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“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” Matthew 5:3 (NLT)

Introduction to motherhood can be a hard pill to swallow. Who knew a tiny baby could produce so much waste … and spread that waste in unexpected places? Babies can survive on short naps for what seems like forever, a full night’s sleep taunting moms like an illusion. “Sleeping like a baby” should never mean that a person is sleeping soundly. Babies have no clue what time of day it is. Even a knowledgeable, well-prepared Mom can struggle to train a baby to sleep when the sun goes down instead of whenever the baby feels like it.

When a baby is hungry, he cries. When his diaper is wet or dirty, he cries. When a baby is out of sorts for any reason, or just wants to be held, he cries. Babies cannot feed, change, or take care of themselves … they are helpless.

In our key verse, the word “poor” (or “poor in spirit” in other translations) means a person who realizes they are spiritually helpless. Helplessness is not an attractive quality in our society. We present ourselves to others as strong, in control, happy, and maybe even perfect. As parents, we take care of our helpless newborns, fully expecting our babies to grow into fully functioning adults during the next 18 years.

Jesus, on the other hand, is laying out a new goal to strive toward as he teaches his disciples and the crowd gathered on the mountainside. Rather than being strong, we will be blessed if we realize our complete weakness without God. We will be blessed when we acknowledge His sovereignty and utter control over our lives. We will never find true happiness until we recognize our complete dependence on God. We have no hope of perfection without putting on His perfection through the sacrifice of Jesus.

“But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.’” Matthew 19:14 (NLT)

Three Gospel accounts record Jesus calling the children to Himself (Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14, and Luke 18:16). The lesson in all of these verses cannot be overlooked. We cannot spiritually feed, change, or take care of ourselves. We are helpless. Jesus calls us to Him as children, recognizing our absolute need for Him. Will you come to Him?

“We recognize our absolute helplessness, Lord, and come to You as children, asking You to feed us with Your Word, change us to be more like You, and take care of us. Thank You for Your unconditional love.”

For His Glory

Tammy Randlett(http://staletoast.com)
TRBC Women’s Life