DAY 10 – Would You Ever Want to Be Poor? | Lesson by Stacy Williams | 21-Day Devotional on Jesus’ Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount
Would You Ever Want to Be Poor?
Lesson by Stacy Williams
Matthew 5:3 NIV, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
This verse from Matthew’s Gospel is the first of a teaching from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) known as the Beatitudes. Jesus had gone up on a mountain before a crowd of people. Once there, His disciples/students gathered around Him. Jesus had previously called these men as His disciples – His followers and students. His sermon was addressed specifically to His disciples, but a crowd of people was present. He spoke to followers who had purposed to learn of His ways and pattern their lives after His example. Today, Jesus' words are also directed to those of us who are His disciples/students.
The phrase, “Blessed are the poor…” seems counterintuitive and oxymoronic. Blessedness and poverty do not seem to make sense as two conditions that can coexist. Living in a blessed state is typically associated with happiness and impregnable joy. It is a persistent condition that comes from what God has bestowed upon us. When we think of poverty, we think of an unpleasant condition where one lacks the resources needed to live and thrive. While some associate physical poverty with a “holy” state of being, the Bible does not actually teach this. In this verse, “poor” is used more as a frame of mind and attitude of the heart rather than a physical state of being characterized by lack.
We should consider ourselves “poor in spirit.” We should recognize that from a spiritual standpoint, we are in constant need. We cannot help ourselves and have no resources to offer God. From a physical standpoint, a person in abject poverty tends to be desperate regarding material things. This desperation stemming from physical/material lack is not “blessed.” However, there is a type of desperation in a spiritual sense that is blessed.
We recognize ourselves as spiritual paupers seeking after what only God, Our Provider, can give. Having this humbled mindset that strongly seeks God, knowing that we are spiritually destitute without Him, is a blessing. This mindset removes pride and arrogance, placing us in a position to continuously receive what is needed from God and live victoriously in His Kingdom.
• Follow THIS LINK (or copy/paste) to the web version of Barclay's Commentary on the New Testament: https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb.html
• THIS LINK is a downloadable PDF of Barclay's Commentary
Matthew 5:3 NIV, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
This verse from Matthew’s Gospel is the first of a teaching from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) known as the Beatitudes. Jesus had gone up on a mountain before a crowd of people. Once there, His disciples/students gathered around Him. Jesus had previously called these men as His disciples – His followers and students. His sermon was addressed specifically to His disciples, but a crowd of people was present. He spoke to followers who had purposed to learn of His ways and pattern their lives after His example. Today, Jesus' words are also directed to those of us who are His disciples/students.
The phrase, “Blessed are the poor…” seems counterintuitive and oxymoronic. Blessedness and poverty do not seem to make sense as two conditions that can coexist. Living in a blessed state is typically associated with happiness and impregnable joy. It is a persistent condition that comes from what God has bestowed upon us. When we think of poverty, we think of an unpleasant condition where one lacks the resources needed to live and thrive. While some associate physical poverty with a “holy” state of being, the Bible does not actually teach this. In this verse, “poor” is used more as a frame of mind and attitude of the heart rather than a physical state of being characterized by lack.
We should consider ourselves “poor in spirit.” We should recognize that from a spiritual standpoint, we are in constant need. We cannot help ourselves and have no resources to offer God. From a physical standpoint, a person in abject poverty tends to be desperate regarding material things. This desperation stemming from physical/material lack is not “blessed.” However, there is a type of desperation in a spiritual sense that is blessed.
We recognize ourselves as spiritual paupers seeking after what only God, Our Provider, can give. Having this humbled mindset that strongly seeks God, knowing that we are spiritually destitute without Him, is a blessing. This mindset removes pride and arrogance, placing us in a position to continuously receive what is needed from God and live victoriously in His Kingdom.
REFLECTION QUESTION:
How can being poor in spirit be beneficial?
ACTION ITEMS BASED ON TODAY'S LESSON:
How can being poor in spirit be beneficial?
ACTION ITEMS BASED ON TODAY'S LESSON:
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RESOURCES:
• Message by Dr. Tony Evans, "Blessed Are the Spiritual Beggars" (Matthew 5:3)
https://go.tonyevans.org/tony-evans-sermons/blessed-are-the-spiritual-beggars
• Follow this link to a resource from Zondervan Academic on the Beatitutes:
https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/beatitudes
• Message by Dr. Tony Evans, "Blessed Are the Spiritual Beggars" (Matthew 5:3)
https://go.tonyevans.org/tony-evans-sermons/blessed-are-the-spiritual-beggars
• Follow this link to a resource from Zondervan Academic on the Beatitutes:
https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/beatitudes
• Follow this link to a resource on the Beatitudes from BibleGateway:https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2022/08/what-are-the-beatitudes-why-are-the-beatitudes-important/
• Follow THIS LINK (or copy/paste) to the web version of Barclay's Commentary on the New Testament: https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dsb.html
• THIS LINK is a downloadable PDF of Barclay's Commentary
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Listen to the Teaching
