“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3, NASB)
Last September after securing his PGA Tour card at the Web.com Tour Championship, professional golfer Wes Roach tweeted “What a week @WebTourChamp. Pumped to be headed back to @PGATOUR. More than anything, I’m happy for my family and the opportunities ahead.” He received a handful of congratulatory responses and was liked by 194 others.
Unfortunately for Wes, he had the unfortunate distinction of finishing 126 on this year’s FedEx Cup points list. This means his professional future is uncertain for now. He will have to battle it out with 150 others from the (now) Korn Ferry Tour Finals. I wish a him and all these players the best. It is in these moments that we don’t find the #blessed in any tweets.
Those who are poor often find themselves dependent on others. Therefore, poor in spirit must mean “those dependent on God.”I must admit that I am not a social media guru. I hardly ever log in to my accounts. However, I do remember a few years ago when people were talking about an obnoxious trend where people would use #blessed in reference to pictures of beautiful places they were vacationing, new babies, fancy cars, business success, a renovated kitchen, or anything else that our world sees as desirable and worthy of showing off.
If you search #blessed on Instagram, you will find more than 114 million posts. Conversely, #blessedarethepoor has a little over 500. So, when he opened the Sermon on the Mount with the words of our verse today, what might Jesus have known that our culture is missing?
We almost never celebrate uncertain moments, disappointing circumstances, or perilous situations. We like to think blessings in life are far from trial and tribulation, and we certainly would never associate blessedness with being poor. However, this is the way of the kingdom of God according to Jesus. It is safe to say Christ’s kingdom operates completely different from the way of the world.
As an example, those cruising along in an earthly sense may be surprised that Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25). Thankfully, he backed up these words by saying, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
What Jesus wants his followers to experience is the real joy that can only be found in trust of him, not the perceived riches of this world. The American way is to pursue independence. Those who are poor often find themselves dependent on others. Therefore, poor in spirit must mean “those dependent on God.” It has less to do with your net worth and a lot more to do with where you put your trust and in whom your confidence lies.
My hope is that you will find your true blessings in the the promises of God and will not be distracted by “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).
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Josh Nelson
August 14, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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