Humble Spirit Samuel Dhinakaran

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 5:3)
Bible says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). This is one of the beatitude from the gracious lips of Jesus.  What is being poor in spirit? Let us consider three characters: a hard working gardener, a rich man and a sophisticated modern man. In the sight of the world, the gardener is a simple person.  If you look into his spirit, he might be addicted to sinful habits without any remorse for sins. The rich man is not proud but longs to have communion with God.  And the modern man who is thought to be selfish and self-dependant, cries out to God for His help in everything, leans on His strength and cares for others.  It is true when the Word of God says, “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).  Therefore, poor in spirit are those who are raptly aware of their helplessness, emptiness, inadequacies, guilt and failures and do not try to hide these feelings of unworthiness.  “Blessed” are those people who honestly grieve and surrender to the grace of God. 
 
The poor in spirit say, “Lord, You are my everything and without You I can’t do anything. I need your salvation.” Even when I prepare God’s Word to preach to people, I pray “Lord, I have prepared the message. I have done my best for You and this is not enough for me. I need Your power.  Only you can bring these words come to life.”  The Lord’s power descends on me and makes me strong.  Yes, God meets a man who is poor in spirit.  That’s what we need today. Even in your daily life, depend on Him and ask His magnificent help in making choices, in education, and in all your needs.  The moment you acknowledge that you need God’s help, your pride dies.  And the Lord helps the humble!

Beloved, blessed are the poor in spirit who become more conscious of their spiritual emptiness before God and it would make them sing: “Nothing in my hand I bring… Simply to Your cross I cling.”  As you surrender in this way, you will see greater kingdom blessings in your life.  The epitaph on the tablet of the grave of William Carey reads as “A wretched, poor, and helpless worm…On Your kind arms I fall.”  The secret of the successful mission of William Carey, a great missionary, laid not in his escalated self-esteem. He was poor in spirit to the very end. His secret was in the last line of his epitaph: “On Your kind arms I fall.” He cast himself as helpless and despicable on the kind arms of God because his heart rested in the words of Jesus “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for to them belong the merciful and mighty arms of the King of kings.”  Would you plead now for a humble spirit?

Prayer:
Loving Lord,

Take away my proud spirit. Before Your greatness, my wisdom, my holiness and my commitment are of no worth.  You are my righteousness, wisdom and holiness.  Help me to stay humble under Your umbrella of grace. Lord, I need Your grace to live each day and fulfil Your purpose on earth.  I need Your guidance for every step I take.  Into Your loving and caring arms I fall.  I trust Your leading amidst all problems.  I receive all of Your kingdom blessings in Jesus’ name.  Amen.