"Jesus was poor, so if I follow Him closely, I should struggle financially too."
How it sounds in your head: When I want a comfortable life or hope for vacation money, I feel like I'm betraying Jesus who had nowhere to lay His head. Maybe my financial stress is proof I'm truly surrendered. Maybe wanting more means I'm not crucified enough.
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."
-- 2 Corinthians 8:9Religion romanticized poverty by misreading Jesus's temporary earthly mission as the blueprint for believers under the New Covenant.
You've heard 'Jesus had no place to lay His head' used to guilt people out of wanting homes or stability. The church has made lack seem like a badge of honor instead of what Christ redeemed you FROM.
Joseph was a rich man and a disciple of Jesus—his wealth funded Jesus's burial in a private tomb. Jesus never told him to get rid of his resources; He used them for kingdom purposes.
I REFUSE the lie that following Jesus means financial struggle. IT IS WRITTEN: Though He was rich, He became poor so that through His poverty I might become RICH. Jesus didn't take poverty so I could stay in it—He took it so I could be FREE from it. The BARAK blessing flows through me as Abraham's seed. My Father commanded blessing on my storehouses, made me the head and not the tail. IT IS WRITTEN: No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. I walk in the wealth Jesus purchased, the abundance He died to give me. I am blessed coming in and going out.
The Father isn't waiting for you to prove you can live on less—He's already set the table with abundance, poured out the wine, prepared the feast. He took your poverty on the cross so He could dress you in riches without you earning a dime.