There is a very poetic set of blessings Jesus delivered that many Christians know as “The Beatitudes”. The first four are more on the positive side of the equation, and the second four describe more negative effects. The first positive beatitude says, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God“. Now, that’s what I call going from one extreme to the other. Don’t you?
Imagine living your life, here on Earth, struggling just to get enough food in the house. Barely meeting the most basic of needs. Never seeing the inside of anything larger than a boarding house room. Imagine yourself wearing the same clothes day after day. Imagine washing those clothes in the shower as you bathe. Every day presents itself as a challenge, but you never let your faith in Jesus falter.
Now, imagine finishing out your life…taking your last breath alone in your tiny room. Your eyes close, and your body expires. But at that very moment your eyes also open, and you find yourself in the presence of the Creator of all Heaven and Earth. You look into the face of the Lord you trusted, and He smiles and welcomes you into your new glorious home in His kingdom.
That “blessed are you poor” verse just got real. Right?
Imagine a joy so powerful in that moment that completely erases any bad memories of a life of poverty and struggle. You’ve just received your reward of eternal life. You’ve just gone from the very worst place to the very best. In the twinkling blink of an eye.
I’d like you to understand something, though, and that’s how Jesus doesn’t make anyone poor. He doesn’t create poor people or rich people. And He loves both. When He said, “blessed are you poor”, He wasn’t saying poverty is a blessed condition. He was giving hope. In this beatitude and in many other places He illustrated how a person’s broken spirit often leads to humility. And from that position they’re more likely to lean on and trust their Creator. And that’s when He can lift them up to the newness of eternal life.
If you’re rich…in worldly finances…it’s your human (flesh) nature to at least begin to believe more in yourself than an unseen Lord. Jesus knows that. And it’s why He said, “it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God“.
Sounds harsh on the surface. The truth often does.
But the truth of God’s Word always leads to something better. Something glorious. Something eternal. It leads to life. The lies of this world…don’t.
Before you go, share this link with everybody you know. Tell ‘em to jump on the The FunderFlash AND get some music and other fun stuff, for Fa-Ree.
Stay tuned,
