Contending for the Riches of His Grace?

What are we contending for? God is our inheritance. He asks daily, Do you love me more than…? Too often, we must say, my heart is not seeking You as I ought.

I have not sought Thee as I ought, alas the duties left undone.

Sometimes we see the things of earth as excesses, and they certainly are. But more, It is our acceptance of ourselves. Self sufficiency, I don’t need You, Lord, we say, by our experiences. Do we own the kingdom of Heaven? Blessed are the poor in spirit. Are we willing to become poor in spirit as we are to buy that new car? I need a car. I need the kingdom of Heaven, far more. Jesus said, the rich man, with Lazarus, gave and gave, but didn’t see that His soul was bankrupt in Heaven. He may have even given “alms”. But not to the need that he could see, in front of him. He said, my brothers won’t get this, Lord. They won’t see the priority, on account of their religion is blinding them, let me translate it to them. He longed for this more than for the water from Lazarus’ hand. There were a bunch of dogs licking somebody’s wounds that he had passed and it was too much for him to see and help that need.

The least of us, helped by the most of us. Our precious Governor stated in the wake of the hurricane.

-a spiritual application is: I can’t be worthy of heaven, Lord, I am a beggar on the earth. Trusting in God, for worthiness, makes us worthy. Christ’s righteousness is the only hope, not our own. God proves this in my life, everyday and everyday, I fail.

I want to own my own righteousness. I want to depend on my own sufficiency. Sell all your sufficiency, it is worth nothing. Even your mental acumen, even your money and hopes for such. Even your children and glory in your own good works. None of these are a down payment on the mortgage of the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are the poor in spirit. I have to loathe my own good works? Let me stop thinking that I am better than Lazarus, that he should get me water from Abraham’s bosom. God, isn’t Lazarus your slave? He was a beggar? Jesus shows us, through the rich man, that the reasoning is very acute in Hell. You mean I owned Hell, all the while I was on earth, he thought. Hell was wrapped up in his self sufficiency. He was able to see that.

I have not loved Thee as I ought, Nor cared that I am loved by Thee. … Lord, give us grace and give us might, for Thee to toil, for Thee to fight!

When shall we know Thee as we ought…

I may not own my house on earth. I spent my time and attention and life insurance in other places and for other things. But, if I own the grace of God, through Christ's sacrifice and the kingdom of Heaven, I am richer than the richest queen. Tiarras on your head, is not soul insurance, unless it is mixed with compassion and loathing of sin. Poverty is no guarantee of heaven unless it is linked with the embracing of the riches of Christ and His righteousness as all. God knows our hearts.