Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
What does “poor in spirit” mean? The Greek word for “poor” means “reduced to beggary.” The word “spirit” means God’s Spirit, but can also mean man’s spirit. Therefore we can say it means “Happy/blessed are those begging for the Spirit” or “those who are not so spirited or resourceful.” One of the newer translations says it as follows: “Happy are those who know how dependent they are on God” (Matthew 5:3, 1983 Afrikaans Translation).
So who are the happy servants? In order to discover the attitude God wants us to adopt, consider the beggar. Is he a proud, strong man organising his life efficiently and knowing where he is going? Does he manipulate people to do his bidding, and does he have systems and procedures worked out on paper, organising the ventures he undertakes? No. He sits there waiting, hoping, asking—trusting that he will be given what he needs when he needs it.
So if the servant is to be poor—a beggar—what is he lacking or begging for? He begs for Spirit. In this context, the happy ones are not those who know how dependent they are on God for material goods. They are the ones who know how dependent they are on God for His Spirit. Have you ever heard a spirited speaker, attended a spirited meeting, or observed a spirited action? We think of the spirited person or event as alive, productive and motivating—not dead. Usually a rich, active spirit causes results, but the question is from where does this spirit come?
Many spirited people depend on their own resources, gifts, and talents. They draw from the human spirit. Many successful people are full of life, self-sufficient, independent, and not needing anybody’s help. They are spirited. A spirited, charismatic, and successful preacher may have selfish motivation, though, as he depends on his natural talents.
The resource from which we will therefore draw depends on the attitude of our hearts. We must continually check our motivation and ask ourselves why we do what we do. Are we trying to fill a personal need for results and success, or are we acting in sound obedience to God to see His results and His success? Being poor in spirit, therefore, has a lot to do with attitude.
I often wondered why Christian authors accept praise as if they were the ones who wrote the books. If they did not receive the wisdom and words from the Holy Spirit, they would not have had their books. The same applies to preachers. A great preacher of old was once approached by a lady after one of his sermons. “Pastor, you were great today,” she said.
“Yeah,” he replied, “the devil also tried to tell me the same up there.”
So who are the happy ones? They are the ones who do not have a formula. The successes and influence of other men do not affect them. They do not care much for the opinions of others and are not concerned about position, status, recognition, or even personal success. They wait daily like beggars or children for their portion of Spirit needed to do God’s bidding in that moment. They don’t have a care in the world, because they know God will care. They can be compared to another type of poor-in-spirit people—the mentally handicapped. They cannot become blown up, self-important, and successful because their minds do not allow them to. They are completely and unconditionally dependent upon others for survival.
So are spiritually poor-by-choice individuals completely and unconditionally dependent upon God and not on their own abilities and resources—not for a single minute controlled by self and its desires. Jesus set the example Himself: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”(John 5:19)
A servant in such a relationship with God will be a very useful instrument in service of the Master in times when the other servants need support.
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