for the will of Cod rather than for ourselves. How real have you found this principle? Real love never man ipulates or uses another for one's own selfish purposes. It never vio lates another personality. Love lives to enrich. We see this in relation ships between husband and wife, as well as parents and children. The second aspect of this truth is amplified in verses 17-19. One who is truly "poor in spirit" ac knowledges a will that is superior to his own. Christ refers to the ul timate meaning of the will of Cod as revealed in His Word. Jesus said that He came to fulfill the law. It was His purpose to give it full meaning. All that had been said about Cod in the Old Testament is now said in completeness by the Saviour Himself. One of the greatest claims of the Christian faith is that Jesus Christ is Cod. The Almighty has not been satisfied simply to give us words about Himself, but rather to disclose Himself to us in human flesh. Being "poor in spirit" then means that you respect a will that is superior to your own. You give yourself in obedience and total surrender to His Word. Every man Page 21
That is a good definition for the new birth theologically and psy chologically (II Corinthians 5:17). There are three things that char acterize one who is "poor in spir it." The first is that such a person has a purpose that calls him be yond himself. Jesus illustrates this by saying, "Ye are the salt of the earth." Salt has its value by en riching or benefiting something else. It is of no worth in the shaker but must be added to food to bring out the flavor. It also has very real value in preserving, healing and cleansing. One who is "poor in spirit" has discovered that his great est purpose in life is in what he can do to enrich others. In rela tionship to Cod he has discovered that he is living for the glory of Christ rather than himself. The Saviour also explained, "Ye are the light of the world." Here again His illustration points up the fact that light makes its contribu tion beyond itself, not simply as an ornament. Life for us cannot be oriented around ourselves but rath er for our fellow man. We are to live for the benefit of others. How we do this is an index as to the quality of our own freedom to live
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