Blessed Poverty
Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20, NIV)
Are you poor? Compared to multi-million dollar sports contracts or the salaries of some entertainers, we might say we are poor. But compared to most of the people in the world, where wages can be only a few cents per hour, can we really say we are poor? If we are honest with ourselves, we must confess God has blessed us with many material blessings. Does that exclude us from the blessing Jesus spoke in today’s reading?
You’ve probably figured out by now that Jesus isn’t talking about the size of your or my bank account. No, He wants us to think of our spiritual debt. To gain entry to God’s kingdom, the admission price is one perfect life filled with doing God’s will and completely free of sin against His holy law. No selfishness, no greed, no lust, no hate toward others or anything else that bars our entry. When we compare what we truly owe God to what we can bring, the debt is indeed crushing.
When we admit our poverty and look to Christ for help, a marvelous transaction occurs. Paul says it this way: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:9, NIV) Jesus’ death paid our debt and now we get the benefit of His perfect life. We say with the hymn writer, “Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling!”
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: Does the amount (or lack) or our material possessions have any correlation to God's love for us (in other words, is it true that if we have a lot, God loves us a lot, or that if we have little God only loves us a litte)? How does our attitude toward earthly possessions change when we have a better understanding for our natural spiritual condition and God's grace?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Ask God to forgive us for the times we've complained about the earthly blessings he's given us or withheld from us. Thank God for sending his most precious possession, his one and only Son, so that he could possess us forever. Ask God for wisdom in managing and using your earthly possessions.