There
is a rich man and poor man’s story in the Bible where the rich man enjoys all
the luxuries and comforts the world could provide and there was this Lazarus, a
poor beggar covered in sores waiting at his gate longing to eat the crumbs
falling from the rich man’s table. To cut the long story short the poor man
goes to heaven and the rich man burns in hell. With parched throat he asks for
a drop of water for which he was replied “…..,Son, remember that in your
lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus (the poor man) received
bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.”.
There are people in this world who want to live a comfortable life here at all costs and continue to lead a comfortable life even after death by going to heaven. I have known people who have expressed their desire for the best place in heaven at the same time leading such a depraved life here on earth. At the end of the day, it is the comfort that is their goal but never the right standing with God. We prefer to be as wicked as we could here on earth and then somehow feel the need to bribe our way to heaven by following religious rites and rituals with our hearts as hardened as ever with sin.
We live in a world where two of every ten toddlers are starving with no food for 24 hours or one whole day and at the same time the rich and famous splurging millions of dollars for pre-wedding festivities. The interesting point is that both these statistics are from the same country. Our richness is not an excuse to do as we please with no moral obligations. God gives us resources and wealth to be good stewards. And what does it mean to be good stewards. It is wisely spending our money on issues that would break the heart of God. Think with me here, would God prefer you to gift your wealth in filling the stomach of toddlers and infants or spend obscene amounts of money for someone to perform and dance on stage? As we get rich, we lose our sense of purpose, and we think that wealth management and acquisitions are our ultimate purpose and flaunt it unashamedly when opportunity presents itself.
The Bible has some brilliant advice on the rich and poor and I prefer to quote some of them:
·
“the rich and the poor have this in
common: the Lord made them both.”.
· “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults
his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”.
·
“Whoever
gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a
curse.”.
· “A righteous man knows the rights of
the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.”
The crux is when we are more inclined to helping the poor from their misery, we are a blessing and honor God by doing so. If we willingly turn a blind eye, we are a cursed lot and wicked to the core. The God of the Bible has not minced His words and revealed His mind when it came to this issue. He sent His only Son Jesus to save us from our wretchedness so that our eyes will open from the blindness of our wealth and debauchery. The Heavenly Father loved us so much that He allowed His son Jesus Christ to suffer on the cross so that we repent of our sins and know His heart. His desire is to reign in our hearts and spend our lives with a heavenly purpose and that includes reaching out to the poor and releasing them of the poverty cycle. Invite this Living Water (Jesus Christ) in your heart so that you will live eternity with quenched throat. He is leaving us with the choice of whether we want to live eternity with quenched throat or parched throat. Choose wisely!
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