The Poor are my Brothers

I once was blind, I am beginning to see

Until very recently, the plight of the world's poor people was an "Ah, that's too bad," kind of thing to me. It not like I thought of poverty as a good thing, but it wasn't really of any real concern to me. Sure, I spent some time in the mid-80's in India and had some pangs of conscience when I saw widespread poverty up close, but even then, it was their problem, not mine. It was a nice gesture to give to those in need, and I did. I have supported several missions including a home for orphans faithfully for years. From time to time, Bev and I have shared our home with those in need. But... largely the poor were invisible to me, at least in terms of my Christian faith!

What I am confessing is this: I didn't really connect my daily life-style choices to the issue of world poverty. If I could afford something honestly and in keeping with practices of good stewardship, then I bought it. Why not? After all, I was faithful with my tithing and monitored my debt carefully. So, you might be saying, what's wrong with buying what we can afford? I am beginning to see as the Lord removes the consumerism cataracts from my spiritual eyes that the question is not 'what can I afford?' but 'what should I afford?'

It's an intensely personal question, but when we give account to the Lord of Glory, our answer will be on public display! I am becoming more and more convinced that rich American Christians will stand before Jesus quite ashamed of the ways we used our incredible wealth to make our lives ever more comfortable while children starved to death. I sometimes wonder if our national epidemic of obesity is actually a wake-up call from Heaven. Could God be using our fat bodies to show us the bloated state of our lives, weighed down with so many things that are so unnecessary?

Legalism is a real risk here! That's why I want to be careful not to point at the 'toys' owned by somebody else. It would wrong for me to set a limit on the size of the house you live in, or to tell you what kind of car is 'acceptable' as a means of transportation. I take seriously the declaration of the Scripture that with regard to those issues "each one will give account of himself to God." But I am not ashamed to poke at your heart and mind, painfully perhaps, so that you will consider with me what the Lord requires of each of us. Then, too, even as I write this, I know that there is hidden hypocrisy in my life- stewardship choices that are obviously wrong in my life, but which I cannot yet see because they are so close to me. But, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I am serious about becoming more aware of what He wants from me in this area of stewardship.

James is not subtle in his demand that we take the plight of the poor to heart. He writes, "Dear brothers and sisters, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone. Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, and you say, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” I say, “I can’t see your faith if you don’t have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds.”" (James 2:14-18, NLT)

Dear Believer, are you chasing 'the good life?' Then, let me ask you- "How are you defining that?"
Though you consume more, are you less satisfied with life?

The ancient prophet, Haggai, spoke to the people of God during a time of prosperity and called on them to make choices that honored their God. Read his words thoughtfully today and meditate on them through this day:
"And then a little later, God-of-the-Angel-Armies spoke out again: “Take a good, hard look at your life. Think it over. You have spent a lot of money, but you haven’t much to show for it. You keep filling your plates, but you never get filled up. You keep drinking and drinking and drinking, but you’re always thirsty. You put on layer after layer of clothes, but you can’t get warm. And the people who work for you, what are they getting out of it? Not much— a leaky, rusted-out bucket, that’s what.
That’s why God-of-the-Angel-Armies said: “Take a good, hard look at your life. Think it over.” Then God said: “Here’s what I want you to do: Climb into the hills and cut some timber. Bring it down and rebuild the Temple. Do it just for me. Honor me. You’ve had great ambitions for yourselves, but nothing has come of it. The little you have brought to my Temple I’ve blown away—there was nothing to it.
“And why?” (This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, remember.) “Because while you’ve run around, caught up with taking care of your own houses, my Home is in ruins." (Haggai 1:5-9, The Message)