Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Devotional Snapshot 68 - Poverty

"How is it, Father Gerry, that Haitian people have such a deep faith in God? When there's so little food and few jobs and no doctors or running water, I'd think that after a while, a person might reject the idea of God, or at least a loving and just God."

He smiled. I could tell he liked this question.

"God is the first and the last resource here. We feel God's presence more and more, because there is nobody else some days who can sustain us to allow us to survive. It's only God..."
On That Day Everybody Ate Margaret Trost pgs. 53-54


"What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death..." Philippians 3: 8-10

Poverty stricken people around the world may not be the poorest. There is a poorness of spirit in America. We are rich in every comfort and yet, poor in trust, poor in hope, poor in joy.

Today I got up from a soft, clean bed to a hot shower. I made a pecan carmel cup of coffee, sprinkled blueberries and walnuts over my oatmeal. I turned on the TV and casually watched the mayhem in the dangerous world while I sat safely in my bermed home. I washed the clothes by merely pushing buttons. My drinking water is sterile and comes at a touch into my dish washer cleaned glass. My cabinets are full of food and my stomach rarely feels hunger pangs.

With all of this at my disposal, I still envy the faith and utter dependence...the absolute necessity for God to show up in their lives or they will not live... of my Christian brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. Losing all things to gain Christ is more than a fair trade.

Is it possible to live with a lot of stuff and still be living with wild, loving dependence on our Maker?

Teach me, dear Lord, to trust You more. Teach me to praise You. Teach me to consider everything a loss except for the precious knowledge and fellowship of You.

What do you think? Are we missing something?

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