Help for the Poor in Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3.
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.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17. Man must be emptied of self before he can be, in the fullest sense, a believer in Jesus. When self is renounced, then the Lord can make man a new creature.
When man has sinned against a holy and merciful God, he can pursue no course so noble as to repent sincerely, and confess his errors in tears and bitterness of soul. This God requires of him; He accepts nothing less than a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
The proud heart strives to earn salvation; but both our title to heaven and our fitness for it are found in the righteousness of Christ. The Lord can do nothing toward the recovery of man until, convinced of his own weakness, and stripped of all self-sufficiency, he yields himself to the control of God. Then he can receive the gift that God is waiting to bestow. From the soul that feels his need, nothing is withheld. He has unrestricted access to Him in whom all fullness dwells.
The only reason why we may not have remission of sins that are past is that we are not willing to humble our proud hearts and comply with the conditions.
God is very pitiful, for He understands our weaknesses and our temptations; and when we come to Him with broken hearts and contrite spirits. He accepts our repentance, and promises that, as we take hold of His strength to make peace with Him, we shall make peace with Him. Oh, what gratitude, what joy, should we feel that God is merciful!
The offering most sweet and acceptable in God’s sight is a heart made humble by self-denial, by lifting the cross and following Jesus.
The Faith I Live By p. 136
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Dean, Blanca, and the two other couples who are going on a mission trip. M
—-My daughter was just diagnosed with cancer at 33 years of age with two little babes. Please keep her treatment and the family in your prayers. Thanks. Vicki
—-Please be praying for my friends dad Dan that had a stroke this morning. Dan
—-Asking prayers for our Pastor who has had to quit preaching due to a bad health problem prayers for him and his wife and that the Lord will intervene in his life ,he is truly a man that loves his Lord and has served Him many years,we are all earnestly praying for him and his wife and children,as well their grandchildren. Rhonda
—-please lift up my father in law in prayer. He has just been taken to the hospital. He is 89 years old, has one kidney and he is functioning on only 15% of it. He has COPD because of this. I understand this doesn’t look well but, God is the ultimate Physician and I’m asking for prayers of healing and if this isn’t God’s will, I’m praying my wonderful Lord keeps him comfortable until his time. His name Cesar. Connie
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Dear Friends,
When I was in school I had a friend named June. She and I shared the same birthday. We had gone to kindergarten together. By the first grade, she had moved away and I didn’t see her until five years later when I went to live with my mother and her new husband. We became instant friends. We moved away so we didn’t have classes together during our junior high days; but in high school we were classmates once again. We were delighted when our Science teacher arranged us alphabetically, as our last names began with the same letter. So we got to sit together. That was so much fun! Whenever we dared, we would whisper and giggle. We were lab partners and had a great time doing the required experiments together.
When doing our lab experiments, we all were allowed to talk freely; so, of course, June and I always chatted happily and laughed about anything and everything. One day, however, things became a little bit too exciting. While pouring a fairly mild (thankfully) acid into the beaker I was holding, June began laughing at something I had said. She laughed so hard that her hands became unsteady more acid ran down the side of the beaker I was holding than got into it. Immediately, I stuck my hands into the stream of continuously running water that was between our workstations. All seemed to be fine at first, but a little later my hands became yellow and dry and cracked.
How often we “pour” an “acid” upon others, that does far more damage than what June accidentally did to me. How often the damage done through our words may never be undone. “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” Prov 18:8 God commands us, “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people.” Lev 19:16 David sang, “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? . . . He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.” “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” Psa 34:13; 15:1,3
How often we “pour” another type of “acid” upon those around us. Peter speaks of this “acid” as being a busybody, a meddler. He advises, “let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.” 1 Peter 4:15 Think of it! Meddling in others’ lives is listed alongside the sins of murder, thievery, and evildoing. “Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth.” Rom 14:4 No matter how pure our motives might be, when we force our ideas upon others, when we meddle in their lives, we have overstepped our bounds. Indeed, our Heavenly Father does not even do so. He ” is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11 He gently leads us into the way in which we should go, He never forces His will upon us.
James tells us, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” James 1:26;3:2-18