James 2:1-5

“My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or, ‘Sit here at my footstool,’ have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”

The gospel we believe, we hold to, we live by must, by definition, be the same for both rich and poor or it is not the gospel.

I remember hearing that or reading that a number of years ago. I agreed with it, but it didn’t make a huge impression on my life. Not until recently when my husband and I, by virtue of his losing his job, became among the poor. By federal definitions, my husband and I are homeless because we live in our RV. Our savings is gone, spent trying to hang onto our previous house while my husband looked for work that never materialized. I am so grateful for what the Lord has provided, but we are living among the poor. One car. No money for vacations or clothing or emergencies. Trusting the Lord one day at a time.

Notice the description of the poor man in the passage: “a poor man in filthy clothes.” There is a state of life where one is so poor as to be unable to remain clean, to lack such resources as to simply have the clothes on ones back. And this state can be for a person who is a Christian. When you have no more resources upon which to fall, you trust the Lord for each provision, for what is needed for life each day. And there is a richness in that! Learning that God will not desert us and that being successful in this life (however one defines that) is far less important than looking with anticipation toward the next life.

Some of us have doctrines which would literally cause our faith to fade if we found ourselves in such circumstances. We have convinced ourselves that God has promised us financial prosperity in this life. But if that were true, why would James say what he has said? The fact is that we are rich compared to many in the world and stingy with money that we could give generously to others.

There is a scripture that pastors often use in church to encourage their parishioners to put more into the offering:

“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9:6-8 NKJ).

What’s interesting is that the context of these verses isn’t about giving to the local church at all, but rather preparing a gift to give to a group of people who are poor. The Lord Jesus taught:

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'” (Matthew 25:34-36 NKJ).

The Lord Jesus wants us to reach out and minister to the poor, not only because they are poor, but because they are our brothers and sisters. He wants the gospel to include those who are dirty and frightened, homeless and hungry. If our gospel doesn’t include everyone in every situation, then it can’t be the gospel, the good news. For who needs the good news more than the person who has no hope for this life and needs hope for the next?

© 2010 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.