It’s usually pretty subtle. We easily slip into the “God is my copilot” way of living where we’re still the one behind the wheel of our life, and God is just there in the passenger seat to keep us company and occasionally hold up the map for us.

All the while, we can actually believe we’re pleasing God in attempting to bring about our own moral reformation. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. This kind of striving will always result in painful failure. But this failure is actually one of the best things that could ever happen to us. When we reach the end of ourselves, God is free to work powerfully in us and through us.

Who’s Really Blessed?

According to Jesus, the “poor in spirit” are blessed. To be poor in spirit means to declare oneself spiritually bankrupt, to admit our utter powerlessness to please God in our own strength. It’s not so much a condition to be sought as a reality to be understood and lived from. And what a great relief it is to be spiritually poor! What a great relief to give up futile self-effort and breathe in the fresh air of grace.

Bottom Line

“Poor in spirit” is an accurate description of our true spiritual condition. We ought to embrace this. There’s freedom in being who we are—dependent.