Spiritual Poverty

Have you ever wondered why a Christian, someone who knows and professes Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, struggles to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ?  Without sounding judgmental, I have known many who truly do believe that Jesus is the Christ, yet have forfeited any real spiritual growth in their lives.  Sure, there are times when some fruit is produced, yet the branches remain stringy and the fruit that they bear is sparse. Think of a cherry tomato plant, for instance. When it gets the proper nutrients, water, and sunlight, it flourishes as it produces hundreds of cherry tomatoes on its thick branches. If it gets a little water here and there and minimal sunlight, it may not die, but it will struggle to grow and produce fruit.  Of course, if it gets no water or sunlight at all, it will fail to grow altogether.   

The vital ingredients that are absolute necessary in order for them to grow into lush, fruit-bearing tomato plants are what they take in. In this case, sunlight, water, and plant fertilizer.  Consider this plant analogy when you think of growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as water, sunlight, and fertilizer are necessary to produce an abundant crop, we desperately need to draw deep from the well of Jesus Christ in order to grow into the Christians He created us to be. Professing our faith in Jesus Christ may gain us salvation, but in order to bear fruit, we must stay connected to the vine. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). 

Okay, you understand that with your mind.  You need more of Jesus. Yet for some reason, it can take such a long time for that reality to travel from your head deep down into your heart. You know you should pray daily, read your Bible, and make Jesus Christ an integral part of your life.  And often you start praying or reading your Bible, yet you quickly fall away, old habits re-emerge and you are left “stuck” in the same place you were 10 years ago.  The reality is that if someone were to look at your plant, it would not have grown into that lush fruit-bearing plant that God intended it to be.  You become discouraged and frustrated as your efforts appear to be so minimal. You may even ask yourself “What is wrong with me? What’s the use? Why can’t I seem to move forward in my faith walk?”

As I recently read Scripture, I pondered on a verse that took on an entire new meaning for me. Taken from the book of Matthew, it is often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes. Jesus spoke to the crowds and addressed many topics. The very first verse is the one that struck me most. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).  As I meditated on the verse and asked God for insight, He brought some thoughts to my mind.  To be “poor in spirit” is to experience spiritual poverty, or to recognize one’s utter neediness and dependence on God.  It is to come to the end of ourselves, recognizing our own inadequacy to handle life, and that we are incapable of becoming the person God wants us to be without His Divine intervention. Being “poor in spirit” personifies a life that is not spiritually proud or self-sufficient, but desperately wants to know and love God.  It hungers and thirsts for the living God and desires to walk with Him intimately.  Knowing “about Jesus” is no longer sufficient. The person who is poor in spirit has arrived at the place in his life where nothing else satisfies—he now yearns to know Jesus personally and intimately. So he surrenders his life completely to Jesus as well as the many concerns that consume him.  He trusts that Jesus is fully in control and will never let him go. He takes his hand off the wheel and allows Jesus to be in the driver’s seat of his life.

Easier said than done, right?  Not really.  I believe there are two primary ways that we can experience spiritual poverty.  Unfortunately, one of them is quite painful as it involves suffering and brokenness. Suffering has the ability to bring us to the end of ourselves and to our knees quicker than anything else. Jesus said that He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. When we suffer we cry out to God and are desperate for healing. “Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliver, O my God, do not delay” (Psalm 40:17).   “This poor man called and the Lord heard him, he saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6). 

Brokenness brings us to God who alone has the power to heal our broken hearts. However, even in our brokenness we must come to Him and believe that He is with us and has the power to restore and redeem us.  Many people remain in their brokenness, while they languish in bitterness of soul, because they have not fully surrendered their lives, including their pain and sorrows, to Jesus Christ. Because they hold onto their pain, they don’t fully relinquish it to God, and He is unable to completely restore and heal them. Once they let go and surrender their deepest hurts to the Lord, He carries them gently as He strengthens them day by day.  Before long their faith and trust in Him grows and they come to recognize that God can use all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  Yes, even the most gut-wrenching, painful experiences of our lives.

Even though Jesus Himself told us that in this world we will have troubles, we are to take heart for He has overcome the world. He loves us too much to leave us the way we are; and, therefore, the trials he allows have enormous capacity to bring us to spiritual poverty. However, I don’t believe that every single Christian is called to suffer immense pain or experience extreme tragedy in order to become “poor in spirit”.  I think most people would prefer to experience spiritual poverty through a less painful way—the way of Obedience. 

When we are obedient to God we put ourselves in the proper position as we align our life to God’s will.  The best way to become obedient is to immerse yourself in God’s Word and let the Holy Spirit take over.  I believe that to know God is to love Him; to love God is to obey Him; and, to obey God is to serve Him.  KNOW, LOVE, OBEY, SERVE. I truly believe that we will never love God until we get to know Him, and the absolute best way to know God is to become a lifelong student of His Word.  When you come to know God through the written Word you can’t help but fall in love with Him.  Besides, the Holy Spirit takes over and does miraculous transformation in your life and heart through the written Word.  When you fall in love with Jesus, your heart desires what He does, and obedience is the natural outflow of your love for Him. The Holy Spirit continually opens the eyes of your heart, He quickens you when you sin, and you quickly turn to God for forgiveness.  You desire to live your life in obedience to God as you surrender all areas of your life to Him. You recognize that He is Sovereign and that He will perfect all that concerns you.  This is living in total dependence on God, and He graciously replaces your worries, frustrations, doubts, and concerns with His perfect peace. You are experiencing “spiritual poverty” as you take your hands off the wheel and depend on Him to take you safely to your destination.

In closing, the notes in my NIV Bible describe the state of being “blessed” as the “ultimate well-being and distinctive spiritual joy of those who share in the salvation of the kingdom of God.” When we are “poor in spirit” Jesus says that we are truly blessed for ours is the kingdom of heaven. I think Jesus is telling us that—yes, we can have a little heaven while we inhabit the earth here and now.  And I am quite sure that what awaits us in heaven with Jesus is simply beyond our wildest imagination!