Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters; did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” James 2:5
The message for the church, the people of God, is clear; hear this church (listen!), Jesus died for all people, both rich and poor alike. Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23) He showed no favoritism to the rich because they were rich. In fact, He said “it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mt. 19:23) They are often too bound to their possessions, trusting in their riches rather than the provision of God.
On the other hand, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.” (Mt. 5:3)
In a similar way, Jesus never honored the rich for their great gifts but honored the widow who gave out of her poverty. After seeing the rich putting in large sums He said:
“Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put (two tiny coins) in everything she had – all she had to live on.” Mark 12:43-44
Looking at His life ministry, Jesus spent the majority of His time with normal hardworking people. His disciples were mostly fisherman turned evangelists. Only one, a chief tax collector, came from the rich. In His day-to-day dealings we see the Savior gravitating to the needy: the blind, the lame, the disenfranchised, the sick, and demon possessed. They were the ones who seemed most eager and open to the ministry of the Lord.
God does not show favoritism. But “God loved the world (all people equally) in this way, He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone (rich and poor alike) who believes in Him (Jesus – what He accomplished on the cross) will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Therefore, we must beware not to show favoritism to the rich or well to do and neglect the poor. For “did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? God treats all equally and promises eternal life to all who will turn their hearts to Him with love and devotion.
I once was poor, but now I’m rich, was also lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.
Only by His grace….Bro. Sherman
Leave a Reply