Read: 1Timothy 6:6-10 (NLT)
Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
The welfare system in the United States is often a common topic for social debate. One of the biggest points of debate is that the rich keep giving to the poor and the poor keep taking. We all know there are two sides to every story but it seems when it comes to this argument, we often forget there are two sides.
As my faith has grown over the years I have learned the truth of this social argument. That truth? Nothing we have was ours to begin with. It can be taken from us as quickly as we received it. The Great Depression in the 1930’s was a good example of just that. Everything we have comes from God. If we think any differently, we have chosen to worship what we have instead of who gave it to us to begin with.
As Jesus walked the earth, He deeply cared for the poor, the lowly, the unseen. There are many examples of Jesus giving sight to the blind, touching the leper, and healing the sick. How can we, who were given everything we have, decide that those less fortunate are not worthy when Jesus himself felt they were?
We have been instructed to change the world in His name. To do that we need to allow God to change our hearts and minds, cast out partiality, and remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40 “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
