*Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."* (KJV)
We have been talking about spiritual poverty and trying to grasp a glimpse of what it really means to be spiritually poor. Some people think that lacking material things is equal to spiritual poverty, but nothing is further from the truth. You can have nothing to your name materially and still be what we call *spiritually rich*; you can also have all that a man desires and still be spiritually poor.
One rich young man came to Jesus and bragged of how he was good at obeying the laws, and wanted to know what else he needed to do to enter the kingdom of heaven. Then, Jesus gave him just one test, which he failed miserably, Jesus told him to go and sell all he had, give everything to the poor then come and be his disciple. And the bible says that this young rich man went away a very troubled man, not because of anything else, *but because he was very rich*.
We are talking about clothing and we equated righteousness to a gown we are wearing after being washed by Jesus in His blood before He gives us a new cloth (of glory) in heaven. I told you that everything that happens physically has a spiritual bearing or connotation. We go to the bathroom, take a bath, wrap ourselves cum wipe ourselves with a towel as you apply your oils and body lotions and then go to wear our fresh clothes. It happens the same way spiritually, you are washed by the blood of Jesus, you are wrapped with righteousness and you dry up and are oiled (annointed) as you await glorification which is your fresh garment in heaven.
Them that He foreknew, He called, them that He called justified for them to be glorified (Romans 8:29).
*Hence, righteousness is a gown that you will one day exchange for glory.* In the beatitude, the same place where our lead scripture for this topic is, mentions righteousness twice. Verse six says that *Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.* Verse ten says that, *Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.*
The rich young man that came to Jesus was not ready to be persecuted for righteousness' sake, which means he was not hungry and thirsty for righteousness with extends to tell us that he was not poor in the spirit and conclusively points out why he was to miss the kingdom of heaven.
There are two phrases that should not confuse people, *the kingdom of God* and *the kingdom of heaven*. The kingdom of God appears 70 times in 68 verses of the new testament. While the kingdom of the heaven appears 33 times in 32 verses and ONLY in the book of Matthew. The Jews revered God so much that they termed it not right to keep mentioning His Name every where. And therefore, most of the times "heaven" would be used in the place of "God" to avoid familiarising the ear to the word. As familiarity breeds contempt.
I however do not entirely discard the revelation of some who have taught that these two phrases may mean two different things. That the kingdom of heaven represents the millenial kingdom, the 1000 years that Jesus will rule on earth with the devil locked up somewhere in hell. While the kingdom of God represents the universal kingdom, where God reigns supreme on angels, humans and spirits.
Any ways, that's besides my point. My point was on emphasising on righteousness. Yesterday we said that *righteousness is a white gown* that has to be washed in the mercies of God possibly every morning.
And as we are continuing in our pursuit of spiritual poverty, we said that one characteristic of Poverty is lack of many clothes.
And with righteousness as our cloth, we need to know that it is our one and only cloth.
I have never had just one cloth, but I have heard stories of people who came to the city or started life with just one set of clothes. And they would wash them at night and leave them to dry overnight, sleep naked, wake up and Wear the same clothes they had yesterday as if they were new. This is a true example of what a spiritually poor dude does with his or her righteousness.
They know it is the only clothe they have, to make the matters sweeter, it is white in color. Yet everyday they must look sharp and ready though they live in a dusty environment. They therefore must agree to be persecuted by cold overnight for righteousness' sake; as they wash their righteousness in the blood of Jesus.... naked ... can you picture that? Because they hunger and thirst for righteousness.... and they are poor, albeit spiritually, hence qualify to be heirs of the kingdom.
Let me end by saying this, one of my son's asked me, "Why does God let Christians to be poor?"
I told Him that God does not let any Christian to be poor. Any Christian that is poor is poor either by choice or is impoverished by poor choices. Paul says that Jesus became poor so that we may be rich! Any Christian that is poor needs to recheck which Jesus they are following, because the one I am following, became poor so that I may become rich.
But we are made rich physically only if we can prove that by so doing, we will become poor spiritually. And this is the test that the young rich man failed.
One of the reason that we have poor Christians is because they are yet to prove that their hunger for righteousness surpasses their hunger for wealth. Almost everybody is betting nowadays, right? Just ask one, "What would you do if you win the jackpot?" The closest to God will tell you they will give God a tithe and use the rest on themselves. And they will feel very proud to have said so, in other words, if God Blessed you immensely, *you are telling him ALL He can get from you is a mere TEN PERCENT?????*
I can assure you without thinking twice, things might remain the same for a very long time. The people that God pulls from poverty are people like the widow, who said that all that remained was just enough for her and her son, yet she cooked for Elijah first bread. I can bet that she didn't sacrifice her son's bread, she sacrificed her own, and by so doing she knew of hunger no more.
People like Colgate, who started tithing ten per cent but ended up giving more than fifty per cent. Today you use their toothpaste don't you?
If any Christian is poor physically, it is either by choice, or they are impoverished by poor choices.
Let's pick up from here tomorrow.
Shalom and keep the faith.
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