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
“I have been fortunate to come alongside communities and families in some of the hardest places in the world…I have walked the dusty roads of towns and villages in the nations we too easily look down upon from our perch of privilege. I have sat in the homes of people and have heard their stories of suffering, seen their resilience and seen how they can find joy and be thankful to God even in the most challenging circumstances. They have taught me what it is to love, what it is to have faith and what it is to hope in things as yet unseen. They have taught me humility and blessed me with their friendship.”
Tim Breene of World Relief as quoted by James Hoxworth in his 14 January 2018 sermon on James 2.
Rich in faith! That’s the leg up on the rich that the poor possess. Why? They have nothing else on which to rely. Don’t hear this as a slam against the rich, but celebrating that the gospel is for everyone.
Do you sit on a perch of privilege? Is your primary aim in life to insulate yourself and your family from difficulty and discomfort? If so, it might be time to visit the poor, to walk in their footsteps.
Your generosity, I am confident, will grow inestimably. How do I know this? When you visit them, you will learn things. You will see faith, hope, and love in action at depths you never dreamed.
I think you will work diligently to exchange earthly riches for eternal ones from that point forward. How do I know? Once a person realizes that Christ is all they need, their openhanded generosity knows no boundaries after that.
Don’t worry, be generous.