When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
How many among us would like to be poor?
How many among us would like to starve to death?
How many among us want to live without clothes to wear or roof over your head?
Do we have a desire to control our lives, businesses or whatever?
Is there a desire to control things around us?
We often come up with the answer, absolutely not.
I don’t have any desire to control anything around.
One of my friends always asks me this questions and I always gives this answer.
I am not trying to control anything or anyone
There are four ways to look at the word poor:
1. As poor
2. Someone who has no influence, money or power
3. Because no influence downtrodden by others and oppressed by men
4. Because he has no earthly resources has completely put his trust in God.
How can we become a pilgrim in this world of tourists?
This is the beginning of discipleship. Namely:
” Trusting the foolishness of God in the death of Christ that brought salvation
” Trusting in a God who could not protect his own son but brought salvation
” Entrusting everything to God blindly like Jesus: into thy hands I commend my spirit
One day there was a wandering monk. He collected his bread and water from people, went around the villages, praying for people and slept under the trees. One day when he came to a village a poor villager came running up to him and said: ” Give me that stone. Give me the precious stone”
The holy man asked him what stone is he talking about? He continued, last night I had a dream and in my dream the Lord said, go to the holy man who sits at the outskirts of this village under a tree. Ask him for the precious stone and that will make me rich.
The holy man searched in his bag and pulled out a stone and said to himself, “He probably meant this one as he handed it over to the villager. I found it on the forest path a few days ago. You can certainly have it”. He looked at the stone and was amazed as it was the biggest diamond he had seen and it is worth millions in monitory value.
He took the diamond and walked away. He could not sleep all night thinking about the stone and all that would happen to the stone, the money that would come to him and on and on. In the morning he came back to the holy man and gave him back the stone and said, ” Give me the wealth that makes it possible for you to give this diamond away so easily”
This is the beauty of poverty in spirit. It is not the lack material wealth that a person poor. It is the awareness nothing on earth can make him rich and it is God who makes everything possible.
” The hope of the poor shall not perish for ever (Ps: 9: 18)
” God delivers the poor. (Ps: 35: 10)
” In thy goodness, O God, thou dids’t provide for the needy. (Ps: 68: 10)
” He shall defend the cause of the poor of the people (Psalm: 72: 4)
And on and on.
God is talking about a person who has put his or her entire trust in the Lord. Who has accepted divine will and God’s will.
There is a French proverb:
“When you die you carry in your clutched hand only what you gave away”
” Poverty in spirit is the awareness that I can not do anything with out God
” Poverty in spirit is the knowledge that I can not save myself.
” Poverty in spirit is the awareness that I can not push back my own grave to salvation
” Poverty in spirit is the knowledge that I am helpless and God is the helper
Therefore pray for contented mind. A man is blessed with what material possession he has but rather how happy he is with what God has blessed him with. When his or her heart is in God all around him becomes nothing but worthless objects as the precious and biggest diamond you carry within you is God himself.
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
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© 2007: Rev. Jos Tharakan. Requires permission to reproduce. Email: fathersjos at gmail.com