Thursday, September 15, 2005
Are You Poor?
Evangelical Outpost reposted a piece he did on poverty the other day that was just outstanding. I want to borrow a couple of points form him and make one of my own.
The final point that I want to make is that in God's eyes we are all poor. Stop, I mean really stop and think about who God is, what He has done and the power He has. If you are not finding yourself unable to comprehend it, you are not doing it right. By God's standards we have nothing -- NOTHING. Even if we hold the whole planet in our hands -- He holds the universe. Our planet disappears on that scale. When we talk about reaching out to the poor it is important to remember that we are not bending over somehow, we are just helping someone else in the club.
But while being poor can be difficult, it isn?t the tragedy that many might be inclined to believe. From an early age I knew that while many people had more than I did, others had it much, much worse. That lesson was seared into my conscience while sitting in a pew watching Baptist missionaries present a slideshow detailing their latest mission trip. The images of true poverty gave our tiny congregation a glimpse into the everyday life in Ethiopia, a time of famine when a bucket of unshelled peanuts would be considered a feast. I was struck by the realization that as little as we had, these people had less. I was white-trash Texas poor; these people were Africa poor.Isn't the essential issue here not one of poverty, but of self-absorption, selfishness and even a tad bit of idolatry? Gratitude is also an important issue. The next essential point that Joe makes is devestating
The fact that the government has to have a ?safety net? to catch those who would slip between the cracks of our economic system is evidence that Christians fail to do God?s work. The government cannot take the place of Christian charity. A loving embrace isn?t given with food stamps. The care of a community isn?t provided with government housing. The face of our Creator can?t be seen on a welfare voucher. What the poor need is not another government program but Christians who are willing to honor their savior.One of the reasons I am a political conservative is that I want the government to get out of my way! Come on, admit it -- what have you hesitated to do to help the victims of Katrina because you did not want to interfere with the government? I have a pretty lengthy list that I am regretting not doing more every day.
The final point that I want to make is that in God's eyes we are all poor. Stop, I mean really stop and think about who God is, what He has done and the power He has. If you are not finding yourself unable to comprehend it, you are not doing it right. By God's standards we have nothing -- NOTHING. Even if we hold the whole planet in our hands -- He holds the universe. Our planet disappears on that scale. When we talk about reaching out to the poor it is important to remember that we are not bending over somehow, we are just helping someone else in the club.
