Finishing

If I am going to be a steadfast follower of Christ on a daily basis, I must rest in this truth: God isn't finished yet--with me or with those I love. When I cannot see through the fog and haze of my struggles to trust my future and the future of those I love into His hands, I need only look one place. To the cross. When I see Him willingly offering Himself for someone as rotten as I know myself to be, I know that such love can be trusted to do all things well, above what I could ever imagine. Then, the song in my heart every moment of the day becomes "It is well with my soul." Yes, my Savior is a finisher.

Blindness

I was reflecting this evening on two of my favorite miracles. One is Bartimaeus. Here he was, a blind man, sitting by the side of the road begging, and he hears that Jesus is nearby. So? He starts yelling, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" There's so much faith in that simple cry for help. "Son of David"--I know you are the King. "Have mercy"--I know I don't deserve your help. But I also know that you are by your very nature a merciful King. And then the crowd tries to get him to shut up. In essence saying, "What makes you think He'll want to help you?" Ever have someone try to tell you--subtly--"Quit bothering God. He has better things to do than help you"? What did Bart do? You know, yelled louder! And, of course, Jesus had him brought before Him. And I love what Jesus said, "What can I do for you?" My response would have been, "Duh, I'm blind. What do you think I want?" Bart just in faith responds, "Lord, I want to see." Ever have a need so obvious that you know that God has to see that need? And you sit around wondering--and complaining in your heart--questioning why He hasn't met your need? You have to ask. "Ask and it shall be given to you. Knock and it shall be open. Seek and you will find." It's called believing faith. "And without faith it is impossible to please God." My asking says, "I believe that you can and that you will meet my every need. Jesus' response to the asking, "Your faith has made you whole." God doesn't mind yelling, God doesn't mind persistence, God doesn't mind your asking. In fact, He delights in it! And Bartimaeus followed Jesus--with eyes that could see where He was going and "sight" that knew who He was--without a doubt. For sure. "He's Jesus, Son of David, who had mercy on me!"
I've also been reflecting on the blind man that got the "here's mud in your eyes" treatment. And then he got in the day long debate with the Pharisees. They kept trying to get him to denounce Jesus--who by the way he had never seen. And even though his own parents wouldn't back him up, he didn't back down to the Pharisees. "This I know, once I was blind, but now I can see. And whether you believe it or not--that's a God thing." Since they couldn't refute his testimony, they kicked him out of the synagogue--condemning him, they arrogantly believed to an eternity without God. So what happened? God sought him out. Jesus came and found him. And asked him if he would believe in the Son of Man, the Messiah. He said in essence, "Who is He?" And Jesus responded, "It's Me." And he readily believed and worshiped. If he hadn't ever seen Jesus, how did he know it was Him, you ask? He knew His voice. May God give us the courage to stand up to those who mock our Savior. "I know He's God. See, once I was blind, but now I can see. The Light of the world is Jesus. Come to the Light, He's calling for you."

Control

There are a few truths we too often "forget."

We are not in control of time. You cannot add one moment to your life. Those tomorrows you're counting on, don't. You know,"Tomorrow I'm going to give my life over to the Lord." "Tomorrow I'm going to start giving to the poor, the needy widow in my church, the orphans of the world--just after I buy one more thing for myself that I don't need . . ." When you have all the money you think you could ever need, you will still have absolutely nothing of value--unless you use it to be rich toward God. And since you can't send your resources to Heaven, where do you think He wants you to use them?
We are not in control of our strength or our ability. Those, too, can be lost in an instant. Or they can daily decrease. I readily confess that I don't have nearly the strength or stamina that I used to have to work on the Acres as when I first moved here less than a decade ago. And I can think of many a person who in an instant lost their strength and abilities. Can't you?
We are not in control of the outcomes of our choices--ever our choices to serve Him. He is in control of those. Good thing, too. What I think is best is often not even close. And He is always doing marvelous things in the lives of those people I was convinced would never be of any use to Him in the furtherance of the Kingdom.

How should these truths impact us? Today is the day. This moment is the moment. Putting off what you know you should do is a fool's decision. Know someone who needs help? Know someone whom you need to say "thank you" to? Know someone who needs a word of encouragement or exhortation or edification. Do it now. To count on a tomorrow to do it is sin.
Have gifts and abilities that God has given you? Use them--while you can. While you have the God-given strength to serve Him, get busy. Be diligent. You don't want to find yourself in an "I wish I had" moment.
Putting expectations on God--and on those He has called you to minister to? Stop. Be faithful and leave the life-changing in the hands of the One who can make permanent changes in the lives of those He has called you to minister to. Get out of the way of God's timing. Don't be a stumbling block. Quit thinking you're smarter and wiser than God. And more loving. Can you say "arrogance?"
Be continually, daily, moment by moment thankful. Thank Him for each day. Thank Him for the abilities He has given you. Thank Him for the strength He has given you to use those abilities. Thank Him for the place He has put you so that you can use those abilities. Thank Him that He can be trusted to work in the lives of those whom He has called you to serve--that He will lovingly transform them into the disciples He needs, when He needs them, where He needs them.

Your time is God's. Your abilities are God's. Your fruit is God's--you are a distributor, not a manufacturer. If you and I will embrace these truths, then we can say unwaveringly, "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!"

A Song in the Night

I am a light sleeper. Often I wake up in the middle of the night or early morning for some reason other than the cat sticking her face in mine. I find it a good time to think and meditate. The stars--on a clear night--are visible through the windows. Some nights the moon shines in. "The heavens are declaring the glory of God." Usually, once I wake up, I'm up. That's why, once in awhile, you get a 4 AM post. Why aren't you up? Or once this week you got about a zillion posts before I went to school. I received a two hour lesson. Lots to pass on--to commit to the faithful. God likes to speak in the stillness of the night. No distractions.
I love Psalm 77, starting, especially, around verse four: "Thou hast held my eyelids open, I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of long ago. I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart; and my spirit searched." In the quiet of the night, He opens my eyes--both the physical ones and the spiritual ones. As He closes my mouth so that I can be still and listen, He has much to tell me. The past, He reminds me, is His. Time, He reminds me, has proven that the troubling yesterdays were merely His hand at work to produce the loveliness of my todays and the hopes for my tomorrows. He has been faithful through the worst of times. (Did I actually say "merely.") And then He fills my mind with a song, my heart with the promises and lessons of His Word, and my spirit with a longing to search for Him and ponder His altogether loveliness.

"Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again?" No, He is always the faithful God even in my unfaithfulness.

"Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?" No, He is moment by moment the God who is love. Eternally.

"Has His promise come to an end forever?" No, His Word is sure. He is the God who never lies. His promise is an eternal promise--a rock to stand on in the fiercest storms.

"Has God forgotten to be gracious?" No, His grace is sufficient, made perfect in weakness. "Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt." "Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe."

"Has He in anger withdrawn His compassion?" No, His mercies are new every morning; great is His faithfulness. Always He looks and is moved with compassion.

"Then I said, 'It is my infirmity, that the right hand of the Most High has changed.' " The problem is always my lack of faith--He changes not. Faithful. Loving. True. Gracious. Compassionate. He whispers to my soul, "I Am the Lord; I change not." Sovereign. Omnipotent. Holy. Love. My Father and my Savior.

"I will remember my song in the night; I will meditate with my heart; And my spirit will search" And if I will search for Him with all my heart--He will find me.

"Be still, and know that I Am God."

Eyes

We sometimes conveniently slide over the fact that "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" was written about God's people, not the world. Who defines and determines what is right in your eyes? How do you finish the thought, "I believe this is right because . . .?

A Tree

Do you want to be "like a tree firmly planted by streams of water"?

Don't "walk in the counsel of the wicked." Be careful who you listen to for advice.
Don't "stand in the way of sinners." Be careful whose lifestyle you find attractive.
Don't "sit in the seat of scoffers." Be careful who you identify yourself with.

And you think who you are friends with doesn't matter? "Friendship with the world is enmity with God." Choose your friends wisely.

And then, meditate on His Word both day and night.

There's no other way to be a fruitful tree.

Wounds

Our wounds are the filament by which the glory and grace of God shines in our life for all to see. Wounds of failure glorify the grace that is greater than all our sins and more abundant than all the sin the world can commit. Wounds of testing glorify the grace that enables the weakest saint at his weakest moment to be more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Our wounds identify us with Him, the Lamb who was slain. Grace doesn't take away the wound. Nor does it remove the scars. Grace provides the sufficient power to use the wounds and scars as instruments of compassion. Our wounded hearts are His gift to us that we might fully realize the wonders of His grace and know how deep and how wide is His love for us. And they are the impetus for us to lavish that grace and love on others struggling to find peace in a wounded world.

Sing and Pray

My singing is a cacophony--at best. Even the Homesteader gives me a dirty look. My prayer life is feeble. I long for a deeper intimacy with Him. But this I know. Horrendous and feeble--I need both every day or my spiritual strength is weakened and my cup empty. As I sing and pray day by day, His joy becomes my strength. Empty cup? I have found only one cure. Sing unto the Lord. Pray without ceasing.

Sing. Pray. A short and sweet "sermon." He is a Living Savior and His ears are always open to our cries. Sympathetically. He knows we are but dust. And He loves us.

Nevertheless

What I have is what God in His infinite wisdom and perfect love has given me that He might use me in this place and at this time in my life for the furtherance of His kingdom. What I want is what I in my finite wisdom and self-love have decided that I need in order for Him to serve me in the furtherance of my kingdom. It is a repudiation--a rebellion against--His infinite omniscience and Calvary's love. I have not yet prayed the prayer--and it is an agonizing prayer--"Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done."

Too Often

Too often I find myself looking at the church or at other Christians and thinking, "What in the world are they doing? What could they possibly be thinking?" At those times I need to step back and focus on the cross where Jesus, my Savior, willingly sacrificed Himself for my forgiveness. And I need to focus on my Savior as He daily stands before the Father as my Advocate, my righteous Advocate, offering His life and death as the eternal guarantee of my forgiveness. After all, I'm sure He could justifiably stand in Heaven daily nodding His head and saying "What in the world is he doing? What could He possibly be thinking?" But instead He lovingly forgives me. How often is my subtle, arrogant judgment of others just the wickedness of spiritual pride in disguise?

Education 101

To my beloved fellow teachers. And, yes, I do deeply love each one of them. Personally, one of my greatest fears is that I will see my calling as "The Grader" when my calling is to be "The Teacher." I pray that all of my grading will have a built in capability to teach so that I can more fully honor my calling.

To my beloved students, and yes, I do deeply love each one of them. No grade is worth the sacrificing, the tarnishing, of one's personal sense of his or her own integrity.

I was reminded yesterday by a young lady with whom I team teach one of my classes that too often I forget that someone's behavior is being impacted by fears, sorrows, disappointments that I know nothing about. My world is not all there is to their world. God has brought our two worlds together so that both our lives might be His world. Is there any act of love more powerful than intercessory prayer?

"Father forgive them for they know not what they do." 

I'm Sorry

When necessary, an "I'm sorry," is important and should be deeply appreciated. But it's eternal worth can only be judged by my reliance on the Spirit to transform and change my behavior in that area for which I claim to be sorry. An "I'm sorry" without a commitment to Spirit engendered change--to be transformed--is an empty promise. Hollow. Am I really sorry? Or am I manipulating others in an act of concealed self-defense?

Death

Most of us feel a little panicky when confronted by a wasp or a hornet, especially those of us who have been unfortunate enough to have felt its sting. Even the honeybee is usually given a fair amount of respect. In the Old Testament God used hornets to defeat the enemies of His people Israel. I wonder if that's where they got the old idiom of a "stinging defeat."
In addition to his sting, God has given these insects some fantastic skills as nest builders. Most of us have seen the nearly circular hornet's nest or the mud dauber's cone-like nest. We have all seen beehives sitting in the farmer's field along the country lane. The nests of wasps can be found on the overhangs of many houses in practically everyone's neighborhood.
These wasps-honeybees are also master builders of hexagon nests. Why did God give them the ability to use the hexagon construction? The hexagon shape enables these insects to eliminate any wasted space. It provides maximum storage space, using the least amount of material. This shape also produces an amazingly strong construction because each cell is reinforced by the three cells behind it. And the world wants you to believe that all this happened by chance. Yeah, sure.
Paul portrays mankind's greatest enemy as a sting carrier. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is they victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Isn't it marvelous to know that death and sin are powerless to harm the Christian? Death is like a wasp without its stinger--a little bug making a lot of noise. The little wasp defending its nest, a construction any architect would be proud to have designed, is actually more to be feared than death itself.

 "Our salvation depends not on the question--What are my sins and my backsliding? But on the question--What are Christ's merits, and the Father's promises."
(Hewitson)

Oak Trees

"God works powerfully, but for the most part gently and gradually."
"He does not teach all at once but by degrees."
"A Christian is not of hasty growth, like a mushroom, but rather like the oak, the progress of which is barely perceptible, but in time becomes a deep-rooted tree.
(Newton)

May I each day "pour" a little water on the oaks God has placed in my care. May I each day do so lovingly, with gentleness and patience. May I remember each day that it is a forest of oaks that I see before me and not "mushrooms." May I rest in the confidence that the Lord of the Forest will grow His "saplings" into deep-rooted trees at His pace and in His perfect timing. May I fear haste and embrace slowly. Roots need time to sink deeply. Roots need to be tested by storms. And may I each day be deeply rooted in the grace that is the soil of spiritual growth as revealed by His fountain of living water springing up inside me.

The Best of Men

We must never forget that the best of men are still men. Flawed, capable of error, prone to self-defense--if not openly than certainly in their hearts. Don't put them on a pedestal immune to "Bereanism." Don't be harsh, critical, and judgmental when they prove themselves to be as human as you are. If every sin was made a "crime," the whole world would be in jail. When we imagine and expect--demand--perfection in others, we do a great disservice to the body of Christ. And give our whole-hearted consent to encouraging hypocrisy. Should we encourage others to sin? Or even be desensitized to their sin? Of course not. They--nor we--don't need to be encouraged; we sin quite naturally. What we need is a church where confession and forgiveness and acceptance of each other--flaws and all--are just as lovingly spontaneous. Our purpose is to edify, to build up, not to tear down.

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness (stooping down to lift up); each one looking to yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."

"Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins."

"Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

History

Our God is hands on in history. And as Paul's world history lecture in Acts tells us, He always has redemption in mind. Be it the great Gentile king Nebuchadnezzar or the citizens of the capital city of one of the most vicious nations ever--Nineveh of the Assyrians. Or a Roman centurion working in the remote outpost of Caesarea. Or the elite Roman guards protecting the emperor himself--Nero, a great persecutor of Christians. The list is endless. He seeks men throughout the very pages of history. He sought you. And He is not difficult to find for those who desire to come to Him. Groping in the dark, the Light of the World is always close at hand.

He still seeks today. That's why He commands us to pray for those in authority, those He has placed in those positions. Our prayers for them are not "Lord, make them do the things I want them to do." Our prayers for them are "Lord, may Your Spirit draw them to Your infinite grace! Lord send them a witness!"

And may we, at every opportunity He brings into our lives--our history--be His light in a dark world. "Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so!"

Maturing

As the Christian matures, he becomes less and less at home in the world; its attractions seem less and less desirable; its activity breaks his heart.

 A simple character test: Finishing strong.

The important issue is not the suffering, but the faithfulness of our life and testimony in the midst of the suffering. 

Diligence: Being obedient in the place where God has called you because you know that He has called you to this place.

Nothing should be more attractive to the child of God than spending time alone with Him in the Word and in prayer.

This prayer should begin and end each day: "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner."

The practice that set Joseph apart as a man of God was that he had a deep sense of the presence of God in his daily walk--no matter the circumstances.

The only way to be one who "loves His appearing" is to live a life of obedience. 

I can tell when I'm being merely religious and not serving Christ. I try to draw all the attention to myself. Subtly deadly to act like a servant in order to gain the praise of men. And who is more enslaved than the one who thrives on man's approval? 

His Heart

"If you love me, keep my commandments."

No heart can be hurt as deeply as His heart.

War

We often forget that we are at war. And as Paul tells us, we are not at war with flesh and blood but with angelic powers of supernatural strength. Job was a battleground for that war simply because he lived a righteous life and desired the same for his family. Behind the storm and behind the raiding nomads were spiritual forces of evil. Daniel was a battleground because he got down on his knees and prayed to God. And for him there was no visible evidence that the war was on. Elisha was a battleground because he spoke God's truth and saved the king from his enemies. He woke up one morning and saw an entire army surrounding the town where he was staying. Yes, we are involved in a great spiritual warfare in the heavenlies. The choices we make affect that battle. We must each day put on the whole armor of God with prayer.
And what can we expect in the battle? Certainly, we are no match for the enemy, are we? Yet, Job's patient, steadfast faith and humble worship reversed all that the enemy had tried to do. God doubled his earthly blessings and gave him more children to train up in the way that they should go. (God didn't double his children on earth because Job already had one family waiting for him in Paradise.) Daniel's persistent prayer was answered--not right away, but it was answered. He was given the wisdom and insight that he sought. The earthly king of Aram who came after Elisha--he sent his entire army to catch one man--ended up with his entire army being "caught" by the one man. Elisha knew that he had a great invisible army protecting him in the heat of the battle.
Do you get the picture? John puts it this way: "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." Elisha put it this way: "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." We do not fight alone. We do not fight from an inferior position. We fight surrounded by heavenly hosts who are on our side. Our God is the Lord of Hosts. We fight empowered with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit--God Himself--and all the spiritual weapons He provides us. We pray and angels are sent by God to answer those prayers because He esteems the man or woman who casts all his cares on Him and trembles not at the roaring of the lion. All the invisible forces sent against us don't have a chance. They can never sever us from the invincible love of God that makes us more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

"Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them>'

"Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."

Deadly

I don't believe that there is any thing more deadly to the Christian walk than dissatisfaction--with who I am, with what I have, with my circumstances, with my situation. Dissatisfaction is the sin of "I deserve better than this." It is a lie easily shredded by honest self-evaluation. Frighteningly, the person who lets it fester and grow will end up being capable of doing anything to anyone in order to get what he or she believes they deserve. They won't even hesitate to act maliciously to get what they want. And they will rationalize and believe most any lie in order to justify their actions. And the Enemy is more than happy to provide them with the opportunity to gain whatever it is they think they deserve. He is, after all, the father of lies and a destroyer.
The problem is that the fruit of those choices is bitterness, shame, and a deeper dissatisfaction. And the feeling of being hedged in by one's inability to admit that he or she has made a horrible mistake--usually because they have callously hurt the people who love them the most. Willful, prideful sin creates an indecipherable maze of untenable options as substitutes for the only cure--broken-hearted repentance. If you know someone who has been corrupted by such choices, pray earnestly that God will do whatever is necessary--quickly--to bring them to confession and repentance. The longer they tenaciously cling to their stubborn pride, the more they will find themselves shedding Esau's tears--but beyond repentance.

But above all that, don't you become a victim of the deadly sin of dissatisfaction. The hearts of those who love you will be crushed. And hide it as best you can, it will shred your soul. There is a sorrow unto death.

"In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus" is a life-saving commandment. Embrace it with all your being.

A Lifetime

It takes time to become like Christ. It takes a lifetime. And you must begin where you are, not where you would like to be. And you must remember that Christian growth is seasonal. There are times in our life when God is feeding us and watering us, preparing us for the circumstances that will spark the growth necessary for us to bear more fruit--become more like Him. In fact, it may be that those "down" times are the most critical in our growth toward maturity. We must stay in the Word, continue to fellowship with those who are our encouragement, spend time in prayer both personal and intercessory. We mustn't try to manufacture our own fruit through Christian busyness, but rest in continued obedience. Too often we sense "stagnancy" when that is not what's going on. He is just strengthening our inner man for the conflict that's coming, the challenge to our faith that is designed to make us dependent on the Spirit's power so that relying on Him, we will be transformed and bear much fruit. Like the "tree planted by streams of water," we must remain steadfast in the refreshing "streams" of Bible study, prayer, and assembling together so that we can bear fruit in its season. Rooted and grounded in Him, He will cause us to grow to be more and more like Him--until the day we see Him and become eternally like Him.

"Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord."

"This is the work of God, to believe on Him whom He has sent."

Harm

When I act the practical atheist--the one whose daily life and words are not a reflection of his confidence in the goodness and faithfulness of God--I do more harm to the cause of Christ than all the rantings of today's assertive, aggressive atheists.

Control

If we really believe that everything is under God's control it would change our entire outlook on life. We would pray for God's Spirit to strengthen and teach us when we face difficult times. We would thank Him for trusting us enough to test us so that He can use us in the business of His kingdom. We would thank Him when He takes away from us because He has so freely and graciously given to us first. We would ask Him for a sensitivity to those around us who are hurting, doubting, feeling alone. struggling with their Christian walk because we would know that they are not in our lives by accident. We would freely forgive all those who have hurt us--no matter how deep the hurt--because that pain and sorrow has allowed us to participate in His suffering for us--the eternally forgiven. We would wait and pray with patience as those we love struggle with their walk with Him, seemingly unwilling to commit fully to His Lordship. We would know that He in His timing will bring them to Himself in loving obedience and understanding--just as He did with us in our lives. The God of perfect love and perfect wisdom is in control. May my faith in that Rock, that mountain of truth, be reflected in the life I live by my unwavering obedience and in the prayers I pray by my joyous thanksgiving. He is on His throne. The earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Wrestling

The struggle you wrestle with day after day to become more and more like Christ is not a sign of spiritual immaturity. It's a sign that the loving Holy Spirit is working in your heart confident that your desire to be transformed is genuine. It is God working out His salvation in your life as His beloved child--a cleansing through the Word that will lead to fruit bearing in your life. Rejoice. Jesus never fails.

The Spiritually Prosperous

Who are the spiritually prosperous? Jesus tells us:

They are poor in spirit--no matter how much God has blessed them physically and materially and spiritually, they know that it is all a gift. They are beggars in spirit. They know that their overflowing cup is His goodness--alone. He is their Shepherd today--they need not want. He will be their Shepherd tomorrow leading them to rest and contentment. He is the Shepherd of their yesterdays--His goodness and mercy will follow after them--all the days of their lives.
They mourn over the sin in their own life and the wickedness of the world in which they live. Daily confession marks their lives. A deep love for the lost permeates their hearts. They are men and women of sorrows. They are the world's broken-hearted lovers.
They are gentle, humble, meek. Their lives are lived in a perfect balance of strength and compassion. His strength. His compassion. Active not passive when confronted by the needs of others.
They have a hunger and thirst for righteousness. The soil of their hearts embrace the seed. They have a teachable spirit--every time they sit under the Word. Their souls pant for spiritual sustenance.
They are merciful. Forgiveness is spontaneous in their interactions with others--all others. Every time.
They are pure in heart. They long to be obedient to His commands. They long to rid their lives of hypocrisy--of the human tendency to do the right things for the wrong reason--the praise of men.
They are peacemakers--steadfast in their trust of Him to make all things right. They seek the glory of God among men even to their disadvantage. They pursue God's enemies with His free offer of the availability of reconciliation--of the message that God wants them to become His friends--to be at peace with Him. They are His beautiful feet.
They are unafraid. They are persecuted for the sake of the righteousness they hunger and thirst for; they know that whatever God allows or brings into their lives will be good, will be for His eternal glory. They are content--resting in the truth that their weaknesses and their thorns are necessary if they are going to become more like Him--to participate in His sufferings for them.

And what are their riches?
A daily awareness that they are His--a heart that is confident that they have been taken out of the kingdom of darkness and placed in the kingdom of His beloved Son and sealed by the power of the Eternal Spirit.
They are in their deepest sorrows resting in His comfort.
They delight in the truth that they are joint heirs with the Son; they live confidently in the present because they know their future is secure. No one can take them out of His hands. Nothing can separate them from His love.
Their hungry and thirsty hearts are satisfied as the Spirit daily teaches them. They bear fruit a hundredfold.
They rejoice knowing that He has forgiven them completely and eternally. They have escaped condemnation.
They see the loving hand of God working in their lives. Like Joseph they daily walk in a sense of His presence. Circumstances never undermine their faith.
They are recognized as being His children--they are becoming more and more like their Father.
In the midst of persecution, they are filled with His joy.
They are the world's true difference makers--the light and salt of the world.

They are the richest people in the world.

Responsibility

When Jesus said, "The poor you have with you always," He wasn't saying, "the problem of poverty is so big don't even bother trying to do anything about it." What He was saying is "there's never a day when you couldn't and shouldn't be doing something to help those in poverty." The poor in your neighborhood, our city, our country, and around the world are every believer's responsibility.