Text: Matthew 5:3, Ephesians 2:1-10, Revelation 3:17-22
“He only who is reduced to nothing in himself, and relies on the mercy of God, is poor in spirit.”
-John Calvin
When we were first married, we spent half a year working for a company after they stopped paying us. We had signed a contract for a year, but halfway in they came upon hard times, and the paychecks just stopped. We were committed to the project, had a little money saved up, and didn’t really know what to do, so we finished the contract.
Now that we are older, a little less idealistic, and more laden with responsibilities, we probably wouldn’t be able to manage that. Granted, the word “poor” is relative, and short of insurmountable homeless starvation, we’re all holding on okay. But during that particular season, we were poor.
I don’t like to be poor. I don’t even like to feel poor.
Money is an insulation from the world. We use it to keep from feeling hungry, cold, and sad. Strength and power insulate us, too—all these things give us the illusion that we are in control. But the “poor in spirit” are those who have no power; they are the demoralized, the dejected. They can be fiscally poor, or lonely, or rejected; but regardless, they have lost all hope of finding power in themselves.
In the eyes of the world, the poor in spirit are the lowest of the low. People who can’t help themselves, or people who don’t believe in themselves, must not deserve all the good things life has to offer, we reason. We put so much value on hard work and grit that the poor in spirit are the most undervalued members of society.
But that’s the upside down version. The world is upside down, but Christ sets things right again. When He said “the last shall be first,” He meant it (Matthew 20:16). The poor in spirit have nothing, but that nothingness empties them of the illusion of their own power, enabling them to rely wholly on God. And to those who totally rely on Him, God gives the earth as an inheritance. He doesn’t promise that they’ll conquer the earth in their own power, somehow taking it for themselves; they will inherit the earth. For the meek, the earth will come to them gently, naturally, like a bequest. The world is upside down, but God sets it upright again.
In an unexpected way, we suddenly have reason to be grateful for the absence of paychecks, the blindsiding blows, and the losses that reduce us to emptiness. Poverty of the heart forces us to rely on the mercy of God. Jesus says they are “blessed” and “happy” who find themselves poor in spirit. Without our insulating security we have no refuge but God, and that blessed contradiction is a glimpse of what earth will look like, right side up, as it is heaven (Matthew 6:10).
Good morning, sweet sisters!
Thank you all so much for your insights! I appreciate them so much and learn so much from each of you!
RHONDA J—Praying that your chronic pain class goes well today! Sometimes when things seem to be going badly at home that is the time that God will use you the most!
Sorry you are going through a rough patch with your hubby! They are men—need I say more!
SHARON, JERSEY GIRL—Thank you so much for your kind words! Watching my precious husband slip away and knowing all our future plans are over is very hard to deal with. With a lymphoma diagnosis on top of his dementia I constantly have to pray for wisdom on how to best care for him. I am praying for you as you recover from your surgery. I am also praying for Jonathan. May he have a happy birthday and may God stir his heart to return to Him.
I pray for each of you and your needs daily.
May God bring all the prodigal children back to Him! Love to all! ❤️
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— – Ephesians 2:4-5
When we truly realize we can do nothing to earn our salvation, it is all dependent on Christ! We are humbled in our spirit.
SEARCHING – Adding my amen to your prayer! ❤
ERB – ❤
SHARON JERSEY GIRL – That was one of the things I had planned to comment on. ((wrath/grace) You said it so well. Praying for Jonathan to remember that moment and be drawn back to God. ❤
RHONDA J – Praying along with you that as you get up and moving, focusing on your teaching, your pain will be less bothersome. ❤
The Logos app ( with which we read here) study note says the church of Laodicea had become so comfortable with their monetary position, they had locked their door on Christ – hence the verse “I stand at the door…”
From got questions:
“The Laodicean church had shut the door on the Head of the church; they were smug in their prosperity, but Jesus was left standing in the cold. He was an outsider to the hearts of the entire congregation. …
When Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock,” He was inviting the members of the Laodicean church to recognize their miserable spiritual condition and receive His authentic gift of salvation.”
When Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” He is declaring that, before we can enter God’s kingdom, we must recognize the utter worthlessness of our own spiritual currency and the inability of our own works to save us. (from got questions)
Great article on got questions titled “What Did Jesus Mean When He Said I Stand at the Door and Knock?”
So much here but I have to run to an appointment. God bless each of us as we acknowledge how spiritually bankrupt we would be without the grace of Jesus Christ.
Good Morning She’s!
Thank you for being here together and sharing your thoughts, they are always just what we need to hear! Good devotional thoughts as well on “poor in spirit.”
I had a bad day of feeling poor in spirit yesterday and this morning. I have my normal chronic pain, but then add in a headache, sharp muscle soreness pain in my hips, fighting with my hubby….blah blah..I am just not feeling the best! It is definitely one of those days I wouldn’t chose to go to my Pain Group at church this morning..BUT I’m leading…lol. So gonna have to! Which is good of course, nothing can turn our poor spirit into a blessed spirit when we chose to look to God, shout out His praise, take our eyes of ourselves and look to the One that knows how to restore us. Or maybe even give me a big hug this morning. That’s what I get from this group as well! Women (friends, sisters) in the WORD of God each morning that guides our thoughts, mind, and heart! God give me peace and restoration of my body and mind today! I need your cup, oh Lord, fill my cup!
@Sharon Happy Birthday to your son! I know how you must feel, it is so hard to see our children turned to their flesh. Especially when we raised them up in Christ! I know they are our prodigal children and will come back! And I actually believe he will become a pastor! God can turn things around in an instant! Thank you Lord for bringing our prodigals home!
Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:3, that all of us at one time were dead in our sin (spiritually bankrupt), disobedient, gratifying our own sinful nature. What really stood out to me today is that we once were the object of God’s wrath and without hope!…But God! Who is rich in mercy made us alive in Christ! We went from being the object of God’s wrath, to now – we are raised up with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly realms! What a transformation, that only comes by the grace of God who is RICH in mercy!! Thank you God for giving me eyes to see and ears to hear!
May each of us today bask in the incomparable riches of His grace – remembering that it was nothing of ourselves that “won” us salvation, but by God’s grace through faith we have received the gift.
Have a blessed Tuesday my sweet sisters – remembering you all in prayer!
Please pray for my prodigal son – Jonathan to one day return to Christ. Today he turns 26, I in 2006, when he was 9 years old he said, “God told me I’m going to be a pastor.” I asked, “how did God tell you that?” He said, “Because the sun was shining in the window and made a cross on the door.” …I don’t think he’ll ever become a pastor — but I do have hope that one day he will come back to the God he once loved, and saw signs from.
Researching “poor in spirit” was an eye-opener, or maybe more accurately a heart and mind-opener. Some of my gleanings – we are poor in spirit when we realize we NEED God, ALL the time, that HE is our everything and we are nothing, absolutely NOTHING without Him – money and social status are worthless in our realization of this. Much of my/our struggle with this truth I think comes back to pride and who/what we idolize. Does it take monetary poverty for us to realize how much we need Him? For us to come to God with hat-in-hand, so to speak, in complete awe of who He is and who we are not? Or does it take shunning from a social perspective to humble us before God? What does it take to break us from worshipping ourselves and the world, thinking either has something to offer? We see a lot of focus on independence and “our” accomplishments – who is the best, who has the most and where am I in comparison? In one place it was pointed out that in our comparing and touting who we are and what we’ve done from the perspective of the world – that we start to believe our own promo.
Dear Lord God, may I be at the foot of the cross worshiping you, admitting my total lack of anything to offer you other than my brokenness and praise, and truly pray: My Father in heaven, Praise Your Holy name. I love You and desperately need You, Your guidance, forgiveness, wisdom.
KERRY ROWLEY – thank you for the reminder that it all comes back to the condition of our heart.
CEE GEE – love the insight on salt! ❤️
LYNNE FROM AL – ❤️
TRACI GENDRON and SHARON JERSEY GIRL – ❤️ yes, this study will be a change in focus and understanding of these verses.
ERB – good to see you!
MICHELLE PATIRE – you’ll be missed!
I loved the quote from John Calvin at the beginning of the devotional. It goes back to what Amanda’s said yesterday that it is CHRIST who “does”. We are “poor in spirit” because we are reduced to nothing in OURSELF, but we rely on the mercy of GOD. So good…
Let us all be poor in spirit because we are relying on His mercy! Revel in His mercy, sweet sisters!
Ooh I instinctively got tense when I read Rebecca’s devotional about having all our securities stripped away in order to rely completely on God. That’s not a comfortable place to be in. I’m not sure I want to be poor in spirit if that’s what it takes. But should I ever find myself there, I’m so grateful for a God who would be right there with me. That word “inherit” also stood out today. Like the devotion said, the word isn’t “win” or “conquer” the earth. We inherit, it is given to us, without any action on our part. A gift!
Grateful to meet with you here each morning!