Poor in Spirit.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Jesus

It's been a while since I've been in a christian bookstore...I really can't remember the last time. We have one of my favorite used bookstores right here in town so I rarely have to go anywhere else. But I can recall a sentiment regarding our vast access to resources and spiritual knowledge as a sign of God's blessing on our nation. It seems this sentiment did not come from Jesus.

Have all our self helps, translations, and nifty stuff changed anything? Maybe a bit but did we need it for change to come? No, of course not but it seems that God uses what is at hand. Paul tells us that creation tells us all we need to know-

"...what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Rom 1)

Need a new Bible? Buy a used one and give that extra $30 you saved to Wycliffe Bible Translators to fund a Bible for a people group that have none. Need advise? Turn to your community...ask your own pastor (he might just faint) instead of some famous guy that wrote an expensive book. Are you waiting for that perfect thing or amount to come along to make a ministry happen? Walk down any street and make a friend...it's free, simple and the only thing that does anything.

You cannot buy the kingdom of heaven...you enter it by becoming poor in spirit. We'll never be poor in spirit until we get rid of all our spiritual wealth. Come back (Oh my soul) to the simplicity of the gospel and life in Jesus. He's all we need.