POOR IN SPIRIT; RICH IN PRESENCE
Kyle Laws
Today’s Scripture: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3, ESV
Theme: Those who are financially or spiritually poor are blessed because they more easily recognize they need God.
POOR IN SPIRIT
Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with what seems to be a paradox. In a world that chases after wealth, status, validation, and self-sufficiency, Jesus says blessing belongs to the “poor in spirit.” What does it mean to be “poor in spirit?” It is to recognize that without God, we are spiritually bankrupt. It is to come to Him, not self-assured but seeing that we are completely dependent on Him! When you stop relying on your own strength, your own income, or your own plans, you create room for the kingdom of heaven to enter your "now."
FINANCIALLY BURDENED
There are seasons in life when we feel stripped bare - financially, emotionally, even spiritually; they can feel brutal. We may wonder where God is when the rent is due, our cupboards are bare, or when we avoid checking our bank account because the anxiety it causes is too much. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:2 (ESV), “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Paul doesn’t say this to people enjoying luxury. In the same chapter, he speaks of afflictions, hardships, beatings, imprisonment, and hunger. How can “now” be the favorable time when we are enduring so much financial turbulence? Financial lack exposes our deepest vulnerabilities; it humbles us and dismantles the belief that we are the ones holding everything together. It forces us to acknowledge, even in the place of our uncertainty and insufficiency – that “now is the day of salvation!” God’s favor is not something we earn with success or achievement - it’s something we receive when we are aware that we are not the source of our own lives or provision! What if your perceived lack, right now, is not a sign of God’s absence, but an invitation into His presence?
THE KINGDOM
Notice that Jesus said, “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Not “will be” but IS! The kingdom isn’t a future hope - it’s a current reality we can step into when we become poor in spirit. “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21b, KJV). When we stop grasping and start receiving, when we stop striving and start trusting, we begin to experience the kingdom here and now. But this kingdom is blocked from sight for the proud; it’s obscured from those who are obsessed with controlling outcomes or earning status. The poor in spirit, those who have surrendered to the moment, can perceive it.
To surrender to the present is to admit we are not in charge, and that’s hard for the ego. We want to know where the path is going, we want guarantees, and we want success. But the poor in spirit confess, “I don't know, but I trust You, Lord.” It’s not a one-time decision; it’s a daily way of being. Each day we wake up with a choice: “Will I rely on my own will, or will I trust in Someone greater? Will I resist what the moment brings, or will I meet it with openness and humility?”
LIVE FULLY
Jesus lived fully in the present moment; He never seemed to be in a hurry. He didn’t live out of anxiety or distraction. Whether He was teaching, healing others, or praying alone, He was completely present with in what the Father was doing in each moment. “Truly, Truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise” (John 5:19, ESV). This awareness of seeing what the Father is doing requires being rooted in the present moment. Living in that kind of communion with God while fixating on what’s behind or ahead is impossible. Jesus invites us into that same life of attentiveness and trustful openness. He taught us to pray for our daily bread, not tomorrow’s supply. He tells us the Father knows our needs before we even ask, so we don’t need to anxiously strive.
Make It Personal: When we slow down, we can realize that beneath the surface noise, God is here. Psalm 46:10a (ESV) instructs us to “Be still, and know that I am God.” The more we awaken to the complexity of the present moment, the more we recognize how little we truly know. In embracing our unknowing, we make room for trust, and true surrender begins. How has your “poverty” actually become a blessing in the past? Could “now” be the favorable time in your life, even considering any deficit or struggle?
Pray: Lord, we come before You not with riches, wisdom, or strength, but with emptiness, open hands, and longing hearts. Teach us to release our hold on the reins of life. In the stillness, remind us that we don’t have to know it all, fix it all, or be enough on our own. Shape in us a spirit that trusts You fully, even in the not knowing, even in the waiting. Teach us to not lean on our own understanding, but to rest in the wisdom that is higher than our own. Lead us to slow down and truly behold Your creation. May we be poor in spirit, so that we may be rich in You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Read: 2 Corinthians 6; Luke 17:21; Psalm 46:10
Weekly Memory Verse: “One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, 2 and he began to teach them.” Matthew 5:1, ESV