About peace in poverty…
James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: 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? (NIV)
In poverty, we worry, we fret, and we stew. Poverty brings with it the grinding down of
our material soul. In material poverty there is a constant worry over making ends meet,
worry over feeding loved ones, worry over paying bills that seem to have no end, and
sometimes worry over just physically surviving. In the middle of this mess of worries,
doubts, and fears, comes a man walking down the road who lost all He had. He lost His
followers, His ministry, and even His life. In this man's eyes, you can see physical
poverty but a soul filled with peace. In this man's eyes, you can see how even in physical
poverty there can be spiritual peace of mind. How is peace of mind possible when there is
so much piling up on us like the worry, doubt, and fear we all feel? It is a miracle. It
is a miracle when so many people are caught up in the agony of grinding physical poverty
that a few people somehow find peace of mind in Christ.
