This essay continues a sequence. Read the previous one here.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
— KJV, Matt 5:3
Perspective is everything…
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Who are the poor in spirit?
We can define “poverty” in various ways: relative vs absolute, material vs spiritual, etc.
Absolute material poverty means an inability to meet basic material needs e.g. food, clothing, and shelter.
Individual psychology provides another dimension of relative material poverty. The individual may qualify as poor (in absolute or relative terms) but may not view himself as such. That is, he does not identify as poor.
The Gospel of Matthew makes several references to the “Kingdom of Heaven”, whereas the other Gospels mostly refer to the “Kingdom of God”. These are not the same thing.
So as not to stray from the focus of this essay, we shall consider them as functionally equivalent for our purposes. Both of them refer to regions that are populated only by human spirits who live in harmony with the Will of God (ref. “The Spiritual Shapes the Material“).
Such harmony would be characterized by perfect peace and love. Logically, this means that the inhabitants of this kingdom embody these characteristics. It would make sense to call such human beings spiritually rich.
We, the inhabitants of Earth, have unleashed devastation on each other and on our natural environment. So we can safely say that we are not demonstrating the characteristics of inhabitants of the Kingdom of God.
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In short, virtually all of us are spiritually poor.
One who is absolutely destitute materially and who identifies as such will perpetually have his immediate needs on his mind – his next meal, where to lay his head, or how to clothe himself. He will seize any opportunity to satisfy these needs. He does not need to be reminded of his condition.
On the other hand, one who is absolutely destitute materially but does not identify as such may be mentally deranged.
While we are all spiritually destitute, not all of us are aware of or ready to accept this fact. Because of the spiritual “derangements” of vanity, spiritual laziness, or just plain materialism we refuse to identify as poor in spirit.
Christ’s Word is directed at those who identify as poor in spirit. Those who have become aware of our state of spiritual poverty and are evidencing all the signs of spiritual dissatisfaction.
Such people perpetually have spiritual growth and enlightenment on their minds, and they actively seize every opportunity to advance spiritually.
They are humble. They are not self-satisfied or conceited.
They do not place material goals above their striving towards God.
Such people are diligent in spiritual seeking, and are always open to attaining a higher level of understanding.
They do not assume that they “already know”; they are always striving for a better understanding of God’s Will.
So, the true recognition of poverty of spirit automatically leads to certain actions that lead to a harvest of spiritual maturity – humility, simplicity, peace, and love.
In the working of the Law of Attraction (ref. “A Law of Attraction“), this spiritual maturity will naturally grant such people admission into God’s Kingdom.
Today’s Resolution:
- We shall pray and work towards the great wisdom and power that lies in recognizing and seeking to overcome our poverty of spirit.
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