Blessed are the poor…

Blessed are you who are poor in spirit, yours is the kingdom of God… (One of my favorite songs)Sounds like you need to not believe to enter the kingdom of God, but really that is not what Jesus is saying. Being poor is spirit is a reminder that none of us are worthy of God, and heaven is unattainable, unless we understand that we are not worthy.

It’s a statement of pure love, Jesus is telling us that He understands that we are human, that we are weak. He knows we will take the easy way out when ever we can. We all look for the easy way out, when ever we can, it’s in us to do so.

It is the exception to the rule to take the hard way.If you had a choice between working 2 hours and getting $100.00 and working 20 hours for the same $100.00 what would you choose? The 2 hours, and why not, it’s the same $200.00, and it’s easier.We are programed to look for the easy way.

Jesus tells us it is the hard way we must seek, for it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle then a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. So once again the poor have it easier.If Jesus telling us we need to be poor, have no money, no spirit? No. Not at all. What he is saying is we must use not let our money or our own self worth get in the way of God and his work in us.We can sometimes let our own needs and concerns get in the way of God’s needs and concerns.

We need to humble ourselves in the greatness of God. We need to understand that we are nothing with out God, and that even with all the money and everything that goes with it, we really have nothing with out God.

It is his blessings that we need to enter the Kingdom, not our own! We can not enter the kingdom with out Gods blessings, we do not have what it takes.So by acknowledge that we are poor in spirit, we are allowing God to enter in to your life, and allowing Him to give us the blessings we need to enter in to the kingdom of God.

So does that mean we have to turn down good paying job’s? Maybe if that is what God is calling us to. Mother Theresa was called to a life of poverty, but she had everything she needed, because she allowed God to work through her, but some are called to riches, so God can work through them.

Money in-of-it self is not evil, if it is God’s will that we have it. And poverty in-of-its self is not evil, if it is used to build the kingdom of God.

Jesus told us that we will always have the poor among us. Why would he say that, if the poor served no purpose to His kingdom?All we do has to be for the kingdom of God, and we need to humble ourselves to this fact. And in our weakness we need to understand this.

We need to know that it is only through God that we do anything.So blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God….

The next time you pray, don’t pray for riches, but rather pray for humility, the humility to know that with out God, you are poor of spirit.And in your spiritual poorness understand that God is blessing you, and he is setting a place for you at the heavenly banquet, a place of honor. For the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.

Mother Theresa should have a front row seat, let us all pray that we too will be invited.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God!Paul