Devotion #1 – Matthew 5:1-3

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The Sermon on the Mount is perhaps the most famous teaching Jesus ever gave during His ministry. It comprises three full chapters of Matthew’s Gospel and contains some of the Bible’s most difficult truth for man to apply to his life. Yet prior to Jesus clarifying how God measures a man’s heart regarding areas such as anger, lust, divorce, oaths, retaliation, etc., He first begins His famous sermon with a series of blessings known as the Beatitudes. I believe Charles Spurgeon said it best when he wrote, "The Beatitudes mark deepening humiliation and growing exaltation." They build upon one another, creating a staircase of character attributes that gauge the spiritual temperature of man. Each blessing is a building block that depends on that which precedes it. Therefore as a man lives his life in a spirit of humility and reverence before a righteous and holy God, the exaltation with which he is graced grows in the eyes of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. Whatever our understanding and application of humility may be, the truth remains that in order to receive the litany of blessings Jesus describes in Matthew 5, one must "put to death therefore what is earthly in you" (Colossians 3:5). Upon further examination though it is incredibly profound that while these seven blessings build upon one another, thus elevating their level of spiritual maturity in Christ, they also in the likeness of our Lord & Savior descend in their level of humility, coming to a triumphant climax with an admonition on suffering persecution for the sake of Christ. In other words, the Beatitudes transcend understanding and more importantly require application, thus proving character attainment or lack thereof. Scripture simplifies it this way, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). Deception comes in many forms, with self-deception being the most common and unfortunately the most destructive to man's relationship with Christ. It is imperative though from a top-line perspective that we understand what each blessing addresses and how they are intertwined in their building structure. For instance, to be "poor in spirit" a man must come to the place where he recognizes his sins and spiritual depravity, turns away from those selfish desires/actions, humbly repents seeking God's forgiveness, and in thankful obedience submits his life to Him who bore the penalty for the sins he committed, Jesus Christ. One who is poor in spirit recognizes that, "For our sake he (God) made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21), and praise God that He graciously allows all those who are poor in spirit to inhabit His heavenly abode! God always pursues a man’s heart, and in this case, his poverty of spirit which ultimately reflects a man’s attitude towards himself. The world today places incredible emphasis upon self-confidence and self reliance, and man is prey to falling into that trap if he is not humbling himself before an Almighty and just God in reverence. Therefore, as men we must guard against self-exaltation essentially and prostrate ourselves accordingly. No where in Scripture is a man called to “be humble.” Rather, he is called to “humble himself.” In doing so, he experiences a purging of self through brokenness that validates his identity as a son of the living God and assures his final destination for eternity. The Lord Almighty plainly states, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Therefore, what is holding you back from reaping the promises God sets before you? What in your life do you need to purge that is robbing you of a poor spirit which is pleasing to God? Examine your life and assess where you are self-confident and self-reliant to the point of squeezing God out. If you need help discerning areas of change, seek counsel from a Godly brother in Christ, but do not walk away without identifying areas of change and more importantly applying those changes. “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5).