LET THE POOR SAY I AM RICH!

To be poor means that sometimes we have to be poor in finances.  God, in His infinite wisdom, will sometimes place us in that position in order to bless us. No? Okay, what if you found yourself in that position anyway?? You may learn that this statement is not as bad as you first believed, when God shows up, shows off, and shows out!

To be at the point that you don’t believe that God exists, is also part of being “poor”. This is the most excruciating dilemma to experience, even if one has known God to be real before. Some believe the lies of the adversary, the enemy, the devil, as he likes throwing shadows at us and stating repeatedly that “There is no God, why believe in things you cannot see?” Agnostics, I have had the opportunity to know, question God’s existence because of the state of the world and they ask how God could allow such things as murder, rape, and all the rest to happen.

But the same enemy that lures the lost into these sins is the one who blames God, but you knew that, I’m sure. We have an adversary, and often he is about making himself loom large and trying to put God in a box or to phase Him out altogether! Our adversary is very angry and will stop at nothing (which God will allow)to take as many of us to hell with him in end times as possible! This is one that the devil uses on our young people, who are still tender shoots, reaching up from the soil in which they are planted, seeking…not sure of  just what as yet, but indeed, seeking. 

Even children raised in the church, yes, even those of the most devout households, begin to question the existence of God whenever life and hardship, volatile situations and emotional upheaval begin in their lives…much like some of us, until God revealed Himself, amen? This is why it is so important to instill in our children the true grace and mercy of God, not the harshest of discipline, unbending religion, lovelessness that our youth sometimes do not understand. The Bible advises us not to spare the rod, but it also says not to provoke our children to wrath, so that they become discouraged. (Colossians 3:21; Ephesians 6:4) In short, love them like Jesus did—with sincerity, concern and goodwill; this will show them the love of Christ.

Be assured, God will always be greater than our adversary! And He cannot be contained and will not be trampled upon! He is THE Mighty King of All the UNIVERSE!

 Often those of means and great privilege can be poor in spirit, and some will even say that they feel that they are “going through the motions”. Money or the lack of it doesn’t necessarily have to put us in that situation; the Pharisees and Sadducees also found themselves buried in their traditions and customs. But any well-to-do individual should know that their many blessings stem from the Creator of all the Universe. There are those who know God is the one who has given them the increase. One would be omitting a very important statistic if that were not mentioned, here. In fact, I believe that there are many Christian believers who attribute all their prosperity to God…these, too are truly blessed.   

When you are poor in finances, and there is no one who can help you (take our present economy, for instance), God is able to step in and prove to us that He alone is our Provider; He alone can make a provision. He’s proven that many times to me.  (That’s when God proves to be our HERO!) He does this without my asking sometimes, but sometimes I have to ask. Because, the Bible says both are the case: “He knows what we have need of even before we ask”, and “We have not because we ask not”.   

The Bible says that we are kings and priests…but none of us own anything…many people of God are speaking a prosperity message, and although His love can extend to us in financial areas, some of us are special, in that God strengthens our faith in ways that they have never fathomed—through poverty! “It’s gonna have to be God” is a song that Karen Peck and New River sing, and this is an example of such a concept.

The bible speaks of having all we want, but owning nothing; of being “in this world”, but not “of it”. Matthew 10:37-39 supports the premise that we are to love God more than family, and more than our own lives.  When you are at the point that you cannot move and shake, wheel and deal, God can! He made the ravens feed the prophet, ( 1 Kings, 17:19) He can surely feed us, who have fallen on hard times.   

The Bible says to seek the kingdom of God first, and all these “things” shall be added unto us. Things like faith, hope, and love! This applies to things that “money just can’t buy”, too.

“A Christian who owns nothing is dangerous to the devil. He is able to go wherever God wants him to go. He is able to take any chance because he is not afraid of losing anything. He is completely able to drop what he is doing to follow hard after God.

Such is not the case of many Christians. They are hampered by what they own. They are afraid of losing the security their jobs give so they refuse to take the profession to which He has called. They are afraid of alienating their children so they refuse to go to the mission field. They want to have a new car so they borrow until they can't possibly tithe. Each thing they own ties them down. They have been made impotent with their possessions.” –“Having everything, owning Nothing”, by Prentis

The rich young ruler was not able to let go of his many possessions. He had the legalistic approach down pat; he had followed the law and had done quite well for himself. He had such love for his wealth that he could not grasp the great importance and incredible peace of following Christ and dedicating his life to His service. To him it was a sacrifice too great to make, because the Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing. Pastor Tom says it’s like trying to tell a person what 7Up tastes like when that person has never tasted it before; it cannot be described. Salvation is a wonderful, beautiful experience! Grace! That’s still the great, freedom-building tool of Christ to enable us to love one another with no bounds. And the possessions of this man hindered him and finally saddened him, for he realized the importance he had placed upon material things.

Finally, being poor in spirit can also mean that you have “poured out” all of the wine that God has poured into you in Ministering to the saints and bringing sinners to Christ, and you need to be “ministered to”, or “poured back into”. The wine is the love of Christ. Keith Green put it, “My flesh is tired of seeking God, but on my knees I’ll stay…I want to be a pleasing child, until that final day.”

Being poor in spirit is when we have been broken by our life’s experiences. By reaching down to help our fellow brothers or sisters up repeatedly, some of us have become ‘threadbare’ in the battle that has been waging for the souls of the lost. The maintenance of and ministering to the Saints can suck the spirit out of  Preacher, teacher, and soul-winner… if you let it.  In cases like this, we need to retreat, regroup, and pour our efforts into the Word of God, and spend much time on our knees, in intimate contact with the Maker of the Universe. And attending Church with fellow believers is very important, in that our spirits can be rejuvenated and we may find times of refreshing. Also, some prayer for your Pastor and Sister and Brother in Christ can help them to be encouraged, given strength and renewed faith. Be an impartation of GRACE to those who need God.