We’re All Poor
James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
Is there a moment we can point to when God first “chose the poor?”
In the garden, Adam and Eve didn’t have context for understanding “grace” or “gratitude.” Is it possible to be thankful or grateful when we’ve never known what it’s like to be in need? Adam and Eve were rich beyond measure, living in a garden which they didn’t create. They ate of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in order to be like God, not even knowing that being God is a lot of work.
They couldn’t have imagined the heartaches that would come with being gods. Their only world had been that of living in paradise. They didn’t understand, nor appreciate struggle. Did God allow the serpent to deceive them as the “next step” towards separating them from the beasts?
If God created mankind to love and be loved, they had to have a freewill choice. Choosing to eat from the Tree was the first choice of consequence that we know of. My reading of Genesis 3 is that God did NOT curse man. He cursed the serpent and the ground. It is at this point that Man can now comprehend the concepts of lack and dependence. It is at this point that Man first understands Grace and Gratitude.
It is easier for the poor to understand grace and gratitude, lack and pain. Understanding these attributes lay the foundation for a relationship and a relationship with our Creator is what God wants.
The kicker is, that we are ALL poor when compared to the wealth of our Father. Without Him, we have nothing. Read Romans 5.
Father, thank You for lack, thank You for adversity, thank You for giving us the ability to understand You and Your heart!