The Poor in Spirit (Day 2)
When the Beggar is Blessed
Luke 16:20–21 (ESV)
“And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.”
“And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.”
Devotional Thought:
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus gives a flesh-and-blood illustration of “poor in spirit.” Lazarus is not just economically poor—he’s helpless, vulnerable, unclean. He longs not for a banquet but for crumbs. And he doesn’t demand anything. He simply lays there, in need.
Jesus doesn’t tell this story to inspire pity for the poor; He tells it to awaken our spiritual posture. Lazarus is the portrait of blessed poverty in spirit—not because of his condition, but because of what his condition revealed: total dependence.
We often try to climb the spiritual ladder—offering God our record, our effort, our “rightness.” But Jesus shows us that entrance into the kingdom doesn’t come through climbing—it comes through collapsing.
To be “poor in spirit” means to admit: I can’t reach the table on my own. I can’t save myself. I need mercy. And just like Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s side, the poor in spirit are carried by grace into the kingdom of God.
Jesus doesn’t tell this story to inspire pity for the poor; He tells it to awaken our spiritual posture. Lazarus is the portrait of blessed poverty in spirit—not because of his condition, but because of what his condition revealed: total dependence.
We often try to climb the spiritual ladder—offering God our record, our effort, our “rightness.” But Jesus shows us that entrance into the kingdom doesn’t come through climbing—it comes through collapsing.
To be “poor in spirit” means to admit: I can’t reach the table on my own. I can’t save myself. I need mercy. And just like Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s side, the poor in spirit are carried by grace into the kingdom of God.
Application Questions:
- In what ways do you still try to earn God’s approval?
- Where are you longing for spiritual crumbs when God is inviting you to a feast?
- What’s one area where you can shift from preference to provision—seeking what God offers rather than what you desire?
Today's Prayer:
Lord, let me be like Lazarus—not ashamed to need You. Teach me to seek what truly satisfies. Empty me of pride, of preference, of the illusion that I have anything apart from You. I want to sit at Your table—not because I deserve it, but because You welcome the poor. May my dependence be my delight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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