The first beatitude says “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Jesus came to preach the gospel to the poor. The Poor have a special place in the heart of God. He is so attracted to the unattractive of this world, who have nothing to offer but their hearts.
The poor can teach us so much about the Kingdom of God, for it belongs to them in such a unique way. Listen to James 2:5, “Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”
Lately, I’ve been asking Jesus to give me more of the spirit of the poor, because I want to have the treasures of the poor. I want to be rich in faith like they are. I’m not poor. I’ve seen poor, but I have never been poor. According to the worlds standards, almost all of you who are reading this would be considered wealthy. I’m grateful on one hand for all the material favor I have as a westerner, but on the other hand, I know what a disadvantage spiritually it puts me in, and how dangerous it can be to my soul.
Thankfully, God has made a provision for those of us who aren’t poor. Thankfully He has widened the eye of the needle for us, so that we can pass through into the kingdom. How has He done that? He has done it by saying if you’ll just have the spirit of the poor, you can enjoy all the wonders of the kingdom.
I believe this is imperative to personal revival. The first treasure the poor have is DESPERATION. God is their only option. They have no back up plan that requires wealth: they have none. They are desperate for God and His touch. In the west, our external world is so comfortable that we aren’t desperate for spiritual things. Usually, it takes personal trauma to make us desperate for Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I want to live my life with the desperation of the poor for Jesus.