JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is poverty in spirit.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called His followers to have an influence in this world for the Gospel. He called His followers “salt” and “light.” It is not a coincidence that these references followed the Beatitudes.
One of those Beatitudes is found in Matthew 5:3.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
To be poor in spirit is to be aware of our bankruptcy before God. Because of our sinfulness, there is no way for us to measure up to God’s righteousness. We need His grace to be made right with God. And so, in our desperate condition, we turn to Jesus for the forgiveness we need to be reconciled to God.
God raises the humble person to have a platform for the Gospel.
Poverty in Spirit is a vital step to a radiant faith that makes a difference in our world.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on Matthew 5:3.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus is pronouncing a blessing on those who recognize our need for God’s grace. We have come to a place where we understand that we are spiritually bankrupt because of our sin, and there is no way for us to pay back the debt on our own. We need the payment that Christ paid for our salvation when He shed His blood on a cross.
Poverty in spirit is a humble place to be. That is where God meets us in His graciousness. James 4:6 says, “He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says, ‘God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”
Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to the place of humility that is blessed by God in the Year of Vision.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Vision, today’s 20/20 Insight focuses on the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:1 says that “when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.” The famous sermon taught by Jesus was delivered from a mountainside in Matthew chapters 5 through 7.
In that sermon, Jesus gave us a vision of the blessed life with the beatitudes. He taught us how to follow Him from the heart, not just with outward religious practices. He taught us about extraordinary love that extends to our enemies. He taught the golden rule so that we might do to others what we would have them do to us.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us a vision of how to pray. He taught us about priorities so that we might store up treasures in heaven rather than treasures on earth. His words give us direction, wisdom, and encouragement for living a life that honors God.
Focusing on the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount gives us greater clarity for living out the Christian life.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today, WJTL remembers the blessing of being poor in spirit.
Jesus told His followers in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
To be poor in spirit is to recognize our need for God’s grace. We come to the place where we realize that we are inadequate to do anything about our sin and that we are incomplete without God’s love. As a result, we turn to Christ for salvation.
To be poor in spirit is a humble place to be. God makes Himself at home in the heart of the person who is humble before Him. In Isaiah 57:15, the LORD says, “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
The Blessing of being poor in spirit is a lesson of faith worth remembering.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
