“Blessed are the poor in spirit,” said Jesus. One commentary translates that “Blessed are the desperate.” With nowhere else to turn, the desperate just may turn to Jesus, the only one who can offer the deliverance they long for. Jesus really believed that a person who is poor in spirit, or mourning, or persecuted, or hungry and thirsty for righteousness has a peculiar “advantage” over the rest of us. Maybe, just maybe, the desperate person will cry out to God for help. If so, that person is truly blessed.
–Philip Yancey
Whatever it costs to have someone turn to Jesus… the price is worth it. If that means that being poor in spirit or desperate is the cost, then that is a small price to pay. We might look at such a life and think – “It’s not fair that they have so little, that they are struggling so, that they are in such a difficult situation.” But if that is what leads them to cry out to God for help and in their time of trouble they gain Jesus, then they are truly blessed.
May we who know the blessing of Christ take the message to those who are desperate and tell them that there is one who can offer the deliverance they long for… and His name is Jesus.
I pray that you will ask God for opportunities to share Him and His love with others today as you go to work, school, the store, or wherever else your day takes you.