Blessed are the Poor in Spirit!

Blessed are the poor in spirit; for the kingdom of God is theirs!  So who are the poor in spirit?  How can we identify them?  What does Jesus mean by this statement? Was He addressing the crowd at the time?  Were they the poor in spirit?  The people who hungered and thirsted for righteousness; who wanted to hear from Jesus and learn His ways.  Those who desired the Kingdom of heaven on earth?  Are these the poor in spirit He was referring to?  Yes and yes! 

Maybe Mary can be our example of one who is poor in spirit.  When the Angel of the Lord came to her and announced God’s plan of salvation to her, what was her response?  

”Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. Mary Visits Elizabeth.“
Luke 1:38 NABRE
https://bible.com/bible/463/luk.1.38.NABRE 

She accepted the will of God and cooperated with it fully, even though she didn’t know the which, when, why or how.  She trusted and believed the word of God would be accomplished in her without fully comprehending or knowing the whole plan.  She didn’t say why don’t you ask my cousin Mary of Cloppas as I think she is more suitable; she is already married.  She didn’t argue that she is too young and inexperienced a mother and maybe her cousin Elizabeth would be more suited as she was older and more prepared for motherhood. No, she accepted the will of God entirely trusting in Him and His plan of salvation for her and all of humanity and didn’t concern herself with the details.  She let go and let God.  She was brave and faced possible ridicule from family and friends, even Joseph and possibly death at the hands of Jewish leaders for having a child prior to marriage. She was young, but she was chosen.  Never let youth be a deterrent for Gods plan in your life.  His will is always perfect.  Trust in Him today!  Be blessed and be a blessing!


So who can we say are the poor in spirit? Those who trust entirely on God and who lean not on their own understanding!  ”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely;“
Proverbs 3:5 NABRE
https://bible.com/bible/463/pro.3.5.NABRE
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