“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3, NKJV).
Radical Living - Part 002: Radical Poverty
There is nothing more offensive than a prideful Christian. Well maybe rotting, smelly organic material in a closed room with no ventilation tops that, but it's a close call in my mind. A well-taught Christian, KNOWS his or her true state, and that whatever that is good about him or her is from the Lord. To behave otherwise is self-delusion.
Poverty of spirit is necessary first in order to come to the Lord in belief, and then in order to walk with Him as a humble, obedient, loving servant. Prideful people never get saved until their pride is broken. And until pride is flushed away, no true blessing can occur. This is the first of what is known as the Beatitudes of Jesus' Mountain Discourse, and is perhaps the one that flies most in the face of modern Western culture, like a gritty sandstorm. It shatters our popular emphasis on self-love and self-esteem, and brings us to the most important prerequisite for being truly happy (which is what blessed, from the human perspective, means).
Unless and until we come to the sincere realization that we are miserable sinners condemned to eternal punishment, we will never seek a Savior. This is probably why the most fervent Christians you know are broken down and battered in some fashion. They have come to the end of themselves, and the trip downward has most likely not been pretty. I have concluded that the more haughty a person is prior to Christ, the more breaking they need before coming to Him. It stands to reason. Someone who thinks they're something doesn't look to be completely dependent on Someone else, and certainly would not willingly submit to being that Someone's humble servant. They are certainly resistant to believing they need to be saved in the first place. And it is their very resistance and insistence on self-reliance that is their greatest obstacle to receiving that free gift of eternal Heavenly life that is the greatest blessing imaginable.
I suppose it is possible to be prideful and still be Christian, but pride and Christianity worry me greatly. On the surface at least, a haughty Christ-follower is an oxymoron, a spiritual non sequitur, and logically discordant. It is like someone who is simultaneously dry and wet. It doesn't compute. I know the world often accuses believers of being haughty, but the world says and thinks a lot of dumb things. I also know a lot of professed Christians who look down upon other believers not in their class, so to speak. But I wonder about such people. Are they really saved? Do they really know what it took to save them? Do they understand the Cross of Christ and what His sacrifice says about our plight?
In my mind, it boils down to this: in order to be a recipient of the immeasurable gifts bestowed by Christ through faith in Him, and to become full-fledged citizens of His Kingdom, your spiritual hands and pockets have to be empty. You can't have a backpack stuffed with self-worth. You can't be full of yourself - otherwise their is no room for Him. Those with a haughty spirit are like those in the ancient church of Laodicea, “Because [they] say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’--and do not know that [they] are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--" (Revelation 3:17, NKJV).
Radical poverty of spirit is, in fact, the only pathway to eternal riches in Christ.
