LESSONS FROM THE TREEHOUSE...POOR IN SPIRIT

SHARING SOME LESSON FROM OUR CHILDREN'S MINISTRY!

Jesus was up on a mountain ministering to many people when He told them how to receive the blessings of God. He mentioned several attitudes that we should have if we are to receive God’s best. This is called the “Sermon on the Mount” among many Christians. It is also called the Beatitudes. We are going to be studying those “attitudes” as the way we should “be” or live. These are our “Be Attitudes”! And they are the way to God’s blessing. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.”

What does it mean to be “poor in spirit’? Sounds like most of our characters here today are having a hard time understanding this. Some people think it is just being “down”, acting serious instead of silly. Others think it means to actually be poor…like no money…no self-value…not liking yourself. But that is NOT what Jesus was talking about when He spoke of the many blessings God wants to give us.

Being “poor” in spirit simply means to be aware of our weaknesses and be willing to quickly repent when we mess up! There is a story in the Bible about a young man who really messed up big time. He went from being very rich, to being very poor in a very short time. He didn’t start off very “poor in spirit” and wasn’t set out to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

You see, this young man and his brother were the sons of a very wealthy man. The younger one decided that he wanted to have more fun than he thought he was having at his dad’s place. He knew that one day he and his brother would inherit all that their father owned. And that was a LOT! But this young man did not want to wait around until his dad died and left it all to them. He wasn’t really interested in the family business or property…only the money it brought them. So, he decided that it made much more sense to ask his dad for his inheritance now. He thought that if he was given the money that he would eventually receive NOW that he would have much more fun. He did not value the right things in life. He did not think about his future, only what he wanted right then. He may even have teased his brother for not joining him in requesting money to waste while they are young.

Well, his father loved his son very much. He must have known that this was not a good choice for his son. But, for whatever reason, the father gave in and let him have the money. Perhaps the young man had argued or presented a case that sounded reasonable. Or perhaps that was a choice the father had made available at one time. Or perhaps he knew that this son would not learn the lessons he needed any other way.

So, the young man took off with his riches. He called all of his friends and their other friends, and everybody who knew who he was, to come and party with him. He was so popular! He was a star! Everyone loved him! They had such a great time. He had one party…then another…and another. He showed his friends a great time. They must have gone to all the amusement parks of their day. They must have ridden camels and horses and participated in chariot races. They may have traveled around the area, looking for adventure. They tried everything they could to have fun.

But, it only lasted a little while. The young man had not thought about what he would do when his money ran out. Maybe he assumed one of his friends would give him more. Perhaps he thought he could get more by gambling or playing games for money. The sad news was…his money was gone and there was no more. There was no one to give him nor lend him any money. All the friends that had shared in the fun left him. They probably called him “Loser!” and other such names. They probably laughed at him for not planning his budget. They were no longer his friends. Apparently they left him and didn’t even take him back home or with them.

He found himself all alone, hungry, and broke! He wished he was back home with his dad and brother. But how could he get back? He had no money and was too tired and hungry to walk all that way. Besides, he thought that his father would be ashamed of him and not want him back. So, he went to look for work. He probably didn’t really know how to do much, since he had been wealthy and had had servants at his father’s home. And there were not a lot of jobs available. But he did find one…feeding pigs! Pigs are not very clean or mannerly animals. In fact, many Jewish people thought of them as unclean to be around, to the extent that people who were around them were not accepted in the community. But this boy was hungry! So, he took the job. As he was pouring the slop on the trough, he wanted to eat it himself! Imagine eating pig’s slop! Pigs eat whatever nobody else wants to eat! They eat the garbage that is scraped from plates or dropped on the floor. They eat the empty corn cobs, weeds, carrot tops, roots, etc. This boy had eaten wonderful meals full of his favorite things, yet here he was jealous of what the pigs were eating! No one, not his boss, not his former friends, not any pretty girls, not any pigs…gave him anything!

So, he finally had a good thought! “I know! I will go back to my father’s house. I am not worthy to be his son now that I have wasted his money and did some things I should not have done. I have brought shame to his house. So! He gave me what I wanted before, maybe he will again! I will ask him to allow me to be a servant. My dad’s servants eat a LOT better than these pigs. He is kind to them and they have nice rooms to sleep in as well. I would LOVE to just be a servant in his house. I am going home to see if he will let me serve him so I can eat again!

This young man had learned to be “poor in spirit”. He began to understand that he was not any better than the servants his father hired. He realized that serving others was a good thing…and that being sorry was not good enough, He had to be willing to change his attitude. He had to be willing to go from being a “big shot”, “cool dude” wanting to be popular and famous, to being willing to serve and earn his “keep”. What an attitude adjustment for him!
Repentance means turning around and changing the direction you were headed. It means being willing to become completely different and give up all that you desired before. That is being poor in spirit, and this boy had finally achieved it!

He headed back, tired, lonely, and still hungry. It was a long walk. People did not treat him kindly. They thought he was a homeless wanderer, maybe even dangerous. So, he went on alone..,

Meanwhile, back at his father’s house, his dad had watched for him every day. He looked down the lane. He sent servants to look further down the lane, knowing that some day, his son would return.

And that day, he did return! The father saw him coming. The servants may not have recognized him, but the father did! He knew it was his son! He ran down the lane to meet him, and fell at his feet and kissed him.

The son was very touched by this and said “I am not worthy to be called your son. Just let me be a servant in your house. I will be totally happy with that!”

But the father called his servants and told them to kill the fattest calf he had, get some music going, and have a party. “My son is home!” he cried.

The older brother wasn’t so happy with all of this because he had been obedient and hard-working while his brother messed up. He complained that it was not fair. But his dad said “You have always had my blessing. Your heart was always to serve me.
You have always understood being ‘poor in spirit’, humble and hard-working. Everything I have has always been and always will be yours. But your brother, here, was dead and is alive again. He did not have a proper heart for blessing, but now he does. We MUST rejoice and have a party!”

So, they celebrated that this young man learned how to have a repentant heart, how to have a servant’s heart, and how to be poor in spirit. This time he can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. That means he can live with God forever, and have all that God has for us, which is MUST MORE than the wealthy father had to offer.