Matthew 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Oswald Chambers concludes a meditation on this passage;
“We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is
inspiring.”
The world values personal power, bold character, and noticeable influence. For evidence we only need
watch what goes on in the halls of Congress or listen to the irreverent loudmouths of late-night TV.
Defenseless unborn persons are easily disposed of to appease unmitigated selfishness – especially if
they are “defective”. Even within the church the influential and powerful are held in high esteem. Eager
ear is given to the person who has published many books and whose church has grown to gigantic size.
Our passage tells us that God builds his Kingdom on humble people that are despised by the world. On
people and things that are easily discounted or “unimportant”. Jesus says that it is through such poverty
that one enters the Kingdom. “Good” people and self-important people have no place in the Kingdom of
Jesus – only spiritual paupers.
The people who influence us most, who bring tears to our eyes by their actions, often are not aware that
they have done so. They humbly greeted us or served us without pretense or a sense of personal power.
These are people God values – the ones that world, if it has its way, would have terminated at birth or
before.
We value them too. They add a special flavor to our lives that “normal” people cannot. They are the thin
golden thread that God weaves almost unnoticed through the plaid of life’s fabric.