Today, I understood the Biblical meaning of the word, “poor” referring to the description of God’s people in the book of Zephaniah 3:12. From the Bible commentary, those who wait for God are called poor. It is not merely a question of being economically poor but rather having the attitude of those who have nothing and are open to receive everything from God.
Yes, I’d rather be poor in this sense because it means that God plays an important role in my life and I am beholden to no one for the graces that I receive and that I am nothing without His grace.
What does God require from us? Micah 6:8 writes, “You have been told, O man, what is good and what Yahweh requires of you: to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” The devotional of Blackaby explains that being just, doesn’t only mean that we desire to receive justice, we must also be absolutely just in treating others. It means that if we give our word, we give it with complete integrity and we treat the people who are working for us just as Jesus would have treated them.
To love mercy is to know that having received undeserved mercy from God should motivate us to be merciful to others. Retaliation against those who have wronged us should be resisted because God is always merciful to everyone.
Walking humbly with God means that He doesn’t ask for spectacular acts of service, He just asks for humility. Humility in what I have, what I have achieved because everything comes from God. For without Him, I am nothing.
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