort and company I offered.
Physical, spiritual, or circumstantial ailments can plague day to day lives. And the temptation to sin is always at our heals. When this happens, we need our Heavenly Father. We need our God.
When the great Billy Graham was asked what poor in spirit means, he answered
"We must be humble in our spirits. If you put the word 'humble' in place of the word 'poor,' you will understand what He [Jesus] meant... When we come to God, we must realize our own sin and our spiritual emptiness and poverty. We must not be self-satisfied or proud in our hearts, thinking we don’t really need God. If we are, God cannot bless us..." (billygraham.org)
Silas foot is okay, by the way. No shots needed and he's not in pain. His mom, however, is feeling a little convicted because I need to be more like him. I need to admit my needs and turn to my Abba Father for answers, comfort, and company.
If you're like me, pray for a humble spirit as we enter into the beatitudes.
Lastly, as I explained to my five year old that I had to write a devotion on the beatitudes, Elijah's reaction was, "Oh, I know the beatitudes, those are the attitudes we wanna be!!!"
My jaw dropped. I should have talked to him earlier.
So, turn to God for help and also turn to your spiritual family.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Poor in spirit? It's the first Beatitude but what did Christ mean by this? I've heard this a million times but now that I had to explain it, I was stumped. I hustled through my work day at a loss for how to define "poor in spirit." I didn't want to just copy a google answer... We've all heard those.
By his grace, God illustrated what it means to be "poor in spirit" through my three year old son, Silas. He has been recovering from a cold this week and this morning he stepped on a rusted nail. (Big time parent fail, I know.) I left work early to take him to the doctor. When I picked him up from preschool, it was nap time. I carried him to his appointment. He woke up in the waiting room and cuddled with me in silence. He was tired. He's still recovering from his cold and all he wanted to do was rest in my arms. All week, day and night, he has looked to me for comfort, depended on me to sooth his symptoms, and has occasionally paid me back in smiles, kisses, and company.
This week, Silas' sick body made him poor in spirit. He needed his mom. Took comfort in his mom and enjoyed her company.
In turn, he took delight in the small things we did together. He smiled in satisfaction from the simple things in life. He was content with the comfort and company I offered.
Physical, spiritual, or circumstantial ailments can plague day to day lives. And the temptation to sin is always at our heals. When this happens, we need our Heavenly Father. We need our God.
When the great Billy Graham was asked what poor in spirit means, he answered
"We must be humble in our spirits. If you put the word 'humble' in place of the word 'poor,' you will understand what He [Jesus] meant... When we come to God, we must realize our own sin and our spiritual emptiness and poverty. We must not be self-satisfied or proud in our hearts, thinking we don’t really need God. If we are, God cannot bless us..." (billygraham.org)
Silas foot is okay, by the way. No shots needed and he's not in pain. His mom, however, is feeling a little convicted because I need to be more like him. I need to admit my needs and turn to my Abba Father for answers, comfort, and company.
If you're like me, pray for a humble spirit as we enter into the beatitudes.
Lastly, as I explained to my five year old that I had to write a devotion on the beatitudes, Elijah's reaction was, "Oh, I know the beatitudes, those are the attitudes we wanna be!!!"
My jaw dropped. I should have talked to him earlier.
So, turn to God for help and also turn to your spiritual family.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
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