One of the Beatitudes that I often skimmed over was Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Some may assume Jesus is just talking about the financially poor, but A.W. Tozer clarified this verse for me in "The Pursuit of God" (a simple yet excellent read that I would definitely recommend). Tozer explains that Jesus is referring to those who hold their material possessions loosely and have let go of the desire to gain more. He said this: "The blessed poor are no longer slaves to the tyranny of 'things'. They have broken the yoke of the oppressor, and this they have done not by fighting but by surrendering. Though free from all sense of possessing, they yet possess all things. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven." THIS is what Paul refers to when he says in Philippians 3:8, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things." Or the psalmist in 73:25 who simply gets it. "Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You." The poor in spirit surrender the pursuit of earthly treasure and release all sense of possessing belongings. In return, they share in God's kingdom and His glory. I love the paradox of letting go and essentially losing everything by the world's standards, but gaining more eternal treasure than we could even begin to imagine. And this is not to say that God will not grant you material blessings - on the contrary, He provides for His children in tangible ways, and does not wish to withhold good and perfect gifts from us. But the distinction to be made here is this: do we desire God or His gifts? Is He enough to satisfy and sustain Your soul? Is He number one in your life and in your heart? So often we hold 'things' close to our hearts and they become idols - even good intentions can become competitors with God in our priorities. However, when we return Jesus to His rightful place, first and center, the gift is love deeper than we can fathom and joy beyond compare. I'll share one more quote from Tozer, because his book is clearly anointed by the Father: "The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness. Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the sources of all things he has in one all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately, and forever." May we be consumed with the Creator of all things rather than with things created.
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