Tag Archives: rich and poor

Inspirations

Life is Full of Differences

Our life is full of differences we can’t imagine.

We are all created in His own image for the glory of God and for His pleasure. But why are there so many differences; and the gap seems to extend further between wealthy and poor? You look everywhere and differences are all over the place.

We live in a society where inequality and discrimination is inevitable. No matter how much protest occurs and create numerous laws to prevent disparity and divisions; it will always be present in the world full of greed and pride.

differences life
Differences of rich and poor

God is fair that is for sure. Taking away free will shall abolish most of the differences if not all. Though giving us free will alone makes Him the greatest Father ever.  Imagine if your parents has control over you in all aspects of your life, what will you do? You will be like a robot everyday of your life, no choices and no freedom. We will never like that. Likewise with our ancestors, they fought and died for freedom. I presume free will is one of the precursors of differences in our society. Some may think we have so much free will at some point I agree with them.

At an early age, we already have an inherent right to pick what we want even though it is utterly evil or dangerous. Consider the lil babies they can decide what flavor of baby food they want to eat; and anything that looks colorful and attractive they want to taste. They don’t care if it’s something inedible or sharp.

  • Galatians 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

God’s grace is multifarious and we are just talking about liberty. We’ll talk about love next time and it will make you cry because I’l help you understand the reality of events of how He loved us first. His love is the greatest of all not just because He gave us His son for us. It is much deeper than that.

Differences because of greed.

We should push ourselves to believe more in Him and withdraw from being unsatisfied. Being covetous is one of the main reasons why the differences goes further. Having faith in Him adjoins us to the rest of the world no matter how different we are from each other.

  • Luke 12:15- And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

We work mostly just for ourselves but man’s appetite will never be satisfied. We will always be hungry and will cry for more, one after another.

  • Ecclesiastes 6:7 – All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

Not contented and being greedy seems to be part of man’s way of thinking. Of course we want comfort, convenience and luxury. Who doesn’t? But the measurement grades out as you get used to a certain degree. We will keep on saying it is not enough. New becomes old, full becomes empty and a lot means nothing after awhile. We are in a cycle of wanting more and eventually needing more. Who needs internet or wifi? Now, everybody and every places should have wifi, it becomes essential.  On the other hand, not too  many years ago many people are still hesitant of having wifi and don’t want it all. Time and technology change a lot, the unwanted becomes a necessity.

They say we mature and learn more as years go by. Though at some point it seems that we are spending more time surfing and shopping for clutters to fill our homes rather than spending quality time praying with our family.  Seasons has passed, time was lost and the passing of years that we can never slow down will try to haunt us as our life becomes shorter everyday. Yes, it becomes shorter everyday never the other way around. Our life is like a moisture or a dew. It can vanish  just like that.

  • James 4:14 – Who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it is a vapour that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing;

But  I know someone for sure who never worries about pleasure and comfort for Himself. He is no other than our Lord Jesus Christ.

  • Luke 9:58 –  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

This was so ironic since Jesus Christ was a carpenter. He had neither a house nor  a bed  to lay down His head. This only proves how He does not think of Himself but had thought of others instead. I can’t quite mention all the instances where we can extrapolate His extreme sensibilities to others. He healed the sick and fed thousands out of compassion and sheer kindness. He preached the gospel and introduced the everlasting life to all of us. All was not easy for Him. He was not rich and has nothing materially but He gave us everything. Without Him, life and eternal life was never on the table.

Jesus also mentioned the differences of rich and poor. It is the truth.

You can read here, should we envy the rich?

  • Luke 6:24 – But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
  • Mark 10:25 – It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Jesus did not dislike rich men but He just said truthful things about them. The differences were already very obvious even at the time of the Lord.

  • John 8:32 – And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

The truth hurts most of the time. Lies are purposedly made to avoid pain or stress. However, the grief of breaking trust ends up more painful and disappointing.  I’d rather choose the truth than a lie which will make you chuckle briefly but later it will choke you to despair. Truth lightens the load and unbounds you from your burden. Jesus can lighten it since He is the truth. He knows the way since He is the only way.

He loves both rich and poor but the truth is, most rich men are too busy getting richer and has no time to neither pray nor to believe God. On the other hand, many poor men are busy praying and asking God His providence for their own survival. Eventually, creating a variation of that prayer asking God to make him rich like the other guy. Who do you think between the two is closer to God?  The poor man will certainly have a better relationship to God because he prayed and believed while he was in need.  But as soon as God answered Him, temptation may hook him downward and pull him away from God.

He gave us all chances to bridge the differences.

The gospel is for all, as many as who will believe Him. There is no limit. The list can go on and the bucket can’t be filled. For it is the Father’s pleasure to give us His kingdom. He willed that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of truth whether rich or poor. Everyone has a chance.

  • John 1:12 – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Although He had chosen the base things, the foolish things of this world and the weak things to confound the mighty and the wise. This will destroy the works and wisdom of man that the mighty, noble and wise have nothing to glory against God. Thus, bringing down the high minded, covetous and those who disregard God.

  • I Corinthians 1:27-29 – But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to “nullify” the things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.

We are full of differences starting from our individuality, to every family and; to every aspect of our cultures and society.

differences
Certainly, we got differences but we all get hungry for sure.

Life indeed is full of differences. Differences not enough to write down in a piece of paper. The differences are too deep and too wide. However, we are all human beings that we should care for each other and need to unite for our survival in this yet lonely universe. The differences should only be a small element of who we are. We cannot make much to conjoin the gap but somehow we can avoid the thought and the annoyance. We are all different in so many ways, full of differences. But the universal truth is we have greater things in common than differences. We are all creations of the Creator and have only one Father in heaven who succeeded in expressing His true love to us. We all feel hungry, lost and have too many worries and desires that we can’t satisfy in our own. The similarities we have outweighs the differences.

Lastly, we all have  just one life to live. It can be a long one but more likely it will be shorter than what we expect. All life will end and cease to exist. This life that we only have will never be enough without God. All of us truly needs Him regardless of the differences and there is no exemption.

I’d rather pick short life with God than a long one without Him.

  • I Corinthians 15:39 – All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
  • Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 – I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. For man also know not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it fall suddenly upon them.
  • John 6:27 – Labor not for the meat which perish, but for that meat which endure unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

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May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you today.

Note: Bible passages are all in King James Version.

Inspirations

Why do I Envy the Rich? Part 1

Why should we envy the rich? Should we?

Before I elaborate my answers let me explain first the preceding ideas. I used the word envy that means  being jealous of what others have. You covet. You desire something that doesn’t belong to you. Thus, is to envy evil then?

Certainly not, emotions are emotions. They are neither good nor bad. They are feelings that tend to arise and flows naturally to each and everyone of us. It is part of being you and me. But emotions for sure like envy has a huge impact to our words and actions. They can be very bad if you let it control over you. When we execute our emotions that is when judgment enters the picture. Our motives and actions determine us.  God indeed will be our righteous judge.

Please read full explanations first why can I say that I envy the wealthy. If I will envy the rich there is only one sole reason.

Psalms 98:9 KJV –Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Even God Himself was named Jealous, He is a jealous God. Is He evil then? Absolutely not. He wants to be worshipped alone and He wants us to give our very best. If God can be jealous at times then we can be jealous at times too. The real questions are: when and how should we envy?

Exodus 34:14 KJV – For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

Emotions can either be positive or negative it depends on how we treat and act on them. Anything in excess should be avoided including emotions as well. How about wrath? Does God feel wrath? What does He do with wrath? Through His wrath He exercises His justice and fairness.

Romans 1:18 KJV – For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

He never uses wrath in excess and does not encourage us to be too emotional.

Proverbs 29:11 KJV – A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

Psalms 103:9 KJV – He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

Being angry sometimes is acceptable when you don’t commit any sin and let it stay in your heart for the shortest duration. But being angry most of the time or for no reason at all  is a different story.

Ephesians 4:26 KJV – Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Some believe that being perfect is exactly as “to be perfect” – being flawless or faultless. If that’s what it means then no one can/will be perfect in this lifetime. Since we are full of limitations and weaknesses.  I only know one who became a perfect man – our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Peter 2:21-22 KJV – For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth

Anyone who won’t acknowledge his imperfections has more flaws than he thinks. Nobody won’t ask for help when he don’t feel like needing one. How can he ask when he don’t know what to ask? The most difficult challenge when buying was finding something you can’t describe because you’ve never seen nor heard of it yet. It is something you never knew existed.  How can you ask and buy that thing in any store?

You will not pray if you don’t believe in prayers. You might experiment to close your eyes and say some words but that is not the right way of praying. It becomes utterly useless and ineffective without faith.

Romans 10:14 KJV – How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

We have to acknowledge things about us so we can start asking and seeking. We have to accept who we really are before we can accept and believe that there is a Creator of everything. In order to have faith in Him we must feel the need of Him and start acknowledging our vulnerabilities. We need to come closer as He did that beforehand by giving us grace thru believing the gospel. We need to seek Him first before we can enjoy His help and guidance. We need Him never the other way around. He can replace us anytime He wants. We are just ordinary servants of God. If  King Saul lost his royalty because of disobedience how much easier God can deny us. He is God and we are mere men who should  submit to His will to gain favor.

However, if you wanted to be an extraordinary and exceptional servant of God, we need to begin somewhere. Let us start small by accepting who we are. Being a parent, no one can be as good as our children. They are irreplaceable and priceless to us. The same with God, we should perform and do extremely well to please God exceedingly. Thus, we being replaceable becomes irreplaceable. Though He gave us the right to become His sons. It is still up to us to grab and prove that we are worthy to be part of His family. And if God did accept and confirmed our destiny no one can take us away from His hand. Obedience is and always been the key.

The second part will explain briefly, why do I envy the rich. Should we envy the rich? Do we need to envy the  rich? What should we envy from the wealthy?

Please click here for part 2 – Why do I envy the rich?

John 1:12 KJV – But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Exodus 19:5 KJV –Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Proverbs 15:20 KJV  – A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

Romans 8:31 KJV – What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

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May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you today.