Yes
The poor in spirit
Like Lazarus, the poor soul who laid at the gates,
hoping to be fed by the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table:
There was a certain rich man,
which was clothed in purple and fine linen,
and fared sumptuously every day:
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus,
which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died,
and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom:
the rich man also died, and was buried;
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Luke 16:19-23
The key here is humility, not poor in the sense we think of it,
that is, without worldly wealth
Lazarus was carried in Abraham’s bosom and comforted in the next life
Lazarus was not a proud man
He was very humble
Lazarus worshiped God even though he had difficult circumstances,
He was known by God, and Abraham
Lazarus is an example of the poor in spirit
When we think of the poor,
we often think of those without money and material possessions
Some of the poor we think of as poor can still be haughty
That is why Jesus said “the poor in spirit”
The humble, those who consider themselves of little value or worth
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Philippians 2:3
This is against what we are taught in many senses
it is against humanism and worldly thoughts of pride and self-esteem
It does not mean that we do not value ourselves
It means that we value God above ourselves
and consider others better than ourselves
Just like the gospel, it goes against what we know, feel and have learned
Our sense of self is non-existent it is our life in Jesus’ hands,
doing what He has put us here to do that matters
That is against the natural man, our fleshly self
Many people are offended when the statement:
‘Without Him we can do nothing’ is spoken
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:
for without me ye can do nothing. John 15:5
There are other places in the bible that show our insignificance
That we are mere mortals, created in the image of God
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. Matthew 23:11
Apart from God, our efforts are futile
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. John 6:63a
They may gain us notoriety here on earth in the sight of man,
but to God, anything we do without Him is emptiness
let us not forget The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
A good thing to remember…that He is God and we are not:
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 1 Peter 1:24
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time: 1 Peter 2:6
That time may not be until when Jesus Christ returns
to repay every one for their deeds:
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me,
to give every man according as his work shall be. Revelation 22:12
Jesus washed the disciples’ feet
Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet.
Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. John 13:8
For I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;
but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt
to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3