The richness of the poor

“Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbour as yourself," n you are doing right. 9 But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” (James 2:5-9 NIV)

Walking around the streets of Manilla the capital of the Philippines was an eye opening experience. Our hotel was comfortable and the food was plentiful. Outside adults and children were begging. Some people slept in cardboard boxes. At the traffic lights little children with big brown eyes would appear from nowhere pressing their faces up against the taxi windows. Just out of town a whole community lived on the local rubbish tip, “Smokey Mountain”. They would scavenge through the debris to scrape out a living.

Even though the experience was several years ago it continues to impact and challenge me. So, too did attending an outdoor Christian worship service. Forty thousand people attended. They sat and stood for six to ten hours in the middle of a typhoon, praising God and listening to teaching from the Bible. Many of them had little in the way of material wealth. But they were hungry for the truth and reality of Jesus Christ.

As my friends and I walked the streets we held our cameras and wallets close. Even McDonalds had multiple security guards with rifles. The wealthy lived in walled compounds to keep out the desperate and the dangerous. When the plane touched down in Sydney we breathed a sigh of relief to be “safe” again. The experience made me look at our materialistic culture very differently. We are so busy earning a living or maintaining our possessions. Consequently, we often have little time for God or other people.

The book of James asks a disturbing question to rich people like us,

“Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”(James 2:5)

Being poor is not necessarily a virtue. But being rich can be an obstacle to seeking God and putting him first in our lives.

Do you share God’s concern for the poor of our society and world? In what ways does living in a materialistic culture distract you from loving and serving God?