What is Rich?

Sitting on my desk is a copy of the seminal work on Christian Social Justice, Ron Sider's "Rich Christians in a World of Hunger". Our Family Way devotions last week were centered on covetousness, and this week on giving. After a time, you begin to think that God might be speaking to you.

Admittedly, I have mixed feelings about Rob Bell, but I have to confess that three years ago, this video rocked my world:



Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote:

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:

"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
2 Cor 9:6-11 (NIV)

So many times this passage has been high-jacked in a lame attempt to baptize materialism, to justify the conspicuous consumption of consumerist church goers who on Sundays often give more thought to whether their outfit will crossover to the Mall after service than what God might want them to do with their lives.

The Hatian quake sent tremors through my soul. The evening afterward we say down to supper, and I found myself saying a short grace after every single bite of food on my plate, it was the most pensive meal I have ever received.

God has indeed been good to us. Here in the States, a homeless man has a greater net worth than a good percentage of the global population. Our families throw away more food in a day than some people see in a week. If we even have utilities we are "loaded" from a global perspective.

So, if you are reading this from Western soil, thank God, because no matter what your situation is you are loaded.