A blessing for the spiritually poor

On June 5 at the evening service Mary Start shared that she had been studying the beatitudes and been struck that Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."  That sounded like being poor in spirit was something we should be.  That led Mary to think and pray more about whether she realised that she was poor in spirit and what did that mean.

She was led to Revelation 3 and the message to the church in Laodicea Rev 3:17 'You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
Rev 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.'

Jesus challenge to us is do we see ourselves as rich in need of nothing, or do we recognise that no matter what our experience of God, we are poor, blind and naked in terms of the Kingdom of God.  What little we have in the Kingdom is a gift from God.  When we realise that,  we will seek with all our heart to receive more of God's riches that will last, and to clothe ourselves in the robes of righteousness that only Jesus can give.

Peter