“The woman answered and said to Him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this which you have said is true.”
How would you have responded to that statement?
In my arrogance I might have said “that really isn’t your business” or with self-pity said, “you don’t understand”…and walked away offended.
In our culture we believe that whatever we do, say, feel, or think must be supported by everyone or we are being bullied. If we are corrected in any way, we are being marginalized and mistreated and need a safe place to recover.
Yet here Jesus takes a simple meeting - and because He LOVES her – turns it into a life examination. So again, how would you have responded?
The bible says, “blessed are the poor in spirit” and as Americans we struggle with that….We find it hard to believe being poor in anything is advantageous. But God says to inherit His Kingdom we must be poor in spirit.
What does that mean?
“Horizontally” it means we can be corrected without being offended. It means we have a spirit of humility that allows us to consider input from others.
“Vertically” it means we come to God with the understanding that we have nothing to offer. Salvation is not a negotiation it is a surrender. You reject even the slightest implication that you have something of value to bring to the table. You not only accept God’s corrective law, you embrace it so you can live righteously.
We have lost the ability to have “iron sharpen iron”, because our fragile self-image has caused our “mettle” to become so feeble, we cannot stand a little heat.
Stop pursuing validation from a crowd that is groping around in the dark. Instead, humbly go to the light of the world so you see clearly. Seek transparent conversations with friends you trust to help you grow.
But most importantly, in brokenness go to God with a desire to learn wisdom and seek His guidance …Approach Him with a poor spirit and empty hands, and He will give you the glorious gifts He has for you.
“Idolatry is when you become the source of your own joy. Poverty of spirit is a wonderful thing.” - Paul Washer
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