Poverty is a Thief

Poverty is a thief and it steals many things. Poverty steals life and causes premature death due to not having access to things like clean drinking water, vitamins, medicine and nutritious foods. I see this all over the world and have just had a fresh look at it in Uganda, Africa. I was just recently with Impact Nations in Uganda. We visited a hospital, the conditions were horrible. The mattresses were stained with blood and some of them didn’t have sheets. The patients were not fed by the hospital; the families of the patients were responsible for feeding the sick. Which means many of them didn’t eat very much, and what they did eat lacked nutritional value that affects, or should I say infects, the recovery process.

Poverty steals dignity. In many developing nations you will see many people walking barefoot, which causes unnecessary back and leg pain. It also heightens the likelihood of infections and worms. I know you are saying what is the big deal of an infection or worms? Well in a developing nation where many people have little to no money it’s the difference between life and death. I know I was born to see poverty lifted off people, families, communities and nations. I believe you also are a solution to many people who are suffering; the question is can you hear them? Do you see them? The Bible says, “the poor man cried and the Lord heard them.” That is amazing but you have the mind of Christ, can you hear them, do you see them? If you do hear them and see them what are you going to do about it? When we have a Kingdom value system we can see Jesus in the face of the poor and needy. We can see Jesus in the man who is doing life in prison, we can see Jesus in the face of the man who is undocumented and lives with a false identity. My question to you is can you see Jesus? If we can’t see the Jesus of Matthew 25:35, we will not be ready for the Jesus of Revelation 19:11.

While I was in Uganda with Impact Nations we visited a prison. I got to preach the Gospel with to the barefoot prisoners about how Jesus will identify himself with prisoners on judgment day. When I gave them an opportunity to confess their sins and except Jesus more than 80% of them did. Our love for Jesus is not just seen in our singing, shouting, praying and Bible reading. It is seen in our love or lack thereof for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the prisoner and the most vulnerable to oppression because of lust and greed. This doesn’t just mean the poor it means the unborn as well. Our love for Jesus is seen in our concern for the poor and the perishing. The poor of the earth know how much we really love Jesus.

Seeing from Jesus’ perspective is a must. Jesus defined poverty and sickness as evil. Jesus was speaking in parable form; His topic was heaven and hell. There was a rich man in hell and a poor man in Abraham’s bosom. Listen to Jesus describe the poor man’s plot in life. Luke 16:25 KJV “But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.” The evil things that Lazarus received in this life were hunger and sickness. The issue wasn’t that the rich man had money; the issue with the rich man is he didn’t help someone when he was perfectly able to. Complacency and indifference to suffering humanity will put people in hell forever. Often when hell is mentioned it is not in the same context Jesus used it in. I wonder how the Father feels when he sees his kids playing safe Christianity while people created in his image rot in hospital beds with a blood stained mattresses while dying with the aids virus. A church that doesn’t do justice and love mercy is simply not walking humbly with their God. Failing to do justice means we are not righteous. A direct fruit of righteousness is justice. A church that only prays justice and doesn’t do justice has no real prophetic voice. The strength of our voice is heard or should I say seen in our actions. Failing to act on what God values means we are hypocrites.

If poverty and sickness is defined as evil then let’s get God’s heart and begin to destroy the works of the devil instead of singing songs in church “like the devil is raging, I don’t want to be sleeping.” If you don’t want to be sleeping wake up and do something for people who will never do something for you. The signature of Jesus is doing things for people who will never do anything for you in return. The signature of Jesus is to forgive people who aren’t sorry just yet. The fact that all some people want to do is go to church and pray and sing isn’t the most positive thing. It actually shows or should I say reveals that people who only are concerned with religious activities that are self orientated are actually insecure about their salvation. Being sure of our salvation means we live for Jesus through serving others who don’t yet know him. That is not the call of an Evangelist it is a command to all Christians. Prayer is essential in the life of the believer, but prayer that doesn’t lead to action actually exposes un-belief. Instead of praying just to pray, pray what God would have you to do.

Meditate on this verse and do as the Holy Spirit says. Obedience will change your heart and someone else’s life. So go for it today because yesterday is over and tomorrow is not promised.

1 John 3:18 KJV “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”