Tag Archives: Poverty

Helpless?

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To the liberal politician. The poor man should say:

“you label me poor. You say I am helpless. You tell me, your education, your wealth, your social prominence, and your vast intelligence are what I need but will never own.  


You tell me you are willing to be my mother, father, and caretaker. You say you will provide everything I need.  


Well, due to your high IQ and obvious power, I’m embarrassed to have to tell you this. I don’t want any of what you offer.  


This may shock you, but I’m prepared to back it up. I’m happy with my cup of coffee in the morning. I’m happy with my friends and position in society. I’m happy to choose my own way. And what I’m learning about life you will never know. 


I have faith in my God, which I know baffles you. It’s a faith you can’t have, because you rely on all your own strength.  


Close your mouth. Keep your placating to yourself. Don’t bother to think that I don’t know you make a lot of money off of me and my friends. No, I won’t vote for you. I would rather vote for the man or woman who gives me the freedom I need to be the man I am.”      

Penniless for Eternity

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What is mankind like?

He is like a tiny town nestled in the valley of the mountains.  


He plants a vineyard and a crop is yielded.  


He wakes, come the day of the harvest, and excitedly runs to reap his crop.  


He gives no thanks or honor to God. His busy fingers rape the vine, making sure not to leave even a 10th on the ground.  


He and his friends praise one another for the good work they have done. They think they have accomplished the meaning of their life.  


Greatly pleased with their reward, they repeat these things over and over until they lay in the grave.  


When their soul is wakened to give account, even then they are surprised.  


Ever harvesting but never gaining. Ever diligent but the poorest of all creatures.  

The Violence of Want

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The door to peace locked.  

For sure.  

And no Man holds the key.  


The door to loss is open wide

By the lack in you and me.  


For hopes are like a falling leaf

From a winter ravaged tree.  


A man rises now to promise peace,

Only fading from view.  

You’ll see.  


Such leaves will fall,

And grow again. 

A trillion hopes will die.  


Why give your dreams 

To someone who

Can’t satisfy you and I?


Wait for God in Christ.  

Be satisfied with “least”.  


Stop pining over what you can’t.  

Call out to He who’s Peace.  

___________________

Dooless?

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​All the world wants to avoid sorrow.  They smack down poverty of every kind, as often as they possibly can; material things, financially, social, and poverty of the soul.  Yeah, they go after poverty with a vengeance.
But in my life I’ve noticed something interesting.  When I had things, and life seemed to go well, I tried to rest there.  “This is good enough”, I thought to myself.  I figured I could easily live this way all the rest of my life.  But sorrow came back.  The joy of peaceful stability was ruined.
Sorrow is a friend, it is not an enemy.  It does not come to destroy, it comes to teach.  Look how Innovative we become after a serious bout of sorrow.
Humanity is like a poor student in school.  No matter what needs to be learned there’s always resistance.  Humility and wisdom is the key.  They both force us to realize we don’t understand hardly anything.
Has your life been a series of sorrowful exploits?  Did you find that you just gave up?  I did.  I became innovative with the mud of my own mire.  I didn’t think it would ever stop.  
I have to say it was Jesus who transformed me.  His interaction with me through the last decade  would take volumes to write.  But I can summarize how he did it.  
He taught me how to make the bed in the morning.  He taught me how to do the dishes when I was done eating.  He taught me that when I see something needing picked up or done, do it.  He lifted me out of my mud pit by teaching me to be dutiful not dooless.
I still face sorrow.  It comes to visit nearly every day.  But I no longer look at it as an enemy.  It is filled with the lessons my teacher desires me to learn.  Prosperity is only an honest prayer away.

The Price

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There is a price to pay for being stupid, yes.  And as much as we are able, it is good to seek restitution.  Pay back what you owe as best you can.  But some of the things we do are too expensive for us to repay.  What do we do then?

Of all the things we do to others we are in debt to the ears of our souls.  But aren’t we a creation of God also?  And haven’t we done harm to ourselves?  How do you pay that back?

You’re not rich enough to repay everything you’ve done.   Taking money out of your wallet to put it back in your wallet is no repayment at all.  I think this one through. 

To make things right you need a third party who is greatly generous and compassionate, while at the same time being completely righteous and utterly just.  In short, you need someone who is endlessly and eternally rich.

This is what the Gospel is.

God cannot lie.  He said, I will forgive your sins and I will repay.   Only come to me and let us reason together, that we may put a stop to this flood of destruction.  You’ve heard it said that vengeance is mine, says the Lord.  But so is justice, righteousness, mercy, love, and eternal life.

There is great anger in the Lord that he will unleash on the day when he judges all men.  But in this day he is not angry.  This is the day of salvation.  This is the day when he works to secure the hearts and minds and souls of hundreds of millions of people.

If you’ve ever thought something through before, give this one your complete attention.  If possible, give it more thought than you give the things of this world.

People say they want God’s will to be done.  You know what, God wants to make you his holy and righteous child.  That’s what he wants.  If by chance you don’t believe that, then tell me why he sent his only Son to die on the cross.

Risk Belongs to the Valliant

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A rich man drove his new BMW to an important meeting.  In the crowded traffic he became stuck in rush hour.

A dirty ragged man came to wash his windshield, at least that’s what the rich man thought.  Instead the bum came over to his driver’s window.

With serious and intelligent eyes, the bum encouraged the man to roll down his window.  With regret, the window move down about 2 inches.

“Give me your shiny car and I will give you all the money in my pocket.”  The bum said.

The rich man smiled.  His eyes lit up, like a hunter who has spotted a trophy.  He opened the door and stepped outside.  He handed the bum his keys and said, “Where can I send you the title”.

With a great loving smile the bum reached in his pockets.  His dirty craggy fingers hauled out five rather large rolls of hundred dollar bills.  “I’ll Drive you to your office and wait for you while you get the title.”

The deal had been struck.  With compassion and abandon for life, the rich man had gained a precious memory. 

The title was exchanged.  When the rich man counted the money, the total came to the price he had paid for the car.

What became of the bum and the car, no one knows.  But what became of the rich man’s heart was easily seen by the life he later chose.  He had been released from the fear of greed.  And all because he was not afraid to take a chance.  He counted compassion as more valuable than money.

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, life is given unto the kingdom of the heavens, and the valiant take hold of it.”  (Matthew 11:12, Jubilee Bible 2000)

By His Grace