Empty Hand

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:3

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with empty hands. Not strong hands. Not successful hands. Not hands full of good works and proud promises. Empty hands.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

At first, that does not sound like a blessing. We would rather be rich in spirit. Strong. Confident. Certain. We want to believe we can handle life, fix our mistakes, and become good enough for God.

Then Jesus begins to teach.

Love your enemies. Forgive those who hurt you. Keep your heart pure. Give without seeking praise. Trust God instead of worrying. Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. We hear those words and think, “I will try harder.”

So we try.

For a while, we may even feel proud of our progress. Then someone wounds us, and anger rises. Fear takes over. Pride speaks. Temptation wins. We fall short again. That is when the teaching of Jesus does its first good work. It brings us to the end of ourselves.

Jesus did not come only to show us how good we should be. If He were only a teacher, His words would leave us crushed. He would point toward a mountain we could never climb. But Jesus is more than a teacher.

He is the Savior.

To be poor in spirit means we stop pretending we have enough. We come to God like beggars. No excuses. No trophies. No proud list of accomplishments.

We simply pray, “Jesus, I cannot do this without You.”

And Jesus says, “Blessed are you.”

The kingdom of heaven does not belong to those who believe they need nothing. It belongs to those who know they need everything from God.

Empty hands are not a problem when they are lifted toward Jesus.

They are the perfect hands to receive grace.

Have a great week!

-Pastor Corey