Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

By: Dorothy Wong | Manager of Operations

A few years ago, it was common to hear young people say “blessed” or post #blessed when they received or experienced something good.  It may be getting their favourite drink or spending time with friends.  However, it would be very unlikely that you would see a post about someone facing life challenges or financial difficulties ending their post with #blessed.

So why does Jesus begin the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6:3 NIV) with “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom.”?  Perhaps the NLT translation can help us understand better what it means to be poor in spirit.  “Those who are poor and realize their need for him.”  So anyone who is lacking (which I may be bold saying is all of us) and that because of our limitation, we need God.  This may be the most important acknowledgment for anyone of the Christian faith.  We need to recognize that we are sinners, that we are not perfect, and in order for us to have a relationship with a perfect God, we need Him to make things right for us.  

Oftentimes, when things are going well and we don’t have any immediate needs, we tend to focus more on ourselves and just go through life without any real dependence on God or anyone else.  Yes, we can also say that in times of trouble, we can also focus on ourselves and the barriers before us and not look to God or others.  However, it is in those times that we generally will reach out to God for help.  So it is out of our poverty that we are able to find our greatest Treasure.

It is our hope that the families that we walk along with will recognize that they can find hope in God.  That despite their financial poverty they have a God who wants to bless them.  Not with things of this world but of things unseen.  We are blessed when we have a right relationship with God.  We are blessed because we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and have the gift of eternal life.  Even though our time here on this earth is only temporary we are blessed because He is right there with us during our joys and sorrows.

This also reminds us (me) that in God’s eyes there is no differentiation between those that have or have not.  We all need Him.  So we are not the saviors going into communities impacted by poverty to make things right.  We are simply broken people that have found hope in Jesus, a people with a passion to share this hope with a community that is also broken, and to build up Christ-followers that will transform their community with this hope.

Has there been a time in your life when you experienced God’s goodness in the midst of a challenging time?  Write this experience down and use it as a reminder of God’s promise to bless those who are poor in spirit, when you face a difficult time in the future.

TCM Devotions: The Body of Christ

By Elita

1 Corinthians 12:21-26
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.

In our natural human behaviour, we tend to give recognition (either publicly or internally) and elevate those with shiny value, such as those who are popular, well-spoken, or smart. In 1 Corinthians 12:21-26, Paul reminds the church that all parts of the body have an equally important role. 

As you go about your week, reflect on the Body of Christ

• Give greater honour to those who appear to be the ‘weak’ ones
• Affirm each other
• Recognize the need for others
• Do all of the above out of love (1 Cor 13:1-3) 

For more on this topic, please read Elita’s blog post, Special Honour.

TCM Devotions: Praying the Scriptures

By Gala

Genesis 22:1-19 Abraham Tested
"..and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed."

In order to receive, the prerequisite is obedience. Before God blessed Abraham as the father to all nations, he tested him with his own son. “Here I am” says Abraham repeatedly. God is faithful. God is worthy and we are needy, therefore, we need to be obedient in coming to God on a consistent basis with prayers. The Bible teaches us how to pray, Once we use the Bible as a guidebook, our prayers are Scripture-led and worship-based rather than a long list of immediate requests.

A except from A Surefire Starting Place, by Daniel Henderson

"I have learned that the best way to start at prayer time is with this statement: “Let’s all turn in our Bibles to....”  Of course, I have written extensively in several books about how to lead prayer times from the Scriptures.  Here are eight reasons why the Bible is the best starting place for prayer times:

• First, the Scriptures reveal to us the character, names, and works of God -- turning our thoughts God-ward rather than man-ward.
• Second, as we follow the pattern Jesus gave us, the Bible provides endless insights about our Father in Heaven and the holiness of His name.
• Third, the Bible also gives us language for our prayers that is according to the will of God, since His word is His will.
• Fourth, the Bible is living, active, and penetrating and reveals the real needs of our hearts and lives, taking us beyond surface prayers about circumstances and people (Hebrews 4:12).  This leads to authentic confession and trust.
• Fifth, the Bible unites those who pray as every heart and mind is aligned with God and His word.
• Sixth, the Bible empowers us to pray in faith since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). 
• Seventh, as the Bible inspires faith, our prayer time is pleasing to God because we are coming to Him in the truth of who He is, confident that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews11:6).
• Eighth, the Bible prepares us for victory in the spiritual battle.  As our prayers are infused with Scripture we are equipped to take the sword of the Spirit, God’s memorized and spoken word, as we confront temptation (just as Jesus did in the wilderness) (Ephesians 6:17; Matthew 4:1-11).

So, the next time you pray together, don’t misfire.  Instead, allow God’s word to work powerfully to bring great blessing and benefit to your prayers.  He is worthy of it and we are in need of it."

Read more here.