xjwsforChrist

May you have peace!


Tonight I was discussing the passage about how it is 'easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven', in relation to the rich man who had wanted to know what he must do to inherit eternal life, and what he still lacked after Christ gave him the truth in answer. (Matt 19:16-24)

Now, I have understood the meaning that the rich man did not love Christ enough to do as Christ said. He was tied to his wealth, he loved his wealth MORE, because he chose his wealth OVER Christ; which in truth should have showed him what he lacked. He turned away sad... but he still turned away.

I do not say any of this in judgment of the man... not at all. Nor do I know what he might have done later, and that is all between him and Christ, and God.

But while I have understood the lesson that if one loves something more than Christ, then that something will stand between them and Christ... tonight, as I read this passage aloud, I heard something more. Something that surpassed the physical riches (money, property, etc). Because when Christ said,

"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter teh kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."


And when I read that, I heard that this 'rich man' refers to those who say and believe that they are rich... in spirit.

If one believes himself to be rich in spirit... then why would that one ask for anything more? If he does not think that he needs anything, why would he ask for something that he does not believe he needs?


"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear,, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see." Rev 3:17-18


A man who believes himself to be rich... cannot see that he is poor; or that he needs to buy from Christ (asking for holy spirit, for life, for eyes to see, for clothes to cover his nakedness, etc, etc). So he remains poor, thinking himself rich. Or he remains naked, thinking himself clothed.

But:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit... for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (matt 5:3)

If someone knows/sees that they are lacking... that they are poor and wretched and blind and naked... then they can ask for what it is that they ARE lacking IN. They can ask and: be covered where they need covering. Forgiven where they need forgiving. Be given eyes to see; and ears to hear... and they can seek and take the water of life, holy spirit, that Christ received without end from his Father, and that He can give to whomever HE wishes.


I had not thought of this in connection to this passage about the rich man before. But my Lord told me when I read it earlier tonight, and so I am sharing with you.

Peace to you, and may you be granted ears to hear as the Spirit and the Bride say to YOU, "Come! TAKE the free gift of the water of life!"
Your sister and servant, and a fellow slave of Christ,
tammy

IF someone knows/sees they are lacking, dear tec (peace to you, luv!). Therein lies the rub. Because most believe... by means of what they possess in THIS world, whether it be wealth, or beauty, or stature, or "intelligence," that "don't need anything." And so, as you pointed out, they may BE rich... in this world... and so THINK they're rich IN SPIRIT... and so don't need anything... but don't SEE that in TRUTH, they are actually naked and blind and miserable and pitiable. Most of these think he means someone else.

As you state, Christ isn't looking for/calling the rich in spirit, however. He is looking for/calling the POOR in spirit... so that he can GIvE them (holy) spirit... and MAKE them rich. Him, not they themselves. He didn't come (into this world) to call righteous people... or the "rich" (in spirit)... but sinners (the "poor" in spirit - those broken down, overloaded, and destitute in spirit... BECAUSE of their sins... which THEY know about, not hide).

It can be a rude awakening to find that one IS naked, blind, miserable, pitiable. It was for me. BUT... better to be awakened NOW... and see these things NOW... so as to KNOW that one needs to buy clothes, and eyesalve, and gold, etc., from Christ, so as to BECOME rich... SPIRITUALLY... than to find oneself awakened... and he's gone on into the marriage feast and the Door has been closed.

WONDERFUL post, dear sister. Thank you for sharing that!

Peace to you!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shel

I never thought of that scriptures meaning other than the literal rich. Excellent post and thanks for sharing.
I am learning a lot from your girls. I am still floundering with my spirit and being poor in it and trying to open my heart to this. So far my mind is open to it but my heart is still being stubborn.

Sometimes we have been taught something by our Master and later we forget about it.
I needed this reminder.
Thank you Tammy and shel.

FinalCall

Good morning,

I would like to say thank you Tammy for sharing from our Lord the conversation you had.
And yes it was a wonderful reminder for me as well.

It is wonderful isn't it when we are truly listening when our Lord shows us that all the physical fulfillments ALWAYS will have a spiritual fulfillment as well. We just have to have our hearts open to it and listening to our Lord who is the Holy Spirit that shares these truths and sacred secrets with us.

Love and peace to you as well, your sister and fellow slave of Christ, Kim

All of this sheds more light on folks like Abraham, Isaac, jacob, Moses, and others (peace to you, all!).

All of these were rich, in a material way. Some, very much. BUT they were ALL... POOR... in SPIRIT. They weren't haughty or self-assuming, thinking they were something (when in truth THEY were nothing, as ALL they had was GIVEN them... and so could just as easily be taken away).

But they humbled themselves before JAH and HE made them rich. Materially, yes, but even MORE so SPIRITUALLY. As it says of Moses:

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He CHOSE to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible..." Hebrews 11:24-28

JAH had made Moses (and Abraham, etc.) VERY rich; yet, these all chose to SUFFER... by living in tents, by being hunted by Pharaoh, by wandering in the wilderness, etc., FOR CHRIST... rather than to keep their attention on the comforts of life, and what wealth could bring them. They considered suffering FOR Christ... being disgraced FOR him... as riches FAR, FAR more valuable than any earthly possessions.

They could do this because they RECOGNIZED that JUST as He had made them rich in the FLESH... ONLY He could make them rich IN SPIRIT. That they were NOT rich in this way ON THEIR OWN... but NEEDED Him to make it so. And so they HUMBLED themselves before Him... and did what HE said, said what HE told them to say, went where HE led them... and in doing so BECAME rich, in a MUCH more surpassing way! NOT just as heirs to His kingdom... but these have been granted to be among the "24 elders!"

And... OMG... I just heard from my dear Lord why there is such a group, such "24 elders"!!!

Dear ones, the Apostles are granted to sit on thrones with our dear Lord and judge... the 12 tribes of Israel! ALL who enter into the kingdom are of these tribes, having joined themselves TO the TRUE Israel... and having entered through one of the 12 gates which are named FOR each of the Apostles. The only ones who don't go through such gates are those... who enter through Christ. These, too, sit on thrones and rule with Christ... over ALL mankind.

BUT there are those who are not subject to such rule. 24 persons. Neither the Apostles NOR the other members of the Body of Christ have authority to judge/rule over these 24 "older" ones! They are in the kingdom but OUTSIDE of that arrangement! Not higher (because they don't judge/rule over anyone), but in a DIFFERENT "favored" position, equal to (in favor) but not "under" that rulership!

Because what Apostle could judge Abraham? Or Moses? Or David? None. Because these, Abraham, David, Moses... all PROVED their faith before the Son ever CAME. He did not have to come in the flesh for them to put faith in him! They are the FORERUNNERS of those who are "happy" yet did NOT see. Yes, even Moses, who was given a glimpse of JAH's glory. He had an actual manifestation but he showed his faith even before that. Because he FIRST responded to the VOICE.

As did Abraham, when told to leave Ur. And David, who slew Goliath. And others who NEVER WAVERED in their faith, no matter the circumstances. Whether they were asked to sacrifice their OWN son... or face the king of the world (Pharaoh). They RECOGNIZED that they were poor IN SPIRIT... and so humbly asked, received, and well-regarded what they received. They did not puff themselves up... but glorified JAH... as the One making them rich IN SPIRIT.

So, a man can be rich in this world, literally, yet poor in spirit. He can THINK himself rich in spirit, but as our dear Lord said and dear tec quoted (peace, luv!):

"You SAY you are rich and so don't need ANYTHING, but YOU DO NOT KNOW, you are naked... and blind... and miserable... and pitiable."

They don't know because they are fooling themselves. They are fooling themselves... BECAUSE they are blind... and haughty. And SELF-assuming. But we are, ALL of us, naked, blind, miserable, pitiable. ALL of us... until we are clothed by Christ... have our eyes opened... by Christ... healed... by Christ... and lifted UP... by Christ. And possessing ALL the riches of the WORLD won't change that TRUTH.

As our dear Lord said:

"What profit a man if he gains the WHOLE world... but LOSES his soul (spirit; everlasting life)?"

The rich... NOT meaning those who have material possession (because did not our dear Lord personally call Zacchaeus??), but those who BELIEVE they are rich IN SPIRIT... are having their reward IN FULL... NOW. Because they THINK they've ALREADY inherited the kingdom! Some have even begun "ruling," sitting in judgment of others, calling down evil, putting folks (back) under (the Old) Law, etc. Deciding FOR Christ and AS TO such ones whether they'll get into the kingdom or not! Even though Christ himself invited even "evildoers" and adulterers and more! And even though the Door that is Christ has NOT yet been shut!

We are... all of us... naked, blind, miserable, and pitiable. WITHOUT proper clothing, WITHOUT true sight, DEAD, and to be pitied. Every last human being that has ever lived. Except... Christ. And it is ONLY though bowing DOWN before him, so as to bow down before JAH... which we do when we HUMBLE ourselves before him... RECOGNIZE Who... and WHAT he is... so as to LISTEN to and OBEY him... and so KISS HIM... that we can overcome this.

And, to the extent we do so to the least of his brothers... we do so to him. To the extent we don't... well, you dear ones know the saying.

It's can be difficult, yes, even hard, to humble ourselves. Certainly before other humans, but even more before an entity we can't see. Which is why we must (learn to) LISTEN. Because by LISTENING... we are GUIDED... to the point where we CAN see him. Where he CAN show himself... plainly... to us. Even so, his doing so doesn't make us SOMETHING; it makes us LESS than something. Because it makes us SERVANTS of ALL others. And good for nothing servants, at that.

Which can be a hard place to be, at least in THIS world, everyone else's servant. THIS world tells us to raise UP... ABOVE everyone else. NOT lower ourselves... beneath everyone else's feet. But... that is what it takes, dear ones. To be POOR in spirit. LOWLY... in HEART.

Because it is that kind of spirit, the poor one, to which the MOST HOLY One of Israel, JAH of Armies, says, through His Son and Christ, the HOLY One of Israel and Holy Spirit, JAHESHUA, the Chosen One of JAH (MischaJah), either through his angel or directly:

"Come UP... HERE."

If we seat ourselves down front, we MIGHT be asked to get up and give another our seat:

"When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 'When someone invites you to a wedding feast do not take the place of honor for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 14:7-11

If, then, we take a seat in the back, not just SAY we've done so, so as to sound "good"... but actually DO so... and at the FAR end of the table, where the LOWLIEST sit... we MIGHT find ourselves among those asked TO move up... and take a seat down front. A seat someone else may have been asked to vacate.

Peace... and much of it... to you ALL!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shellamar

Wow! Thanks for sharing that, Tammy and Shelby. Yes, it explains why there COULD be some rich ones that were in God's favor, even though he had told that rich man to sell all his belongings. That was always a real poser.

And then, to find out more about the 24 elders, which has always been a complete mystery to me, is almost overwhelming. My spirit bears witness with all you received. This is very exciting.

I've been pondering this particular account for some time. I wondered about myself if I could give up all my "riches" and "give to the poor". I had taken that literally. I don't have tons of "riches", to be sure, but I'm not exactly destitute, either. Growing up, the WTBTS frowned upon planning for retirement and such, so I never concerned myself with such things... that is, until my parents approached retirement age with very little to show for it. I fell into a good thing financially a few years back that enabled me to save up a little bit of money, but not even close to what would be needed for retirement. But that little bit, my "nest egg", is what I wondered if I could give up, especially since it took so long to save up in the first place. I still wonder.

But enough about me... this was a good thing you both shared. Before Christ said that about a rich man, he said this TO a rich man:
One thing is missing about you: Go, sell what things you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come be my follower.
This is what leads us to view this as literal riches, yes? Certainly, Christ wasn't telling the man to sell his spiritual riches, was he? Is that even possible?

I'm so sorry Leaving. I forgot all about this:




Yes, he did.



I guess that is what leads most to view this as literal riches, and in this verse and to that man, I would guess the same.



Well, I don't think He was referring to spiritual riches in that particular instance, no. It might be possible to DO... (not sure how)... but I don't know how it could be a good thing!




My Lord is, however, reminding me now of 'talents' that one is given to spend. What we have received for FREE (as everything that he gives to us IS free- be that a gift of the spirit, or truth, or revelation, or love, or mercy, or forgiveness, etc)... we must give for free. Not sell it for our own profit, but give it... to any and all He tells us TO give such things TO. Love, to everyone, as He has said (which includes mercy and forgiveness)

So while we don't sell what we are given, we do GIVE (spend) what we are given (referring to the gifts or truths as mentioned above). The more we spend, the more we show that we are able to receive more and spend again.


Peace to you,
your sister, and servant, and fellow slave of Christ,
tammy

"You SAY, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not REALIZE that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from ME gold refined in the fire, so you can BECOME rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see."Revelation 3:17, 18

It wasn't about the man selling his physical belongings, dear LQ (peace to you, luv!). It was about what he THOUGHT he had... and so where his HEART "was."

Matthew 6:19-21

Someone with one cup and one spoon can STILL be SO attached to them that they cannot leave them and follow Christ. They cannot let go... because their HEART loves that cup and spoon MORE than it loves Christ. And so one slaves for THEM. One cannot slave, though, for more than one master.

I hope this helps!

Peace to you!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shellamar