Why did Jesus say that the road to happiness begins with poverty? Given the choice between being rich or poor we are going to choose rich every time. Our idea of poverty almost always focuses on the lack of money and material stuff. But Jesus spoke of another kind of poverty, a poverty of the spirit which has far more eternal consequences than does material poverty. Those who want to find the best that God has for them on this earth, abundant life, and those who want to find the best forever, heaven, are those who know they need God and trust their lives to him. The poverty which leads to the best is the realization that, though we possess all things, without God all our things are nothing. We are ‘stuffed’ to death. We have a lot of stuff. But stuff can’t save you, satisfy you or sustain you. Only Jesus can save you, satisfy you, and sustain you forever. Blessed are those who know that. The rich young man let his stuff get in the way of following Jesus. What is God asking you to give up in order to be all in for Jesus?
– Dr. Tim Thompson