Right There

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

• Matthew 5:3

Poor: worse than is usual, expected, or desirable; of a low or inferior standard or quality.

Spirit: the nonphysical part of a person that is the seat of emotions and character; the soul

This is different. I usually hear poor and think of money. Most of us do. We can see the homeless guy we know on the freeway exit. We can imagine the people we know struggling to make it. We can imagine the kids in India that we visited. We can see the faces of people on the commercials late at night raising money for the poverty stricken. That's usually how we think about it. 

Spirit, well that's about how most of us would describe it. It's that part of you that isn't physical, it's more real than that. It's who you are...to your core. It's the part of you that others don't know, and sometimes you don't even know. It's the deep down. 

If I think about my spirit and it being in poverty, it's bad, but it doesn't quite get me where it hurts. Where it hurts is thinking of my spirit as being worse than is expected...by God. Worse than is desirable...by God. Inferior to the standard...of God. 

But it's right there. Right there where He wants us because it's right there where we realize our need for Him. And He provides. Maybe not in the way that we think He will, or the way that we want Him to, but He provides the Kingdom. That means a lot of things, but primarily, it means we get Him. And that's enough. 

So as you start your week, I want to encourage you. Be poor in spirit. Let that sink in. The devotionals this week are going to hit on this from all angles.

Jesus is enough, church. 

Love y'all immensely. 

Charlie