Becoming Rich in Him

I have discovered at the root of most of the brokenness in the world is some form of poverty or lack.  This poverty takes many forms beyond simple financial poverty, there is relational poverty, lack of peace, lack of joy, lack of acceptance, poverty of dreams or vision, loss a father, poverty of solutions for problems in life, lack of healing, and of course physical poverty (lack of food, shelter, clothing).  In America while poverty is much more hidden by behind our financial and material abundance, there is still a place of poverty.  As one author said, "Sin hurts people" and it is the presence of sin that often interrupts the flow of resources from one person to another.

It is in this backdrop of a world full of poverty and need where the religious of the day were putting more rules on people but not addressing the root issues, that Jesus enters in.  Specifically, Jesus enters in through His first message known as the "Beatitudes", He begins with "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven."  This is so radical that I think we often miss it, this was a revolution because according to the religious of the day God preferred those who can measure up, handle it, and please Him by keeping over 600 laws and rules.  Jesus opened the floodgates to the poor and invited them into receive extravagant riches of the kingdom of heaven.  This would have been such an offense to the religious leaders of the day that there hatred and resentment for Jesus would have erupted like a volcano out of their souls.  This man was throwing up the doors of heaven for those who absolutely did not deserve to come in and should have been far from God.

The passage that has arrested my heart is in 2 Corinthians 8:9 when Paul says of Jesus, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."  There have been many times where I have experienced a deep sense of poverty, poverty of peace, joy, encouragement/hope, acceptance, rest, missing a father, lack of wisdom, lack of confidence, and lack of love.  Jesus entered into the poverty of humanity with it's orphan way of thinking and living but He did not look to the resources on the earth but to His Father and heaven's resources.  Jesus as the Son and member of the Holy Trinity knew the abundance of the riches of His Father in heaven.  In heaven there is no lack, only a continual stream of resources of kindness, love, provision, security, healing, life, and joy.  We are rich in Him, learning how to access the resources of heaven "in Christ" to generously manifest Father's love to an orphan planet.

Rich in Him,

Bret