collapse

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:1-3 ESV 

Growing in Christ requires a deep sense of one’s own natural desolation. 

Jesus once said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mk 2:17). To be poor in spirit is to recognize your need for deliverance. The poor are those who know they have nothing to offer God, yet are desperate enough to cry out to Him for mercy.

Real freedom lies in our willingness to come face to face with who we really are. Real growth requires a deep understanding of our emptiness and innate resistance towards God. Jesus did not come to merely assist our lives or make us better. He came to rescue us. He wants us to be healed, however, one must know they are sick.

Dane Ortlund writes, “What will ruin your growth is if you look the other way, if you deflect the searching gaze of Purity himself.” Humans don’t like to feel weak. We don’t like to sit with despair. But when we allow ourselves to dig down deep into our own human depravity, we see the radical goodness of grace and take in the fullness of joy.

Why then are the poor in spirit blessed? Because at the end of ourselves we see Jesus. Those who dare collapse into deeper fellowship with Jesus through repentance and faith are united to Him forever.

If you have found yourself exhausted, apathetic or stuck in old patterns, be encouraged to walk through the gate of despair. Not to reside in a hole of self-loathing, but arise through a healthy understanding of who you are before God and plunge into the depths of His grace. 

grace & peace,
makenzi

additional reading:

Psalm 34:18, Isaiah 57:15, John 12:24, Mark 10:43-44, Luke 5:8, James 4:9

reflect:

In what sense do we miss God's kingdom if we do not acknowledge our spiritual poverty and need?

centering prayer:

LORD, to know you love me despite me, is my greatest consolation. amen.