Matthew 5:3-5 says: "God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth." When it says poor, it's referring not only to a poverty of wealth, but a poverty of spirit. He blesses those of us who are poor in spirit, and realize that without God, we are hopeless.

Poor in Spirit means acknowledging God's ownership of everything and that we are responsible to be good stewards of those things in which we have be blessed. Our attitude should be one of faithful servants and not one of pride, envy, lust, and gluttony. We are called to use what we have and are given to provide for our self and serve God's people.

God, we thank You for all things that we have, the people around us, and the abilities You have granted us. Help us to understand that these things, people, and abilities, were given to us for the service of Your people and not for our own gratification, power, or pride. Help us to humbly accept Your gifts and the bounty of life, never letting the acquisition of possessions become a endgoal in itself. Help us to be good stewards of those things in which You have blessed us, considering not only our needs and wants but the needs of others as well, remembering that everything good comes from You and that someday we will join You with nothing but ourselves. Help us to respect all people regardless of what they have or can do for us. Help us to be Poor in Spirit and keep our focus on You. Amen.

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You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. You're blessed when you're content with just who you are--no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought. Matthew 5: 3-5 (The Message)

My marriage was everything to me, Lord. A covenant made before You. I fully intended to honor it for the rest of my life, and I tried so hard. Somewhere along the way I lost my intimate connection with You. I wanted to keep my fear and my humiliation inside of me, where it was mine alone. Wasn't the battery and dishonor that I accepted mine alone to deal with? Surely I deserved it and my shame kept me from laying it before You. But then I finally came to the end of my rope; I began to realize that I had already lost what was most dear to me. God, please hear this-I did not feel blessed by that. I fought against feeling Your blessing on me; I fought against turning back to You.

But You are the Powerful One, and You wouldn't let me stay in my place of loss would You? You sent me help; You put choices before me that I could not deny; until finally I saw that You had kept Your hand on me all along. I let myself feel Your embrace, and I remembered the truth of what really is most dear to me-my Heavenly Father.
God, help me to be content with just who I am-no more, no less.

I praise You Lord, in the beauty of a day, when music stirs my soul, when my life is running smooth.
But God, I need You to help me to remember every day, all my life, that You are always there for me, in my shame, in my fear, in my loss.

I am so blessed by You Lord.

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When I walk through a junkyard looking for car parts, I often stumble across an old broken down classic car. Where others see a rusting piece of junk, I see the potential in the car. I can envision the work of art that it can become in the proper hands. A restored vehicle is often better then new, and can be worth several times more than it was when new. But to see the value in the junk vehicle, you must be able to see beyond the surface. A relationship with Jesus is much the same way; He can take a broken life and make it new again. Where we see misery and brokenness, Jesus sees opportunity.

The first three beatitudes are found in Matthew 5:3-5. These verses contain virtues that can bring us all the ultimate reward, if we choose to live them out. As Christians, we must be willing to give up the instant gratification, the pride, and hate that we so easily give into. These three beatitudes, given to us by Jesus, promise the meek, humble, and mournful rich rewards in heaven. The word beatitude literally means "happiness". I think that the beatitudes explain to us that we need to live our life with inner happiness, and not to worry about external troubles.

It is very hard for me to comprehend that I should worry about inner happiness and not about what happens in this world. Although we are promised great things in heaven, I often stumble because I want my reward now. God wants us to be humble and trust in him. It is hard to do because of the society we live in; it is hard for me because I want instant gratification. Jesus promises us that if we submit to him, and trust in him, our rewards in heaven are greater than anything we can achieve on earth.

Now, while I am not comparing my life to a junk vehicle, I can use the car as an example for living my life--the vehicle sits in the elements rusting away; eventually the restorer will bring the vehicle back to life. After regaining the luster, the vehicle is entered into car shows and receives awards. The restorer then sees his how his toil and labor have paid off. By living my life as a humble and meek servant of the Lord, ignoring worldly troubles and trusting in God, which at times is very hard, in the end I will see the fruits of my labors pay off in heaven. It is difficult, but if I must choose, I choose to try and live my life according to the beatitudes because, I believe, nothing in this life can compare to the rewards that I will receive in heaven.

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Those who know there is nothing good in themselves are happy, because the holy nation of heaven is theirs. (Matthew 5:3 NLV)

Desperate. Hopeless. Poor in spirit.

These are all the same thing, and we've all experienced them at one time or another. It's that feeling of being lost--scared--without hope that anything will ever get any better. It's the realization of how badly we have messed up, and the awareness that we can never fix it on our own. It's the pain that comes from knowing that we have disappointed and hurt the One who has loved us all along....and that despite all that we've done to Him, he still loves us the same today as He did in the beginning. It's the point of clarity that shows us ourselves through God's eyes.

It's not a good feeling.

Jesus says that people who come to this place - people who are "poor in spirit" - are happy, though. Happy! Imagine! There are many emotions that come to our minds and hearts in those moments of darkness, but happiness--usually--is not one of them.

Why does He say that we are happy when we realize that there is nothing good in ourselves? He is pointing out that when we realize that we are a mess, we are most in position to see how perfect God is, and to be receptive to His grace and mercy and love in our lives. The apostle Paul understood this concept when he wrote that it is in our weakness that God is made stronger, and that his power is, in fact, made perfect in our weakness. At that point of desperation, we are more than ever in a place to allow God to work in us.

The catch, though, is that we have to both realize it and do something about it.

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Gracious, loving, and merciful God,

Thank you for loving me the way that You do.

Thank you for giving me a reason to be happy.

Thank you for the hope You give, and the peace You allow.

Help me to see You, and how badly I need You. Help me to really understand that without You, I have nothing good in me. Help me to really get it, God. Help me to understand that like never before.

That is a scary thing to pray, God, because in doing so I am asking for brokenness.

But God, I want to be broken.

Break me. Help me see with a new clarity how much I need You. Help me see with a new concept of how messed up I am. Help me see in a new way how powerful You are to change me and my life.

Help me see it, and give me the courage to turn myself over to You. Show me the places in my life that I've been afraid and unwilling to turn over to You, and help me release my grasp on those areas.

Take my life, Lord, and let it be consecrated and dedicated and redeemed by You.

I love You, and pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

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