Great Wealth or Great Poverty

"Great wealth and Great poverty are equal tests of a man." That is a quote I am borrowing from my father's notes he used to teach an adult Sunday School Class entitled, "A Biblical Perspective on our Resources" over a decade ago. In light of the discussion Bruce and I have had in the comments of the last post, I have been thinking about this statement. Personally I'd rather have to deal with the great wealth test. It just seems like an easier road on the surface doesn't it? But he claims they are equal.

Larry Burkett used to say something like, "Show me your checkbook and I'll show you your priorities." This is a true statement. It is easy for us to tell someone what we believe in or what really matters most but, do our actions back it up. Bruce makes the observation that in general the poor give proportionally more than the wealthy do. I am not sure Joe Biden makes a credible example of wealthy giving. But since his records are more public we'll let it fly. I'd rather hear about the giving of a wealthy person that is not in the public eye and not in a profession prone to dishonesty. I would argue that Joe has a heart issue. Much like the rest of us. His heart is not that generous. Perhaps if Joe took a good long look at what he has been given by his Creator, he would open up the purse strings a bit and find his generous spirit. I am not picking on Joe. He is a lot like all of us. Myself included. Though I do not have the same level of wealth as Joe I do have that same selfish tendency in my heart to hang onto what is "mine". Perhaps in the context of a Biblical Perspective being wealthy isn't such an easy test after all.

It is relatively easy to see how great poverty would be a test. Basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter become a daily struggle. Hunger and disease become a way of life. Yet we can find people of tremendous charitable spirit in these places. Why is that? In these same places we can find horrible selfish people who will take whatever they can get from those that have nothing to give. Why is that? I read a couple of months ago, "Black Hawk Down" by Mark Bowden. In it he describes what life is like in Mogadishu at the time the US got involved. The people that lived there had very little. Yet whatever aid was sent to them was hijacked by the group with the guns and distributed as they saw fit. Or not distributed. There are a lot more to the politics there than I can speak to but, this really made the point for me in my own understanding of the human heart. Wealth is not evil. Wealth is neither good nor bad. It just is.

The good or evil part is in our hearts. Just as those in poverty can be generous or selfish so can the wealthy. It is a heart issue. The test for the wealthy is how to best manage all that God has so generously given. I believe one day I will be held accountable for how I have managed that which God has given me. This is not a salvation issue, but rather an issue of, "Do I really love Jesus and want to follow him?" If I do, I need to be about the things that Jesus was about like caring for and loving the poor. This is difficult as Bruce has pointed out to do in our Western Culture of Plenty.

My temptation is to depend on myself. I did this or I did that. Look what I have built. I got us out of debt. That hurt to write down. It becomes a pride thing. Where in our culture do we stop pursuing more wealth and start giving it away? When does saving become hoarding? Jesus told the rich man to sell all that he owned and then follow Him. He couldn't do it. If he gave me the same command could I do it? What do I value? Where does my security lie? Yet he asked some fisherman to follow him and they dropped there nets and left there dad in the boat to follow him. I would guess that they were not wealthy like the rich man yet they left all they had even if it wasn't very much. Would I have left my dad in the boat with the nets full of fish? These are really difficult issues. I do not know the answers. They are answers that we all must find. I think we find them by looking in our own hearts.

My standard for generosity is not found in other people. It is not found in the 10% tithe. It is something that I know in my heart. When I get that prodding in my heart to give, do I do it? Cole and I do give consistently and gladly to our church. We start at a least 10% but, we want to do more and whenever we do it is awesome. But I am not just talking about the offering plate. What about the waitress at the restaurant I visit frequently? What if I feel prompted to leave a significant tip on the table as I walk out? Do I? We all know single moms. What if I feel prompted to put cash in an envelope and slip it under her door? Do I follow up on that? What about the kinds of poverty that Bruce was referring to? The kind found in third world nations. What do I do with that?

These are the heart checks that God uses to test my generosity, my heart, my values. I don't always pass them. But when I do, I am filled with joy. It may very well mean more to me to give it than it does to those that receive it. It puts me back in the right frame of mind. It gives me focus on what really matters. It all comes back to the parable of the Pearl of Great Price that Jesus told in Matthew 13:45-46. Or the words of a christian song from my childhood. I don't know who wrote it or sang it:
"He is no fool, if he would choose to sell the things he cannot keep to buy what he can never lose."

For a long time I walked around not even hearing the little voice inside that provokes these acts of generosity. I tuned it out. Now that I am learning to manage resources for God I am a little bit more tuned in. I don't want to miss an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. It doesn't always have to be monetary giving either. But, for the sake of the topic of the blog we'll stick with that.

I have to agree that dad was right. Great wealth and great poverty are equal tests of a man. In either case I am 100% dependent on God. It is easy to see it in poverty yet it is hard to feel it in great wealth. One more verse to illustrate one last point. The Apostle Paul in being grateful for the gifts of the Philippian Church:

Phil. 4:11-13 "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."

Maybe what I should really strive for is contentment. Perhaps that is when you know you have arrived. When I can be content with whatever God gives or takes from my accounts then I'll know it's enough. It's all His anyways. This is not an excuse to avoid working and saving money either. It is simply a freeing statement to know that when we reach the end of our selves, there is God. He who clothes the lilies better than a king and cares for the sparrow, cares more for you and me.