Rich and poor

“Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen tose 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?” James 2:5
The world has no qualms about measuring people’s worth by what’s in their bank account. This is why there is the drive towards becoming rich, because in the eyes of the world it means you are worth more and that you are better than other people. This love of money is a trap, because money can never satisfy a person, no matter how much they have. It always wants more (Ecc. 5:10). We touched on this in an earlier post. Conversely, those who are poor are seen as being of little value. I remember a lunchtime conversation while I was at university, where I mentioned that I sponsored a child in Kenya. Another person replied that she thought it was pointless, and why not give the money to the SPCA, because with the same amount of money they help many animals. I was aghast that people could compare a human being’s life with the lives of animals in this way.
But God’s Word tells us, time and time again, that this is not the value system God uses. Rich and poor are alike to Him, because money is irrelevant to Him. He is able to bless someone (like Jacob, Gen. 32:10) and He is able to bring someone to absolute poverty (like Job, Job 1:21). James tells us here that being rich is not the sole sign of God’s blessing. Solomon, the richest man in the world, wrote: “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonour the name of my God” (Prov. 30:8-9).
The poor are blessed in spiritual ways – they have a deeper faith in God to provide for them, out of necessity. Which is better?