EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!
THURSDAY JULY 23, 2026.
SUBJECT: BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT!
Memory verse: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5 vs 3.)
READ: James 4 vs 7 - 10:
4:7: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
4:8: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you double-minded.
4:9: Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
4:10: Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
INTIMATION:
Blessed could also be translated “happy.” Happiness in heart results from the application in life of the Christlike demeanor expressed in His sermon on the mounth. The "poor in spirit" are those who recognize their humanity, their spiritual poverty and destitution. Therefore, they are not proud, conceited or arrogant concerning their spiritual relationship with God. We must empty ourselves of self-reliance and learn to humble ourselves before God.
Being blessed means more than happiness. It implies the fortunate or enviable state of those who are in God’s kingdom. Being “blessed by God" means the experience of hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. To find hope and joy, the deepest form of happiness, follow Jesus no matter what is the cost.
The “poor in spirit” is not proud, conceited, or arrogant, and are blessed. This character trait clashes with the worldly values of pride and personal independence. We must recognize our humanity, spiritual poverty, and destitution (Romans 7 vs 24 - 25). We must empty ourselves of self-reliance and learn to be humble before God. Those with such an attitude of mind will submit to the kingdom reign of God, and consequently are blessed.
The "poor in spirit" recognizes and acknowledges their spiritual poverty and the need for God's grace in their lives. This heart attitude is recognized by Christ as a blessing to them since they know to seek the riches of God's grace. Therefore, one must realize his spiritual poverty and the inability to save himself in order to understand that he needs the grace of God in order to be saved. One will not come to repentance if he does not recognize his sinful condition.
The Scriptures, in Isaiah 57 vs 15, says, "For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and revive the heart of the contrite ones." God relates mercifully with those who are humble and repentant ("contrite"). The High and Holy God came down to our level to save us because it is impossible for us to go up to His level to save ourselves. Though God is exalted above the heavens, at the same time the omnipresent God dwells in the hearts of the humble and contrite.
The passage we read today enumerates what the poor in spirit who seeks God's grace should do; draw near to God, seek Him and find Him. How can we come close to God? James gives five ways: (1) "Submit to God." Yield to His authority and Will, commit your life to Him and His control, and be willing to follow Him.
(2) "Resist the devil." Don't allow him to entice and tempt you.
(3) "Cleanse your hands.....and purity your hearts." This simply means lead a pure life. Be cleansed from sin, replacing your desire to sin with your desire to experience God's purity.
(4) "Lament and mourn and weep." Don't be afraid to express deep heartfelt sorrow for what you have done wrong.
(5) "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor." Humbling ourselves before the Lord means recognizing that our worth comes from God alone. To be humble involves leaning on His power and His guidance, and not going our own independent way. Although we don't deserve God's favor, He wants to lift us up and give us worth and dignity, despite our human shortcomings.
Drawing near to God is an imperative command that places the responsibility for our actions on our shoulders. The source of our power to resist the devil has been identified, therefore, the individual must take the initiative to keep himself in the love of God. Those who have made their hands dirty by becoming a friend to the world, must repent. Those who have allowed their lives to be directed by the world in order to create religious behavior according to their love for the world, must repent. One must purify his heart and stop seeking after the things of this world. One must become pure with the wisdom from above in order to remain in the grace by which he is saved.
Although God and the devil are at war, we don't have to wait until the end to see who will win. God has already defeated Satan (Revelation 12 vs 10 - 12), and when Christ returns, the devil and all he stands for will be eliminated forever (Revelation 20 vs 10 - 15). Satan is here now, however, and he is trying to win us over to his evil cause. With the Holy Spirit's power, we can resist the devil, and he will flee from us.
Those who have loved this world must turn from their materialism and seek God. They must change their lives to be worthy of the Gospel of Christ (Philippians 1 vs 27). The call for repentance, therefore, is a call for a paradigm shift in the thinking and behavior of the proud.
Since God will not save the arrogant and proud, the plea is that the first step in repentance must be to submit to the Will of God. Only through the spirit of submission is God able to mold the demeanor of the obedient for eternal dwelling. There is within the man the power to resist the temptations of the devil.
God has never given Satan the power to voluntarily subject people to his will. If one desires to seek God, then Satan has no power to subjectively keep one away from God. For this reason each person will give account of himself before God. Our power to resist the devil is exemplified in the fact that we can make him flee.
Since God will not allow the individual Christian to be tempted beyond that which he is able to endure, then we must assume that we have the power to make the devil flee from us. And since we have the power, then we will all stand before God in judgement and be held directly accountable for our deeds.
Our power to resist the devil makes us responsible for our own actions. However, we must keep in mind that no man has this power within himself. It is through the power of the Gospel, and Christ working in us, that we are able to resist the devil (Philippians 4 vs 13). We must choose to unleash this power in our lives in order to flee from all temptations that come to us through the work of the devil.
It is our initiative to take the steps to deal with our pride. We cannot exalt ourselves before God on the basis of our works. Man's pride detours him from submitting to the Will of God. In order to be lifted up by God, we must come to God with a humble heart. God is able to lift up the submissive. He cannot lift up those who feel that they have lifted themselves up apart from Him. Therefore, those who are proud will not submit their lives to God in order to be lifted up by Him.
Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the spirit of humility; knowing that outside of You I am nothing and can do nothing. Give me the grace to seek You at all times, and the eagerness to do Your Will and walk in Your ways at all times, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.
PRAISE THE LORD!
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