Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."What is poverty of spirit? It is the opposite of that haughty, self-assertive, and self-sufficient disposition that the world so much desires and praises. To be poor in spirit, is to realize that I have nothing, I am nothing, I can do nothing--to please the holy God. Poverty of spirit is evident in a person, when he is brought into the dust before God, to acknowledge his utter helplessness. It is the first experiential evidence of a Divine work of grace within the soul, and corresponds to the initial awakening of the prodigal son in the far country, when he "began to be in need." (Luke 15:14)The world calls the strong, the self-sufficient, and the self-reliant "blessed." But the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, pronounces a paradox--true blessedness belongs only to the poor in spirit! These are those who see themselves as utterly destitute sinners before God. They have been stripped of all self-righteousness and self-sufficiency, standing before their Maker with empty hands, knowing they have nothing to offer God but their sin and need.To be "poor in spirit" is to humble one's self under the mighty hand of God. It is to see our sin, our guilt, our defilement, and our utter inability to save ourselves. It is to cry out with the tax collector, "God, have mercy on me, the sinner!" (Luke 18:13). It is to confess, like Isaiah, "Woe is me, for I am undone! For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord almighty!" (Isaiah 6:5). Such a condition is not something we naturally seek, for in our pride, we all claim some worthiness before God.But the Holy Spirit opens our blind eyes to see the