Poor In Spirit

As Olivia, a beautiful angel in heaven, walked toward the throne room, she was thinking about how much she loved to talk to Father God about things. Watching through a window in heaven, she would sometimes see something happen on earth that she didn’t really understand. Each time that happened she would ask Father God about it, and He would explain it so it made perfect sense. Today she had a question for Him.

“Good morning, Father God,” she said as she walked into His presence.

“Good morning,” He replied. “I am so happy you came to talk to Me again. What can I help you understand today?”

“Well, Father God, I was watching Jesus sitting on a hill and talking to a great crowd of people. He told them something I did not fully understand. Could You help me with it?”

“Of course, My child. What did you hear?”

“Jesus told them, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ What does that mean?”

“Olivia, when people talk about being poor, they usually are referring to their finances. Most of the time, when someone has a lot of financial wealth they do not feel like they need God. They believe they can get along just fine by themselves. They see themselves as self-sufficient and say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and do not know that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. That is why it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. It is a difficult thing for someone insulated by wealth to realize their desperate need for Me.”

“However, when a person is poor financially they realize they can’t make it by themselves. The more difficult life is for them, the more they learn to rely on Me.  The more they rely on Me, the more I can take care of them. Being poor is really a blessing in disguise because they will get to know Me so much more.”

“When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” He was not saying they should live in spiritual poverty, but they should live in spiritual humbleness. They need to be righteous as I am righteous, but understand that their righteousness is through Jesus and His sacrifice, not through themselves. Make no mistake though, I love every righteous thing they do. My bride, who is the church which is all the saints who love Me, shall be arrayed in linen, and that linen is all the righteous acts of the saints. “

“So you see, Olivia, to be poor in spirit does not mean to live in spiritual poverty. Quite the opposite. I want them to live in spiritual wealth, but they need to understand that the spiritual wealth is Mine, not theirs. Even if they could develop their own spiritual wealth, since they are born into sin, their spiritual wealth could not go on forever. Eventually it would run out. My spiritual wealth, however, will go on forever and will never run out. Because of that, anyone who relies on My spiritual wealth rather than their own will inherit the kingdom of heaven and live with Me forever.

“That is what it is to be poor in spirit. I want them to be righteous and yet be humble and turn to Me for spiritual wealth.”

Matthew 5:1-5, Luke 18:25, 1 John3:7, Revelation 3:17, Revelation 19:8