aBible.com > Devotionals > 2019 > 10-28

Matthew 5:3 - What It Means to Be Poor in Spirit.

Matthew 5:3 (NLT) God blesses those who are 
poor and realize their need for him, for the 
Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   If we rewrote the Beatitudes for our 
culture today, they probably would look like this: 
      Blessed are the wealthy, for they will 
have it all. 
      Blessed are the beautiful, for they 
will be admired. 
      Blessed are the popular, for they will 
be loved. 
      Blessed are the famous, for they will 
have followers on social media. 
   However, that isnt what Jesus said. 
Instead, He started the Beatitudes with a bombshell: 
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3 NKJV). Or, to say 
it another way, Happy are the poor in 
spirit. 
   Notice that Jesus didnt say, 
Blessed are the poor. Rather, He said, Blessed 
are the poor in spirit (emphasis added). In 
itself there is no blessedness in being rich or 
poor. The Bible doesnt commend poverty, nor 
does it condemn wealth. 
   But the Bible does say this: The love 
of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 
Timothy 6:10 NKJV). Ive met wealthy people who 
were happy and poor people who were miserable. 
Ive also met poor people who were happy and 
wealthy people who were miserable. 
   So it isnt about your bank account. 
Its about your spiritual state before God. The 
word poor in this verse comes from a verb meaning 
to shrink, cower, or cringe. Beggars often 
did this in Jesus day. 
   If you want to be happy, if you want to 
receive Gods blessing, then you must be poor in 
spirit. This means recognizing your spiritual 
poverty apart from God. It means recognizing the 
simple fact that, apart from the Lord, youre 
lost, helpless, and hopeless. 
   If you want to be happy, then admit your 
true spiritual state. Blessed are those who see 
themselves as they really are, for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven. [Greg Laurie from Harvest 
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE


http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180509-0909.html 

EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF 
JESUS 

1st of 28: Divine Dining: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY 
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ 
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4 
4th of 28: Cared For: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds 
5th of 28: Saved: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI 
6th of 28: You Can Change: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo 
7th of 28: Reprogramming Our Brains: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov36f_RapXc 
8th of 28 Our Holy Father: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XabXLEXsxbY 
9th of 28 Gifts of Service: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuGZviodkA 
10th of 28 The Holy Spirit: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in89XVs4cGo 
Live ongoing series in progress.

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs FGGibbs@abible.com