Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
I read this in the February edition of Tabletalk magazine:
“The Sermon on the Mount opens with the Beatitudes, the first of which tells us ‘the poor is spirit’ are blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In this context, Jesus is basically saying that only those who do not rely on their own goodness will be granted entrance into God’s kingdom. It is not an appeal to deny our worth as human beings, but to recognize our sin and desperate need for salvation. Matthew Henry comments that ‘to be poor in spirit, is to have humble thoughts of ourselves, of what we are, and have, and do. . .it is to shun all confidence in our own righteousness and strength, that we may depend only on the merit of Christ and the spirit and grace of Christ. . .The kingdom of grace is composed of such, the kingdom of glory is prepared for them.”‘ RC Sproul
Another Bible passage that addresses this issue of self-righteous vs. humble:
Luke 18:9-14
“And he (Jesus) spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others (**I don’t know about you, but I was once one of them, am still tempted to be one of them, and know many who are like them!!! The pharisee still exists!!**)
Two men went up into the temple to pray: the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. (**I’ve heard “godly” men and women give lists of the ‘things they do’ that, in their opinion, display FRUIT and prove “Christian value” such as soul-winning, and perfect church attendance, etc, but THE THINGS THAT WE DO ARE NOT TRUE FRUIT, see Galatians for the real fruit of the spirit!**)
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
Yell it from the rooftops! It is not by works of righteousness that we are saved! It’s by the grace of God, more specifically, the blood of His Son!
***If you do anything for Christ today, make sure it is out of a pure motive. Serve out of LOVE for Christ and others, not out of love for self.***
***Christian, in general, who are you most like? Be honest with yourself! The Pharisee? Or the Publican? The Lord knows!***
Good to be Home 
Well, you said “**I don’t know about you, but I was once one of them, am still tempted to be one of them, and know many who are like them!!!” ~ and I must say the same ~ it is a constant spiritual battle to not trust in our own works, but to trust only in the work that Christ has done for us. Shanda, this is a beautiful post ~ thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Thank you Shan for sharing your thoughts and these parts of scripture. Very powerful!
I trade off from time to time. At times, I’m the pharisee, sadly…and other times, I’m the publican, praise God. Thank God that He gives grace for both!
Wonderful post, Shanda. Sure gives me something to ponder on, thank you.
Very much a good reminder~ Thank you for sharing this!
Here is what I recently wrote on a scrap of paper and placed above the kitchen sink where I knew I would see it often:”A Pharisee is someone who trusts in himself that he is righteous and views others with contempt.”Thus, my answer to your question.
I’m afraid that I’m not always like the publican, but I’m trusting God will continue to work in my life, and change that part of me. Thank you for sharing this, and I’ll see you soon. Love, Trish
Amen. Been there, done that, too. Still struggling at times. Pastor’s message was on this last Sunday. It was so good. It’s not our righteousness, but through HIS mercy He saved us. Praise God!
The beatitudes bear meditation often , don’t they? Thanks. Our Pastor spoke on the Lord God our Creator today and said that the more we see God the more we will understand ourselves in relation to Him…..and like the prophet say ” woe is me I am a man of unclean lips…..”
Could I ask you to pray for my mother in law…our dear Nana….she is fighting a blood cancer and needs to make more red blood cells. Thank you! Jenny
I have heard that Muslim women in America wear the drape over their head to remind them that there is always someone above them (God). It seems so reverent to me that I’ve actually considered doing the same. Your post reminded me of that. It’s a beautiful post.
great things to think about…
Amen and Amen!! I’m right there with you.
I think if we’re honest with ourselves, we all struggle to some degree with Pharisee or publican. Thanks for posting this today, it was definitely a blessing to me.
Amen! Thank you for sharing this. We all need to reflect on this at times, more often than we think. Our motivation to serve Him should be out of love & gratitude for what He has done for us, nothing of ourselves. Thank the Lord for His unending grace!