Blessed bankruptcy - Hope 103.2

Blessed bankruptcy

By David ReayThursday 5 Feb 2015LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes

Transcript:

Read Matthew 5:3

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

We live in a time where we glorify self-sufficiency. We want to stand on our own feet,make our own way. We even have people say that the Christian faith is for weaklings who need a crutch to lean on.

And of course they are right-to a point. Jesus makes it clear that those who inherit eternal life,God’s life,are those who know their great need of his mercy and strength. To those who argue Christianity is a ‘crutch’,we reply that those who find trouble walking are grateful for such a crutch.

Jesus is saying that spiritual bankruptcy is the doorway to spiritual health. We bring nothing of our own merit to God,but rely on the merits of Jesus. And that is sufficient for God. Our empty-handedness enables him to fill those hands with his empowering grace.

Not that this spiritual poverty is a misery-inducing despondency. It is rather a realistic acknowledgement that while we are valued human beings,we are not as we ought to be. Not that it suggests we are incapable of any good unless we become Christians. It is rather a recognition that none of our goodness gets us right with God.

When we realise we have run out of our own resources of merit,we best declare bankruptcy and thus allow the riches of Jesus to come our way.

Blessings
David Reay

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