Jesus Christ is our salvation, and yet, we spend so little time actually examining the messages that He had to impart to humanity. More specifically, I think we sometimes forget to look at the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5. I'd like to spend a little time on the Beatitudes for the next few weeks or so. The Beatitudes are Jesus' opening remarks for the rest of the sermon, and really outline, I think, His desire for Israel to turn back to their God.
Last week I discussed hungering and thirsting for righteousness, but I didn't do much to introduce the first three verses. This week, let's look at Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Poor in spirit? What on earth does THAT mean? Do I have to lose my spirit? Is my spirit not good enough? Is He talking about God's Spirit?
Imagine our spirit as a glass jar or container. An empty container is still filled with something - air. So, imagine your spiritual container being filled with things: emotions, reactions, thoughts, words, ideas, beliefs, etc. All of these things are direct change agents to our spirit. If I start filling my container with negative emotions, my spirit is going to look negative. If I begin to fill my container with positive thoughts, then I will be filled with a bunch of "good words". But, imagine me emptying my container of all of MY stuff. If I do this, then I am making room for it to be filled with something else.
This emptying can be dangerous, because it leaves room for either negative things or positive things to fill it. But, if my entire desire is to be filled with God's spirit (going back to Matthew 5:6 from last week), then I HAVE to empty my container to make room for Him. That's a risk that I take, but one that I am absolutely willing to do, because I cannot continue to live my life without Christ. To live without Christ is nothingness. To live without Him is emptiness. To live without Him is worthless.
Once I have emptied my spirit (or become poor in spirit - my own spirit), I have room to inherit the kingdom of heaven. And THAT, brothers and sisters, is the desire of my heart. This week, I hope that all of your actions, statements, and thoughts glorify God. May you have God's peace, to surround your life and keep you humble.
God's blessings on your life this week,
Bryan
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