Blessed Poverty

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

“Those who know that they cannot possibly save themselves, or of themselves do any righteous action, are the ones who appreciate the help that Christ can bestow. They are the poor in spirit, whom He declares to be blessed. Whom Christ pardons, He first makes penitent, and it is the office of the Holy Spirit to convince of sin. Those whose hearts have been moved by the convicting Spirit of God see that there is nothing good in themselves. They see that all they have ever done is mingled with self and sin. Like the poor publican, they stand afar off, not daring to lift up so much as their eyes to heaven, and cry, ‘God, be merciful to me the sinner’. . . All who have a sense of their deep soul poverty, who feel that they have nothing good in themselves, may find righteousness and strength by looking unto Jesus.” – Thoughts from The Mount of Blessing, pp. 7-8

Heart Questions:

Self-righteousness – the all-permeating and often subconscious attitude that deceives us into thinking and feeling that we are good – is the greatest hindrance in truly receiving personal salvation in Jesus. When we realize our spiritual poverty, our life-long, desperate need for Jesus, and as a result trust solely in Him, moment by moment, to fully and completely heal us from every last trace of selfishness, only then can we have the assurance of salvation.

Today, why not come to Jesus as you are, with your broken, sinful self? Why not claim only His blood, His life and death, as a means for salvation? Why not ask Him to uproot all self-reliance that is still in your heart and replace it with a faith in His ability to save you, and to empower you to do good works motivated by selfless love?

Praise Reports:

• Nolubabalo D.: “Thank you Lord for your hand over Africa. Thank you for your protection. Thank you for taking care of my kids in my absence. You are worthy of all praise.”
• Philippe M.: “In our town of Kananga, there were no radio broadcasts before the Covid-19 lockdowns, but at this time of crisis we have four broadcasts each week on four local radio stations. We praise God for that!”

Day 58 - Prayer Focus

• Pray for Jesus to cleanse you from all self-righteousness and give you a realization of your great daily and lifelong need of Him.
• Pray for evangelists in South Africa who are struggling with various health issues and stress. Pray that they will be healed and enabled to find ways to preach the gospel even now.
• Pray for Brother Samuel S. He is suffering from excruciating pain in his lower body and doctors do not know what is wrong. Also, pray for Sister Tabitha N. who has been diagnosed with a hole in her heart and is in great pain. Pray for their healing and the healing of many others who are suffering at this time.
• Pray for the Chinese Ministry Center in Jakarta, Indonesia as they are conducting online evangelistic meetings every Sabbath from May 9 until June 20, 2020. The first meeting drew around 3000 viewers and more than 260 signed up for Bible studies.

Going Deeper: Additional reading suggestions for this week

• Ellen White, Steps to Christ, chapter 3 "Repentance" Click Here to Read

• Mark Finley, 10 Days in the Upper Room

Download this week's devotional and prayer requests!

Visit the We-Pray Online Prayer room or leave your prayer requests below!