Blessed are the poor in spirit...

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

I once had a teacher that shared she was so poor she couldn't pay attention.

Her remark would always make the class laugh. It's not so much what she said, but how she said these words. Most of us lived on farms and understood poverty in varying degrees.

As I have gotten older, and witnessed more, I can identify poverty on many different levels.

However, what does one who is poor in spirit look like?

Being rich in this world takes on many forms, but we are actually told that those who will enter the kingdom of heaven will be poor. I always try to see that what I do on earth impacts eternity. We are reminded to "store up our treasures in heaven."

This is really about being rich in our hearts. Often we discover that in order for us to be wealthy, our heart must shift. Working long hours, competing with others, and finding ways to get ahead is financially rewarded.

While these all help to prove our worth somehow among others, Jesus invites us just as we are to come and realize that without the presence of God in our life, then our life will somehow be left empty.

​Often the richer we are in things, the poorer our heart can appear. While I have seen many people do some amazing things with the wealth they have accumulated, often it is what they feel within that prompts them to share what they have.

The sermon on the mount for Jesus was really about inviting us to consider many things. It was meant to both challenge and reveal what God wants from us.

I am just grateful to know that God's grace is available to all who simply ask, and that God's kingdom is as well.

​"Be ye rich or poor," Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2019