Poor in Spirit

POOR IN SPIRIT

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Our Lord and Savior, in the body of Jesus, elaborated upon eight characters of blessed people, which represent to us the principal graces of a Christian. He began with, “The poor in spirit.” This verse three does not say weak, deficient or listless in spirit. Often our bodies may grow weak, depleted and unhealthy. They thrive on nutrients and we decide what nutrients they get. But, at some point, bodies will pass away and be laid to decay in their grave. There are other means of disposal of the dead. Whatever method chosen by the dead or the living, this body of clay goes back to the dust from which it came. If it did not and rose in its old form, there would truly be “the Living Dead.” It might even be possible to deep freeze, embalm or by other methods preserve the body for long periods of time. Finally, scientific efforts to preserve this body until it receives a new will fail. The poor in body are depleted of energy, weak and short on life. This does not describe one poor spirit. Nor does it indicate that the Holy Spirit dwelling within is weak, decreased or slack. The Holy Spirit is our lifeguard and always on the alert, strong and mighty. The Holy Spirit cannot be overcome or overshadowed.

Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Once the Holy Spirit resides within us, we mesh with this character of God. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. The Holy Spirit, if invited, rides along within our bodies as do we. Our brain and its mind moves us around. Often it leads us into dark situations. The Holy Spirit is there to our rescue. We still have free choice. The soul of man is his steward in all things good or bad. It creates thoughts, moves the body about and chooses a master to rule over it. Thus the ‘soul of man’ is is the extent of the character that the body will display. The poor in spirit are gods chosen ones. They are not haughty, over prideful or bullish. They have a greater Spirit overshadowing them. They are submissive to the will of their heavenly Father. They strive not nor seek their own way but proceed within the will of God; this by choice. The poor is soul have charity in abundance.

1 Corinthians 13:4 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,”

1 Peter 4:8 “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

The Holy Spirit Turns their minds to their condition, when it is in error in any of these areas. They are humble and lowly in their own eyes. Their spirit gives control of their activities to the Spirit of God. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst for forgiveness and restoration. They see God’s Grace as their gift of eternal life. Children of darkness must come to this realization before becoming worthy to seek God and all His blessings.. The kingdom of grace is of such; the kingdom of glory is for they who count themselves as nothing and God as everything. Proverbs 3:7 “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” Amen. 02-09-2020 BLL