Daily Devotional
Are You Humble Before God?

May 7, 2024

Ponder This

We live in a world that puts great emphasis on what you have. According to the world’s standards, blessed are those who have wealth. Blessed are those who have strength. Blessed are those who have power. Blessed are those who have knowledge. Blessed are those who have prestige. Blessed are those who have popularity. You know the big B’s: bucks, brains, beauty, brawn, and so on. Those are the things people think bring happiness, but a lot of people who have those things don’t have joy or blessedness. Jesus put an emphasis not primarily on what a man has, but on what a man is. He would say, “Blessed are. . .” and then describe character qualities. And the very first of these qualities is poorness of spirit.

You’ll see some people who sit in the congregation and say, “Pastor, I’m not perfect, but I’m not as bad as some other people.” If that’s you, you are not yet bankrupt. When you have that attitude, you’ve never seen yourself for where you truly are before God. You’ve never discovered what the Bible says—that even your righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of a righteousness and holy God.

• How do you view yourself before God? Do you consider yourself a good person? Why or why not?
• When have you felt bankrupt before God? What brought you to that point?

Practice This

Pray for a non-believing friend. Ask that your friend may recognize his or her spiritual poverty before God.