The Increasing Poverty, What to Do? By Kelly Durant
Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.Matthew 26:11 “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always”.
2. I believe I have already told you this story about a rich man that decided to help a homeless man. He thought if he cleaned him up, fed him and gave him a chance for a job so his life would turn around. He brought him home, chose some fine clothes for him and said, “Go ahead, take a shower and then come to dinner.” The man came to dinner and ate a big steak and during the meal the rich man noticed that there was still that smell of rank body odor. He asked the man, “You did enjoy the shower, right?” He replied, “Yes.” Then he asked the homeless man, “What did you do with your old clothes?” He then replied, “Oh thank you for the new suit but I thought it would be a pity to throw away my old clothes so I put them on under this new suit!”
Well, this is a perfect illustration of how hard it is to bring about a mental change in the lives of those that are accustomed to living poor! Selfishness and possessiveness is the same with the rich or the poor, of not letting go when needed! I have been reading many articles on poverty lately as it has always concerned me how to help people live a life more in peace, blessed and not so stressed about money and the things in life. Currently there is a 49% or more group of people in the U.S. that get financial aid. For every one person working, one is paying higher taxes to cover for the poverty or welfare of the other one not working! Take note that when 70% of the population went to church in the 70’s, there was a lot fewer people in poverty (less than 12%), so the decline in the material wealth is connected with the decline of the spiritual and mental. I think all of us as Christians want to help others to live more blessed in life, and Christians in general usually ascend to a higher wealth class than others just from living right and helping!
The dynamic of too many poor has created a dangerous resentment in our society, and making it worse poverty is politicized to make people believe that their poverty is a product of a certain political party, or due to racism, sexism, and whatever “ism” you want to label. The blame of poverty seems to never fall back on the person themselves being responsible for their own actions, so what is to blame? According to most research groups the individual carries the largest part of the blame for their own rich or poor condition but it is a hard fact that the governing laws and community conditions do create the stifling box within which the person has to function. Many laws and taxes are designed to keep the populus poor.
3. So people wonder about Jesus words; what did He mean by this statement… Matthew 26:11 “For ye have the poor always with you; (but me ye have not always)”. Does this imply there will never be a cure the poverty problem? The poor we still have with us, about 5 billion! But Jesus was not cruelly putting it within a context of a loving God loving to see people in suffering and poverty, but rather He was emphasizing the reign of evil systems and that of personal responsibility. It is a human provoked condition that due to the sin in this world is not going away fast enough. God loves the poor and they have a place in heaven; Jesus described beggar Lazarus having had dogs lick his sores as going on to rest with Father Abraham whereas the rich man who gave him crumbs to eat on earth went on to hell. Luke 16:19-26.
The situation has always been this: people, not God, create poverty! Always when we explore issues we must include all other examples, and where do we find another example of Jesus referring to someone destitute and poor? With the prodigal son! What provoked his poverty? He was rich so what caused him to lose it all? One simple answer, sin! All the partying, all the rebellion, all the wastefulness drove him to eating the same food as the pigs! His fault, right?
Some poverty is unavoidable though being provoked by outside conditions and it is not always a result of the direct action of the person: these other impoverishing disasters may include war, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, a terminal sickness, or a corrupt anti-god government or mafia rule exploiting the local people, etc.
4, So, what’s your attitude towards the poor? Do you judge all the poor as guilty sinners unworthy of your attention because they should be responsible and pay for their own sins? Hatred is described in Proverbs 14:20 “The poor is hated even of his own neighbor: but the rich hath many friends”. Many people I have met will never help the poor not because of their race but rather because of their own personal issues of pride. People that grew up around poverty often avoid the poor because the poor remind them of their past of which they are embarrassed! Many people avoid their families when they have money! We all see that!
Prosperous arrogant indifferent people will pay a big price for being uncompassionate! Warn others of this verse… Proverbs 21:13 “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.” All Christians have the mission to help others in their need despite their sins or what opinion exists of the person. We really will never know the whole story of their life and only God is the judge! An unforeseen event could happen to you or to anyone of us one day! So ‘judge not, so you be not judged’, calamity could happen to you.
So here are some of the factors identified that are producing poverty covered so far:
A. We are born in a broken world with broken mentalities so poverty continues,
B. it is brought on by individuals who live in sinful wasteful lifestyles,
C. It continues not sufficiently alleviated due to the uncompassionate and judgmental people,
D. It is brought on by major disasters or crisis,
E. Plus it may be the product of the greed or political agendas of the governing authorities.
5. These are a few of the many factors that could explain why the ever increasing poverty is all around us in every city. So how are we as loving compassionate Christians going to deal with the issues involving poverty? What can you do as an individual to help another individual who is hurting? Well, first start with our own self and attitude and actions. Proverbs 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. Generous people always seem to have friends as we reap what we sew.
Are you sufficiently empathetic to those suffering around you? How do we keep the commandment above all commandments? Luke 10:27 And he answering said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” If all people started caring for those around them with a love like this then there would be a revolution and it would solve all the world’s problems, financially and spiritually! It is always more blessed to give than to receive!
6. Let’s deal with each issue one by one. The first issue is the one of a mentality stuck in the rut of poverty, an enslaving attitude of defeat and discouragement that one will never escape out of the underclass. But faith in God is the solution to everything! Jesus brings a change of heart, then a renovation of the mind and attitude. We count on the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit to bring about all the needed changes! It is a process to learn to prosper in all ways!
People who claim God’s promises get answers! Here is a good one…Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Good success and prosperity comes from obeying God! The mental hurdle to overcome is to believe that God wants you living blessed!
7. The next issue, how can we deal with people who become poor due to their lifestyle of sin? What are the consequences provoked by personal irresponsibility? Laziness can sure provoke a lack of funds! Poverty comes to those involved in a life of addiction to drugs or alcohol or gambling. Poverty comes from credit abuse with an addiction to materialism buying what one cannot afford. Sin always involves selfishness which produces wastefulness by not applying the money where it should go. I have known of cases where a person gets an expensive tattoo spending the rent money thinking someone else should pay for it, and some people get plastic surgery just for pride and vanity while disregarding the impending needs of the home and kids! A lot of poverty exists because people have uncontrollable selfish appetites for a sin that consumes away most all of their personal resources leaving nothing for basic needs.
Another sin preventing God’s blessings could be that of living in a lifestyle of a perverted sin that offends God. People may try to justify that their sin that it is legal by man’s law but that does not make it right with God! Also, people who verbally and physically abuse their mates and children invite a curse on their own selves as well. Living cursed without God’s blessing brings on the consequences of poverty and a punishment. The solution is to reverse everything about one’s life in repentance with a total change to a blessed life by clean living and a holy lifestyle!
When thinking of those disobedient and degrading into poverty we are reminded of the Israelites in Egypt. First, Abraham and his family of 11 escaped famine and poverty to the land of prosperity, Egypt. Take note of this interesting factor; to escape poverty from a disaster you may be forced to relocate! Joseph, Abraham’s son thought to be dead, had become a prince and he saved the family and provided for them and they started out rich again. But over time, over several hundreds of years their descendants became poor due to their sin and slavery under the Egyptians until God called Moses to lead them to the rich Promised Land. Rich to poor and back again is the cycle of families and people depending on how they are obeying or disobeying God!
8. Now let’s explore compassion for the poor. Historically around the world, what has been the means of support for a poor, blind, or disabled person? Begging! In most all societies beggars are often able to survive, even though they live poor, by the coins that compassionate people throw in their cups. The more developed Western Christian societies however took it a step further and they created foundations and non-profits to provide a better life for those less fortunate. Proverbs 11:25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. The USA’s people, historically, have been an example of generosity.
The United States has produced the most generous, compassionate, giving people on earth! According to the NCCS Table Wizard, there are currently over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States! That is 335 billion dollars helping others every year! (The sad contrast is our government wastes an estimated 600 billion dollars per year!) Other countries with a population of far fewer compassionate Christians respectively have far fewer organizations serving those suffering. In all South America the orphanages, the blind schools, The Salvation Army, and most charities depend on money from the U.S. or abroad to subsidize their operations! I have been to 100 hundred of these places and I know what they need!
So basically compassionate people, being mostly prosperous Christians in the United States, have been the ones to sustain a bulk of all of the help to the poor in the world! But still in the USA there are evil cities that have a record of not being very compassionate in their giving and you can google that and notice that they are the cities with the worst sin issues. Sadly, in general more and more people are becoming less giving and less compassionate as faith declines. Some people think it is the government’s job to provide for the poor but if up to 90% of the money is getting wasted in administration fees, not the cause, why continue? Doesn’t the Government pay billions of dollars in bonuses to their own of their own political party in these jobs in the name of helping the poor? Has any government lately proven to be effective being clean from corruption? No! The tax payers should voice that the non-profits should run all the social services since government waste is at an all-time high! It’s in the $ trillions!
9. Instant poverty takes over after a disaster or any kind! I have seen this dozens of times and served near thousands of homes reduced to rubble after a tornado, flood, or some type of disaster. Imagine your whole life’s work being lost in only 10 minutes or in just a few hours! Then the distressed person has to find a shelter to live in a few weeks and start all over! Also, earthquakes, fires, a theft, and civil unrest will cause all things to be lost. People always wonder about why God let’s things happen in certain places to certain people and we will not know why until we are in heaven. There is always a purpose, but in the meantime shouldn’t we all serve in the Salvation Army (or with somebody) to alleviate the suffering when it happens?
What many of us may forget to factor in are life changing crisis such as a divorce, a death, or a terrible illness as these can also provoke a personal disaster that reduces one to poverty. The loss of a house mortgage or a job loss always brings about further problems. Many people have gone through personal disasters and these can provoke a lethargic depression and more complications taking one away from normal productive duties reducing income.
So in the end, everyone seems to go through some type of trial in life similar to that of Job in the Bible. Trails in this fallen, broken world full of sin are inevitable! God wants us to strengthen our faith and look to Him. 1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: In the end God wants us healthy, wealthy, and wise! For the righteous, like Job, God does restore what gets lost after the passing of the test!
10. And on the last point, this world is filled with devils and many empires of evil oppressing all people in every land! Ecclesiastes 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. God will one day judge all the oppressors of the poor, who have made their selves powerful and rich from exploiting them!
The systems of today are set up for the rich to get richer and the poor poorer no matter the name of the system “-ism”. This has been happening even more over the past century in all countries. Excessive taxation, fines, extortions, bribes, unfair wages, and oppressions of all kinds plague all government systems! How sad for the ones who get rich as they lose it all when they die! Luke 18:24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God”! Instead of helping the poor as Jesus wanted this rich young ruler to do, he selfishly hoarded it only to lose it and heaven in the end!
There is no point in mentioning all the evil systems in this country as everyone is aware of them, the drug trade, sex trade, the exploitation of labor, pornography, gambling, mafia extortions, and on and on. The government is involved in evil trades as well such as arms sales, targeted taxations, etc, and all of these added together is money equal to trillions! God knows Christians denounce all of these evil practices which shift money away from the poor inducing more poverty and this is why they get persecuted and silenced! Christians are hated for being honest, moral, and bold to speak up! Corrupt unrepentant sinners hate truth and light because it slows or stops their evil agendas!
11. So how are we to live in this world? Happiness is an attitude! Just for the fact we are together here means you have connections and a Christian family that love you and will help you when in need! Some poor precious people I have known in Bolivia and elsewhere seem to laugh more and be more happy than the people here in the USA with more money! Many people here have riches by illusion as they don’t really own anything because they owe it all on their credit! These next verses can guide us, to understand we are not poor…
Proverbs 11:28 He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.
Proverbs 13:7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches
Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.
Proverbs 30:8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
We must face the fact that with all the sin in the world, there will always be poverty! No government or charity money will ever fix it or make wealthier the lifestyle of someone that participates in evil things never getting satisfied! We all should always be willing to help others in their need! Remember how Jesus touched Zacchaeus? Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. What a revolution that would cause if all rich people did what he did! The 1 %rs who are the politicians and company owners could redistribute trillions to the billions if they got touched by Jesus! Some companies actually do pay fair wages while others are just evil exploiters. However, I know not many rich share in this type of utopian dream so the systems of the rich vs the poor will still reign until Jesus returns! We have a big job to keep on serving those in poverty and in need in the meantime! The poor we will have with us always!
The last thought, we should never judge any person when they are in a poor condition because that could be one of us one day! God expects all Christians to live holy honest lives being prudent, frugal, and generous to help God’s work and others in need! We are spiritually guided that wealth is so much more than money! God’s blessings and riches are on the faithful and holy forever in heaven! Claim his promises! 1 Chronicles 29:12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Trust God for his supply and no matter if you are in the fat cows era or in the thin cows era, you will always be alright and protected by Him! Ask Jesus in your heart if you haven’t yet, and if something spoke to you, let it change you so you live more blessed!
