“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:3 KJV

Jesus Christ kicks off this great sermon by telling us what the state of our hearts should be like if we want to enter His paradise. He tells us that to be able to enter into heaven, we should be poor in spirit.

But what does this mean?

To be poor is to lack something. This naturally triggers a desire to search, to ask and to receive what is lacked.

Poverty brings a kind of humility with it. A heart that is poor in spirit is one that realizes it’s emptiness. One that understands that there is nothing about it that can be compared to God.

We should never get to a point in our lives where we think or feel we are full enough not to desire more of God.

Someone who is poor in spirit is one whose heart isn’t hardened. It’s the fertile heart referred to in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-20). It isn’t perfect but it’s always ready to accept his/her mistakes and make amendments. One that is easily pricked and repentant. It’s a heart like David’s. He wasn’t flawless but yet he was a man after God’s heart because he understood what it meant to have a godly sorrow when convicted. You see, he was referred to as a man after God’s heart because he recognized he was nothing before God. He was willing to accept and enjoy the grace of God.

To be poor in spirit is to realize our need for God. This need results in a hunger that only God can fill.

Being poor in spirit is when we put away our pride and understand that we do not know it all and because of this, we need the help of The God who knows it all.

It’s to accept our frailty as humans and acknowledge our limitations.

These thoughts bring us to a place of humility where we find our knees on the floor as we cry out for strength from The One who sustains.

Someone whose heart is poor in spirit is one who desires God; one who has an unquenchable thirst for God. It’s the contrite and humble heart that is referred to in Isaiah 57:15 and Psalm 51:17.

This desire to know more of God, makes us see His word more than a mere book. This is what makes us spend time with God even when it isn’t convenient. If we haven’t tasted food for 3 days and we know where to find food, we will do all we can to get that food because of the desire that has been triggered by hunger. So it is when we are poor in spirit. As we spend time in His word, He transforms us to look more like Him. And what is the nature of Jesus Christ? He is love. When we love God, we love others.

The blessing promised to someone like this is the Kingdom of Heaven. What a great reward! Ultimately, no one can get into heaven without a poor spirit. Pride has no way and place in heaven. We are proud when we no longer feel the need to desire God. We are basically telling Him that we want to try to figure things out with our understanding.

So as you read this today, check your heart.

Have you allowed pride into your heart?

Have you started feeling like you can have a sound knowledge of God and a strong Christian life without spending time with God?

What makes us think we want to spend eternity with God when we are not bothered to know more about Him?

Would you say, you have a poor spirit?

Do you feel a desire for God?

Do we really love God or do we just like the idea of saying we love Him?

If not, it’s not too late. That hunger can be triggered again but you have to desire more of God and reach out for His word to feed you just as you would reach out to food when hungry. This is the only way your life can be transformed. Studying and meditating on the word and prayer goes together.

There is no quick fix to this. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be.

 

–Efua Uke is a mentor, blogger, and contributor to Ambo TV.  This article originally appeared on her website Grace Over Pain.