Spiritual Beggars

Meditations for Ragamuffins

August 30, 2023

Spiritual Beggars 

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Matthew 5:3

The story of the Gentile woman and Jesus illustrates the power and truth of this first Beatitude. The Gentile woman came pleading to Jesus, “Have mercy on me.”  Her daughter was demon-possessed, and she knew the only hope for the child was Jesus. After a rather terse dialog with the woman, Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted,” and her daughter was instantly healed. (Matthew 15: 22-27) The woman was one Tom Long calls ‘spiritual beggars.’ (Matthew, Thomas G. Long, (Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville 1997) page 48).

When we are spiritual beggars, we recognize we need help; we recognize we can’t save ourselves, no matter what we do.  All we can do is plead for mercy. Jesus says this is the key to our right-standing relationship with God.

Speaking to spiritual beggars in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says the Kingdom of God is theirs-- now, that instant. Still today, spiritual beggars are given the same right-standing with God as Jesus-- now, this instant.

John Wesley taught his congregations about Holiness of Heart and Holiness of Life. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is holiness of heart. This is our right-standing relationship with God-- now, this instant. Next, the Holy Spirit begins to work within us, teaching us how to live as the beloved children of God. This is holiness of life.

My Takeaway: One thing never changes. We were spiritual beggars when we first experienced the transforming grace of Jesus, and it is as spiritual beggars that the Holy Spirit works in our lives to bring us into God’s New Creation with holiness of life. We never, ever, lose our complete dependence of the grace of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.   

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.