Rich man. Poor man.

I’m the richest guy in town.  I have a big house.  A big SUV.  I eat three meals a day.  And I have all the clothes I need.  If my kids get sick, I can afford the best medical care.  They are well-educated and their future prospects are bright.   But that’s when I’m in the village. 

When I’m in the U.S., I’m one of the poorest guys in town.  I drive an old car.  I live in a borrowed house.  My kids dress in clothes that are just slightly out of style.  My retirement plan is a joke.

Despite that I truly do feel rich all the time.  Living cross-culturally for the last ten years has taught me the meaning of Paul’s words to the Philippians:

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

(Philippians 2:12-13, NIV)

People often quote these verses separately but they should be read together.  The key to contentment is God’s strength working in us.  Our wealth is the limitless resources of an omnipotent God.

Africa is not poor because she lacks “stuff.”  She’s poor to the extent that she is not tapping into the riches of God’s strength.  And we in the West are fooling ourselves when we think we are poor because we don’t have all the “stuff” our neighbor has.  We are poor because we mistake “stuff” for true riches.

Two verses from Revelations show this contrast:

To the Church in Smyrna:

I know your afflictions and your poverty–yet you are rich! (2:9, NIV)

To the Church in Laodicea:

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (3:17, NIV)

Have you discovered the secret to limitless wealth?  It isn’t multiple streams of income.  Instead it’s “streams of living water.” (John 7:38, NIV)