True Poverty of Spirit
True poverty of spirit is achieved by repudiating every external thing and allowing God to enter and dwell in our hearts, freeing us from the tyranny of things and enabling us to possess all things.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the concept of true poverty of spirit, illustrating how the human heart is ensnared by a fierce desire for material possessions, which distracts from a genuine relationship with God. He argues that the pronouns 'my' and 'mine' reveal the deep-rooted nature of humanity's fallen state, where things have become more important than God Himself. Tozer describes the blessed individuals who are 'poor in spirit' as those who have renounced their attachment to material possessions, achieving a state of freedom that allows them to truly possess the Kingdom of Heaven. He calls for a heartfelt prayer to God, asking for the removal of these attachments so that God may dwell within without competition. Ultimately, Tozer highlights that true fulfillment comes from God alone, not from the things we cling to.
Text
Within the human heart "things" have taken over. . . . There is within the human heart a tough fibrous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess. It covets "things" with a deep and fierce passion. The pronouns "my" and "mine" look innocent enough in print, but their constant and universal use is significant. They express the real nature of the old Adamic man better than a thousand volumes of theology could do. They are verbal symptoms of our deep disease. The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us. . . God's gifts now take the place of God.
The blessed ones who possess the Kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing. These are the "poor in spirit." They have reached an inward state paralleling the outward circumstances of the common beggar in the streets of Jerusalem. . . These blessed poor are no longer slaves to the tyranny of things. . . Though free from all sense of possessing, they yet possess all things. "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Sermon Outline
- The Nature of Fallen Humanity
- A deep and fierce passion for possessing things
- The use of pronouns 'my' and 'mine' reveals our true nature
- We are slaves to the tyranny of things
Key Quotes
“Things have become necessary to us. God's gifts now take the place of God.” — A.W. Tozer
“Though free from all sense of possessing, they yet possess all things.” — A.W. Tozer
“Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must be willing to give up our 'toys' and allow God to root out all things that hinder His presence in our lives.
- True freedom from the tyranny of things comes from being free from all sense of possessing.
- Possessing all things means allowing God to be the light of our hearts and the source of our joy.