Poor in Spirit

“Blessed are you who are poor in spirit, for the kingdom of God is yours." Matthew 5:3

In another gospel, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor, for the kingdom of God is yours." This is kind of a difficult passage with many interpretations.

I guess it's because we tend to pick and choose what we want to hear. I think Jesus meant that we have to be poor in spirit, dependent on Him, empty of ourselves, before we can have the kingdom come into our lives. We can't fill a bottle which is already full. But I think this is also about being really poor, wanting, needing...when we are poor, we are not content with the state our life is, and we are ready to cling to God. Unlike someone like the rich, young man in the Bible who was already contented with what he had and did not want to give up what he had for God.

I hope we will never be content with our lives as it is. I hope we will always be eager to 

do what we can for God and for others. If we are full of ourselves, we cannot love others. I think of our prison ministry some time ago. Even though we were the most unlikely people to serve in the QC Jail, God "equipped" and provided for us.

What we must remember is GOD EQUIPS THE CALLED. Our part is just to trust and obey. We are all earthen vessels, cracked pots. The treasure is inside and it is the cracks in us that lets the treasure shine out.

What is He calling us to do? What is He equipping us to do? Our job is to do it to the best of our ability and leave the results to God.