“We were poor, but we didn’t know we were poor.” Most people who say this grew up in the Great Depression. They didn’t realize they were poor because everyone around them was poor. There was no contrast. They didn’t compare themselves with each other like we do today. But they knew how to appreciate what little they had. Sadly, that generation is almost gone.
I am not denying that we have poverty today. I am saying we have something worse. There are many who are poor that don’t realize they are poor, and some of them are Christians.
The ancient city of Laodicea was a wealthy place. There was a church there, and the members had money. When we have plenty, there is a temptation to feel confident and think we don’t need God. God warned the Israelites to beware of forgetting Him when they became wealthy in the promised land (Deut. 8). Proverbs 30:9 says when we are prosperous there is the danger of denying God and saying, “Who is the Lord?” It is an old problem.
The church at Laodicea succumbed to this temptation. They became prideful and lost their zeal for spiritual things. Jesus said their attitude made Him sick. “Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:16). Why was He so disgusted? He explains: “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). They were poor and didn’t know it.
America is full of people like this. They have money and feel empowered, secure and in control. That is how they see their world. That is how they see their future. They have things but they don’t have a good conscience. They have hopes for their children and grandchildren after they die but they have no hope for themselves when they leave this world. They don’t know how poor they are.
Are Christians guilty? We have comfortable homes, neat vehicles, nice clothes and the latest gadgets to entertain ourselves with. Have we grown so wealthy we are blind—blind to how blessed we are, blind to the needs of others, blind to our own apathy, and blind to what really matters?
There is an upside to this. If these poor Christians only watch others like them, they won’t see how poor they are. They need to notice rich Christians. Maybe that will lift them to a higher standard of Christian living. Spiritually rich Christians may be rich or poor materially, but they have things poor Christians need whether they realize it or not—true joy, wisdom, peace, faith and love. This is where truly wealthy saints can make a difference: by sharing what they have inside.
Kerry
West End church of Christ • December 22, 2024
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