Written by Scott Fiddler
The Word
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3 (NASB)
Commentary
It is no accident Jesus begins the beatitudes with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” For those in the kingdom of God, being “poor in spirit” i.e. being spiritually humble, is perhaps the most important virtue. Without it, the other blessing-bringing virtues Jesus goes on to describe in the Sermon on the Mount—gentleness, a thirst for righteousness, mercifulness, purity, peacefulness, and an ability to endure persecution—are all but impossible. It is for good reason that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
Jesus made the same point when He contrasted the pride of the Pharisees with humbleness of children and said “For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children” (Luke 18:10-17 [NLT]). Children don’t pretend to know anything and they soak up everything. They are humble, teachable, and trusting. Humility positions us to hear from, be led by, and follow Jesus.
Application
Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s court, likely given the best education in Egypt, and he was a natural leader (Acts 7:22). When Moses rose up in defense of a fellow Hebrew and killed an Egyptian, the Bible says Moses “supposed” the Hebrews knew “God was granting them deliverance through him” (Acts 7:24-25). That is some serious chutzpah. Well, the Hebrews didn’t think as highly of Moses as Moses thought of himself, so Moses did what O.J. Simpson did…he ran.
Moses then spent forty years in the wilderness where he could only reminisce about his colossal failure and all he had lost, as he shoveled sheep dung, got married, and raised a family. The Lord used all this to transform Moses into a humble man, so humble that when the Lord finally did call Moses, all Moses could do was think of reasons why the people wouldn’t follow him if he went back to Egypt to be their deliverer (See Exodus 4:1, 10). In fact, the Bible says Moses was more humble “than any man who was on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). And that humble Moses became one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen.
Prayer
Lord, help me to be poor in spirit so I can be rich toward You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
City Life Starter 
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