blown away

Two times in my life (that I can remember) have I ever been so blown away by a sermon that I actually stayed in my seat for 5 or 10 minutes afterward. The first time this happened was last October when I was listening to a pastor named Francis Chan preaching at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. The second time happened just a few days ago as I was in my car listening to a sermon given a month ago by David Platt. Both times, they involved the Christian's biblical response to the poor.

I want to caution you. Some of you may think you know where I'm going with this blog, that Bec and I exemplify your typical married couple that is learning how to live for God while starting married life dirt poor, like most couples. This, however, is not my aim. Instead, I have again started walking down a journey that God started with me a little over a year ago. I'm not quite sure how I fell off the wagon, but I gradually grew away from that journey in all that was going on with me leaving a church, moving back home to Birmingham, preparing for a wedding, and moving to New Orleans. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that God has led me back to that journey. And, I feel led to share it with you. I warn you, though. It may not be easy to hear.

In the beginning of this journey, God began to open my eyes to what He says in the Bible about the poor. This probably does not come as a shocker to most people, but God cares about the poor. The part that may shock some of us, including myself, is the realization that we are rich. And I'm not just refering to the upper middle class individuals who live in 5 bedroom houses in the rich area of town. I include in the category the single mom who works two jobs, the college student struggling to get by, and the four person family struggling to make endsmeat. Because, when compared to the world, even these are considered rich. Afterall, they are not dying of starvation and preventable disease like many in the world are. The reality is that what we pay to get a meal at McDonald's is more than what some people in the world have to live on in a week's time, some even longer.

Why do I bring this up? Because God cares about the poor. And those of us who are Christians have been charged with caring about what God cares about. Just consider these things Jesus said:

- It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:23)

- Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me...I tell you truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (Matthew 25:41-43, 45)

There are more passages that deal with this topic, but I think Jesus' point is clear - If God cares about the poor, then how can you say you know and love God if you do not care for the poor?

I can't say that I have all of this worked out in my head right now or what it is supposed to look like in my life. All of this is just a huge part of a practical realization that everything in my life should revolve around bringing glory to God - and this includes my bank account and my budget. And if God cares about the poor, then that should be taken into account.