Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Poverty vs. Riches (Ps. 72:12-14)

For He will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And precious shall be their blood in His sight.

(Psalm 72:12-14, NKJV)

I’ve never been truly poor. Even when my mom was raising my siblings and me on her own, we never wanted for anything. Oh, we may have shopped for school clothes at thrift stores, and treats like ice cream were few and far between. But we had a roof over our heads. We had clothes and enough to eat.

I was poor in another way: spiritually. I spent too many years turning away from God and trying to find my own way. Trying to find peace. Trying to find joy. Trying to find contentment.

It was only when I cried out to God from the deepest part of me when I realized how very poor I really was. And He delivered me from my spiritual poverty.

He helped me. He saved my soul. And He redeemed my life.

What about you? Are you rich in the only thing that really matters? Are your spiritual coffers full of God’s promises?

Our earthly lives are just a blip on the radar in comparison with eternity. And any earthly riches we have will one day be meaningless.

Only our riches in God—our faith and how God has used us to impact His kingdom—will remain.

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