Tag Archives: Beatitudes

Where is Your Wealth?

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It’s an amazing gift of God’s grace for him to reveal our places of poverty – the places in our lives where our perspectives and priorities are out of line. Where our goals are the money and stuff of this world rather than the treasure unspeakable who is God himself. Places where we honor ourselves more than him.

I know that I do this often. Lord, help me to have a right perspective and heart in my life.

How often I think my priorities are more important than what God is doing! (Oh…I’m sure I could justify my “stuff” if I wanted to. But what’s the point – I can’t justify myself!). How often I look at my earthly wealth (such as it is) and think to myself, “I’m doing pretty well.”

The truth is, I am still living as though I am poor in the places that matter most. While God has given me a glorious inheritance in himself and in the saints, I fail to take hold of it. Lord, help me to have a right motivation and to take action.

What does the Bible say?

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Poverty is More than Money

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4227747526 95129b8a3e m Poverty is More than Money
Image by bfishadow via Flickr

Poverty is more than money.

For some of us, that might be a novel thought.

Poverty is about broken relationships

As citizens of one of the most financially affluent cultures of our time, I believe that we almost categorically understand poverty as a lack of “stuff” or the resources to have “stuff”.

But poverty goes much further than this – poverty is the expression of broken relationships:

  • Relationship with God
  • Relationship with ourselves
  • Relationships with each other
  • Relationships with creation/nature

Poverty’s message

Because it’s about broken relationships, poverty attacks our value as people, our very humanity as souls created in the image of God. Poverty says to us:

  • You’re not good enough. God doesn’t care about you.
  • You’re not important enough so it doesn’t matter what you do.
  • You have to look out for yourself even if you must take advantage of others.
  • Don’t worry about it, you don’t have to take care of the earth.
  • You can’t ever provide for your needs. Don’t even try.
  • Whatever happens is just fate.
  • It’ll never get better, so just fill your life with diversions.

Taking a look

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Poverty of Faith Leads to Blessing

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As we enter the new year, I would like to challenge you to make sure you are doing some spiritual exercises so that you grow in your faith:

  • Read the Bible
  • Spend time in Prayer and Worship
  • Spend time with other followers of Jesus
  • Share your faith and Serve others

If you’ve never read the entire Bible, I would recommend that you do it this year. I’m reading through the Bible on YouVersion.com this year. For the plan I’m using, click here. It’ll get you through the Bible in a year (if you follow it) and has some “grace space” built in so that if you miss a day, you can catch up.

That said, if you haven’t spent any time in the Bible today, consider meditating on the passage below. Ask God what he’s saying and how you can be a part of his plan.

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Lord, God, may you grant us the grace to see our own poverty – in resource, in belief, in grace, and in humility – so that we may exchange it for the treasure that is you.

Until next time…

Poverty of Faith Leads to Blessing