The Kingdom Of God Is Poverty

The Kingdom Of God Is Poverty 

No man seeks to be poor. Sustaining life is a constant challenge man has faced since creation. Through blessings and circumstances, many have reached great levels of comfort and wealth while others continually struggle with maintaining the basic needs. Man never desires poverty. Jesus uses the idea of poverty to declare the nature of His kingdom. To the multitude gathered on the mountain He says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The kind of poverty used by Jesus does not suggest one who is so poor he must struggle to exist but rather the poverty that declares a dependency upon others for support. The kingdom of God is about man having reliance upon the Creator.

Wealth has a way of making man believe more in himself than in God. This wealth can come from the material gain or from ones on pride. Regardless, to be part of the kingdom of God, man must empty himself and depend upon God for everything. To be “poor in spirit” requires the emptying of self for the acceptance of the Father. Later in the sermon on the mount, Jesus exhorts the multitude to lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21), serve only God (Matthew 6:24) and learn poverty of spirit by giving the heart solely to seeking the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:25-34).

To be poor in spirit is to have the heart of a child. Matthew 18:1-4 records, “The disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” Children understand the nature of spiritual poverty. They have hearts pure and innocent that depends upon others to take care of their needs. When we enter the kingdom of God, we are to empty our hearts of our pride and dependence of self to a willingness to accept the will of God in every way.

Those who submit themselves to the Father characterize the kingdom of God. Paul reminded the church at Corinth, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Corinthians 1:26). The church is not about the wisdom of man. The kingdom of God will not be for the glory of man. God has always required those who follow Him to submit their wills completely to Him and to Him alone. Poverty of spirit recognizes that without God, nothing can be done in life.

To be “poor in spirit” is to know that by God’s grace we have the blessings of this world. Whether great or small, all that we have is dependant upon God. Our hearts are not lifted up in pride but filled with the humility of trust we have in God. Paul writes of his own poverty: “Not that I complain of want; for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13). His poverty of spirit allowed him to sing in prison (Acts 16:25), declare righteousness and truth before kings (Acts 26) and have confidence in the crown of life that awaited him in death (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Our thanksgiving should abound for the blessings we enjoy. The opportunity to labor with our hands, enjoy a portion of health, find comfort in our homes and look to a bright future can only be measured by the poverty of spirit we find in the kingdom of God. The wise man said, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor” (Proverbs 29:23). May God enrich our lives with poverty of spirit. “Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (James 4:10).