Are You A Poor Rich Person?

I know it's been said before, but here it is again: We are rich. Many of us refuse to believe it... and we'd use our checking account balance sheets or our 401 (K) statements as proof. But, when we look at the bigger picture, the truth is evident. Looking at the world as a whole, we are exceedingly rich. Chan gives us something to really think about in the book:

"If one hundred people represent the world's population, fifty-three of those would live on less that $2 a day. Do you realize that if you make $4,000 a month, you automatically make one hundred times more than the average person on this planet? Simply by purchasing this book, you spent what a majority of people in the world will make in a week's time.

"Which is more messed up- that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich? That on any given day we might flippantly call ourselves 'broke' or 'poor'? We are neither of those things. We are rich. Filthy rich." p. 89.

This morning, I woke up at 3:43 am. It's actually been happening a lot lately. So, I've been trying to use my time wisely... spending it in prayer. I've been praying a lot lately. In fact, I've prayed more this past summer than I have in my entire life. There always seems to be this debate of whether or not prayer is effective. And, in an effort to not deviate from today's subject too much, I will say this: I do believe that God answers prayers and I do believe that prayer also strengthens our connection with Him. But, for me, my time in prayer this summer has truly opened my heart and my mind to what God wants for my life... BUT, that doesn't mean that I'm on the same page as God... but I'm getting there.

On this particular morning, my prayer time was focused on two things: my ministry and my lifestyle. Right now, I feel like God is wanting me to focus my ministry, especially at church. So, I'm asking Him to show me where I should be. With my lifestyle, I'm begging Him to reveal to me the things of THIS world that I'm holding on to... those things that are keeping me from a deeper relationship with Him. All I can say is this: If you pray this, make sure you're ready to let go of these things. There are a few things that I feel God telling me right now: #1- I AM RICH... which means He was talking to me when He said that the rich WILL NOT inherit the kingdom of heaven. #2- I'm letting things in this world form my perception of reality... meaning that, or course, compared to Donald Trump, I'm not rich.

Yes, my husband and I have a hard time paying our bills right now. His new job has sliced our monthly income by a third. And, yes, I'm ashamed to admit that both of us CONSTANTLY refer to ourselves as being broke, or poor... and compared to Donald Trump, we are poor. But, we are anything but! We live in a nice house, we drive nice cars, we vacation every year for two weeks at Disney World. This morning, my husband and I spent about 20 minutes talking about today's blog... what I was going to write, what I felt God has been revealing to me, and I will share with you what I said to him:

I feel as if, being raised in this society, it's exceedingly more difficult to remove the yoke(s) of this world, especially the hold that money has on us. Difficult... but not impossible! For us, the journey started two years ago. During this time, through my husband's job, God graciously revealed that prestige and money really mean nothing, especially when they come at the expense of spending time with your family. Because of this lesson, my husband now has a job that pays significantly less... but we see him so much more! Now, God is truly pressing upon us that this sacrifice is not complete until we change how we live our lives. I'm not sure what that looks like now, but I have no doubt that God will reveal it. He wants nothing more than for us to align our hearts with His. If nothing else, pray for that and see what He reveals!

THE PUSH

Spend some time this weekend having an honest conversation with yourself, and with your spouse, if you have one... about whether you are "rich." Where does your definition of rich come from? Do you consider yourself "poor" or refer to yourself as "broke?"... at least before reading this! Start the conversation... and definitely invite God to sit in!