Listen to the Poor...and Learn (Part 2)

"Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?"
James 2:5

Go to Part 1

Why does the passage excite me? In spite of the sin of partiality that remains in my life at times, God has been gracious to show me examples that prove how much there is to learn from poor brothers and sisters in Christ.

In a recent trip to a restricted Southeast Asian country, I had the wonderful privilege of visiting a house church comprised of local believers. The church meets in the home of the core family, an aging mother along with about 8 family members (several unmarried daughters as well as some children from married siblings who are working elsewhere). The house is quite small (probably smaller than the combination of an average living room and kitchen in the USA. What struck me, however, was the uneasy feeling created by the fact that the house appeared as if it would fall down at any minute! There was literally a 40 degree slant to a few walls. Other walls were leaning in different directions and the ceiling was sagging in various ways. Suffice it to say that this family and the church that meets in their house are not well off!

These wonderful brothers and sisters taught me so much in the few short hours I spent with them! The light and joy of Jesus Christ was evident in their lives. I did not bring them money. I did not bring them gifts. The camera I took out of my bag to take pictures could have been sold to repair their entire house! Still, their excitement to see me was based on anticipation that I would share with them from the Bible. I'm convinced that I could have taught them for hours and hours and they would have never grown weary of hearing God's Word!

Their eagerness was not a show. I learned that the church meets daily for extended times of prayer. They meet longer on Wednesdays so they can have Bible time together. On Sunday, over half of the day is spent in worship and study of the Bible. On Saturdays, they go out in strategically planned ventures to share the love of Christ with those around them in their town and in surrounding villages. All of this is in addition to a work schedule that would cause most of us to quit in an instant!

Theses brothers and sisters are truly 'rich in faith.' They taught me about priorities and what it means to live lives that are truly centered around the Lord. The sobering reality for me is the realization that there are likely people just like them in my own church that I don't recognize because of my partiality.

Lord, please forgive me for sinning against poor brothers and sisters, however sub-consciously it may be. Forgive me for missing the valuable lessons You want to teach me through them. Please guide me to see people with Your eyes, never agin missing the Kingdom lessons of faith You want to bring my way through poor brothers and sisters. Amen.