Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Mat 5:3)

My son asked me this question about being poor in spirit. I am overjoyed to hear such a question from a 10 year old. May he grow up as Jesus did, in wisdom and in stature; by 12 years old may he be able to astonish the wise by his answers at the critical age of growing into manhood. I learned that in the Jewish culture there is not such thing as a teenager but at 12 or 13 the girl or boy grows into a woman or man taking responsibility for his own actions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_Mitzvah_and_Bat_Mitzvah). I don’t think our God who called Israel to be the light of the world since Abraham intended for such a thing as the teenage years. That could be the reason why there are so much issues of teenage pregnancy, mischief, rebellion and other behaviors that cause parents so much heartache these days. May be live God’s way to understand that we train our children in the way they should go and we will not lose them to the world (Prov 22:6).

The poor in spirit are those who realize that their spiritual need to be fulfilled by non other than God. Most people, even Christians seek fulfillment in things that can be grasps in the physical therefore a success of a man or woman is found in their physical wealth. But our God looks at the heart and not the exterior values. In fact there is blessed-ness or happiness about those who are needy or seek spiritual riches where moth and rust don't destroy. Seek heavenly treasure and not earthly ones, for the former will last for eternity (Matt 6:19,20). We know that we are in danger of laying up earthly treasures when we start to yearn for physical things. Psalms 73:12 warns us that it is often that the ungodly prosper in the world as oppose to Luke 6:20 where Jesus raised His eyes and said that the poor are blessed for they receive the Kingdom of God. I suspect that these verses are not popular with the prosperity gospel preachers. God gives us power for making wealthy (Ecc 5:19), but if we trust in our richest more than God than we are in serious trouble.

Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
Pro 11:4

All of us today are considered rich as compared to the early church where most Christians were poor and some were even slaves who owned little or nothing at all. In our situation of living rich lives (good food on the table, change of clothes everyday, shelter, etc), we should remember that that we serve or worship a Living God and not riches (Matt 6:24). In other words, don’t be a slave of riches but as the Apostle Paul did to claim himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. This means that He knew and experienced the Lordship of Christ. We have to ask ourselves if He is Lord of our finances or not. Can we truthful say that we are more blessed to give than to receive?

Basically being poor means that we are in need. This is a good frame of mind (being poor in spirit) to be in need because this reflects our humility before God. For God resist the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

James 2:5 talks about the poor being rich in faith. He is saying that we that are willing to be contented physically (willing to live with lesser things) in whatever circumstances, will have much to gain in faith. Heb 11:6 talks about the impossibility to please God without faith. For He will personally reward those who come to Him knowing that there is no other save God alone that can satisfy our needy spirit. Realizing that there is no other source of fulfillment is the key to receiving from God. But our part is to be diligent is seeking God.

I personally believe that richest of heaven are many but it begins with firstly believing that He is (the only existing One, no other source will we seek); secondly to be in the state of realization that we need to be satisfied spiritually as our aim; thirdly that we need faith that pleases Him and lastly to be humble before God and man (for the meek shall inherit the earth and gain peace, Psa 37:11). Our journey to spiritual riches starts with these as our first steps.