Becoming Rich in Faith
James 2:5
James 2:5
“Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?
Keeping in the context of the four previous verses describing the church as discriminating against the poor we find James asking a rhetorical question: “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” Let’s break down this verse into pieces to help us understand it better. God chose the poor but the church is rejecting the poor. God sees value in the poor but the church, in our example, finds no value in the poor. The poor have always been close to the heart of God because their needs are so great. The poor cannot use money to solve their problems like the wealthy can. The poor have always demonstrated a reliance on God to meet their needs while the rich tend to trust in their wealth. Therefore God exalts the poor for their faith while the church exalts the rich and powerful in James’ church.
Let me give you a personal example: I was working two jobs trying to make ends meet. My wife had recently gone through colon cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation… and therefore she was unable to work. Every month I would try to pay the bills but there was just not enough money to meet our needs.
Here’s how the Lord works. First my wife and I prayed continually. We verbalized God’s sovereignty and control over our situation, His love for us, and His promises to meet our needs. We continued to tithe 10% of our income every week and we kept our promise to support the missionary family we had made a commitment to each month. I wish I could say I did not worry over my finances but there were days of stress and depression… but I never gave up on my God.
One day I was asked to give my testimony in a men’s group at church, so I decided to talk about trusting God through the toughest times of our lives. I just wanted others who may be suffering through various problems to know they were not alone. At the end of the evening many of the men expressed their thanks and prayers for sharing… it was a great evening. I did not expect anything to happen… I was just grateful for the opportunity to share my heart.
A few days later I found my wife in tears sitting at the table with all the bills scattered across the table. Our budget just could not handle our basic needs and we had accumulated a total of $1900 of unpaid debt over the past 6 months. She was upset and I, as the man and provider of the house, felt like an utter failure. We prayed about the situation and left it in God’s hands. The following Sunday she informed me that if we paid our tithe we would only have $1… and that’s the truth… one… one dollar would be left in the bank until our next payday. She asked what we should do and I told her we could not stop trusting the Lord now… it was a pivotal point in our life. This was a test of faith.
God chose the poor in this world to be “rich in faith” and I was scared. As I said it was a pivotal point in our life. I had two choices: 1) Trust in myself and keep my tithe for groceries and bills, which would be disobedience to God, or 2) Trust in God to meet my needs and be obedient to His command in my tithes and offerings. I put the check into the offering plate and silently whispered, “I hope you know what you are doing Lord.”
The next day I was at the church working. I had a part time custodial job cleaning in the evenings. During my shift one of the pastors stopped by and said he had a card for me from the men’s group I had spoken to. He handed me the card and I gratefully accepted it putting the envelope in my pocket. The Pastor stopped me and said, “No I want you to open it now and read it.” So I took the envelope back out of my pocket and opened it. The card had a very nice message from the men thanking me….and something else. Inside the card was a check… a check for the exact amount we needed to pay our bills… a check for $1900. I never told anyone how much I needed, just that we were trying to make ends meet financially. I did not become financially rich that night by any means, but I did become rich in faith. God met my needs and brought me into a closer relationship with him. I was rich in faith.
