Sunday, September 12, 2010

WE MUST HELP THE POOR: C.J.Mathews Sankarathil



I have helped people to talk to the poor and not just about the poor " : Mother Teresa
Will God bless me with wealth if I am a good Christian? Not necessarily, but this is an understandable point of confusion. Parts of the Old Testament make statements to the effect that God shows favor to the righteous by giving them wealth. In the book of Proverbs we read, “The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble” (Proverbs 15:6), and, “The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it” (Proverbs 10:22). As with all passages of Scripture, though, context must be taken into account. The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom sayings, observations about how God’s world works. In other words, the proverbs are principles (how things normally go) rather than promises (how things will certainly go for you). While it is generally true that obedience and faithful stewardship lead to prosperity, it is quite inappropriate for any one person to presume on this rule of thumb, or to make demands of God. God does not promise us a life free of troubles, financial or otherwise. Quite to the contrary, Jesus warns, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33a). Jesus suffered greatly on our behalf, and it is only natural that his followers should share in his suffering. But he goes on, “Take heart. I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b).

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