DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Heaven's Economy
by Judy Webb
“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: 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)
Years ago, when my daughter and husband were youth directors, they held a special event with the kids to teach the message that God does not play favorites. (James 2:5)
It was set up as game night, so the teens were expecting something different and fun. My husband Dave and I were enlisted to play a role in the evening. They had him play the part of a rich man—a high roller, and I was a homeless woman who just invaded the building looking for food and a place to rest. They had a make-up artist transform us to look our parts. The intent was to watch how the youth reacted to each character.
You can imagine how it might have gone down. The man with the flashy clothes and big personality gleaned lots of attention, especially from the teen boys. They followed him around and laughed at all his jokes and enjoyed his flamboyant personality. The homeless woman, on the other hand, was all but ignored. The kids seemed embarrassed that she was in the building and really didn’t know what to make of it. They were kind, especially the girls, but at a loss for how to interact with the woman.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
There are two kinds of poor: There are those who are poor economically, their earthly wealth is little, but they are still happy and often content. The early church was mostly made up of the poor.
“He raises the poor from up out of the dust, the needy from the trash heap.” (1 Samuel 2:8 Voice)
The other kind of poor is spiritually poor. The rich are often poor in faith as they trust in their riches instead of the Lord. God connects with them during the times of need, when they need more than wealth. That is when many are open to turning to God to help. God blesses those who willingly recognize their spiritual bankruptcy.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" (1 Samuel 16:7)
PRAYER
Dear Jesus,
Teach us to see everyone as you do. Help us to look beyond the nice clothing and fancy automobiles and see a real person. Show us the beauty in the plain, unassuming individual and give us wisdom to respect rich and poor alike. Amen.
