Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

Blessed are the poor in Spirit (Mathew 5:3)

American culture is one of independence and self sufficiency. It is all about image. It tells us we need to have it all together. We need the Pinterest homes, the successful job, the smart parenting tips. But, Jesus tells a different story. One of dependence.

Blessed in this context means content or happy, and poor can be translated as, “beggar.” (The word used here is ptochos which means poor and beggar)

So, lets say it another way:

Happy are those that beg (Mathew 5:3)

I might mourn because I feel like my needs aren’t being met BUT God says that we can rejoice that our needs don’t feel met because we have a Savior who died to meet them.

We must come to Jesus as spiritual beggars. Desiring to accept anything off of his plate. For we are blessed to be of need and even more blessed to realize that we have need. For without that need we would miss the beautiful message of the gospel. With neediness comes a void, and with a void we can experience the fulfillment of knowing Christ. Furthermore, the church and community is built in neediness. Begging opens up the door to fellowship, and a full life is lived in a vulnerable state of dependence.