Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
In Jesus’ most famous sermon on the mount, He began with this conditional promise. I say conditional, but it’s not so much as what you do, but the condition of your heart. Throughout the Bible God states that he resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. And this is what the above passage is referring to – a humble spirit.
To be poor in spirit is not to be down in your spirit. The passage after this in Matthew 5 speaks to those who are down. Those who mourn and look to the Lord will be comforted. However, the statement to be poor in spirit is speaking about where you look for strength. The person who is proud in spirit falls outside of God’s purpose. Those who fill themselves with self help have left no room to receive from the source of help.
The Lord makes a similar declaration in the Old Testament in Isaiah 66:2b
But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.
The word ‘contrite’ is translated from a Hebrew word that means: broken or lame. Once again, this isn’t talking about sadness or beaten down. It’s about coming to the place where you fully understand that the missing pieces in your heart are designed for you to be filled by the Lord.
We are all broken vessels. Some try to ‘fix themselves’, but never realize that the Lord designed us to be incomplete without Him. Those who recognize their own brokenness have put themselves into a position to see the power of the Kingdom of Heaven.
There was an old country church where a man attended every Sunday. At the end of each service, he would come to the altar and pray out loud, “Oh, Lord. Fill me!” Over and over he’d pray, and he’d do this Sunday after Sunday. The old preacher got tired of hearing this each week knowing that this man would be in the same position the next week. Finally, one week the man came down and started praying, “Lord, fill me!”
Annoyed, the preacher said, “Don’t bother, Lord. He leaks!”
He was missing and important truth – we all leak. What’s more, our leakiness is a benefit when we are honest with ourselves and God. Then we let God pour into us the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, and our leaks can become a testimony to the world around us about the power of God’s abundant grace. What looked like a flaw becomes a fountain flowing out to the world around us.
The misperception about Christianity is that God demands our perfection instead of receiving the gift of His perfection. Romans 4:5 says:
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
Those who are poor in spirit and contrite in heart are those who stop pushing grace aside, falsely believing that they can do it themselves. Instead, with the faith of a child trusting in our father, we receive the promise of God’s kingdom. Instead of trying to make our spirit grow by personal effort, we recognize our spiritual poverty without Christ. Instead of trying to hide our sin, we believe in Christ, who justifies the ungodly. He doesn’t justify the religious, but those who trust Him with their sins and poverty of human nature.
Then God promises, “To you, I have given the Kingdom of God.” The promises are received by faith – trusting in God’s goodness and in His power to fulfill His promise to you. In yourself, you remain spiritually poor – even if you don’t always realize it. But once you recognize your spiritual poverty, then you will have eyes to see that your Heavenly Father owns the Kingdom of Heaven, and the richness of heaven belongs to those who trust in His mercy and grace!
Eddie Snipes, August 2025