‘Blessed are the poor in spirit....’ MATTHEW 5:3 NKJV

For the next few days let’s look at the Beatitudes (what our attitudes should be). Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ Now, He wasn’t saying He’s against you having money, He was saying He’s against money having you. He will actually prosper you so that you can finance and fulfil His purposes in the earth. But He doesn’t measure the size of your faith by the size of your bank balance. In one of His parables Jesus called a wealthy man a ‘fool’. That wasn’t because the man was rich, it was because he wasn’t ‘rich toward God’ (Luke 12:21 NKJV). John D. Rockefeller once said: ‘I’ve made many millions but they brought me no real happiness. I’d barter them all for the days I sat on an office stool in Cleveland and counted myself rich on three dollars a week.’ Having more money may give you social status, but serving God gives you kingdom-significance. Big difference! So keep your focus on what matters and live for what lasts. In Kemi, Finland, they supposedly built a sprawling ice castle that featured a theatre, a playground, an art gallery and a chapel. The castle walls were 13 feet high and stretched for 1,650 feet. The chapel was a popular wedding venue and the theatre could seat 3,000 people. In it they held rock concerts, musicals, modern dance and opera recitals. The problem was, its upkeep cost millions of dollars, and it all melted in the spring. Are you getting the idea? Focus on what lasts, not on what doesn’t.

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2012