30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 14 12-14 Friend of the poor 02 The poor are rich in faith
📖 Luke 14:12-14
30Nov19 - *The poor are rich in faith* - _Luke 14:12-14_ - Bible reading: _James 2:1-6_
_Luke 14:12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid._
We have now begun a fresh study from _Luke 14:12-14_, which we have titled as *Friend of the poor*.
The lesson we learnt yesterday was that God is merciful and kind to the unthankful and evil. We are the children of our Father in heaven and so we carry His qualities and traits.
As Christ is so are we in this world _I John 4:17_ This is the Church. We are here be like Jesus.
_Matthew 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust._ He is good to the evil and on the good and so are we to be.
_Matthew 5:48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect._ This perfection cannot be achieved by the flesh, for the flesh is in enmity against God. This life of being like Jesus, can only be possible in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. As we flow in the strength of the Holy Spirit, operating through us, we become spectators of God’s character and nature being outworked from within us.
_Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children._ Can we make this our life goal, to be imitators of God?
James is giving for us a case study of the outworking of God. _James 2:1-6 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. (2) For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, (3) and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," (4) have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (5) Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? (6) But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?_
Why are the poor special to God? *The poor are rich in faith*. It is very easy for the poor man to exercise faith in God for he has nothing else on which he can place his trust. Whereas, for the rich, life becomes complicated, for the material and the success symbols of the world, are pulling and compelling him to place his trust on them. The material takes the place of God in a rich man’s life. This is the distinction between the rich and the poor. The distinction is the matter of faith or trust.
This is why the Lord said in _Mark 10:24-25 And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who *trust* in riches to enter the kingdom of God! (25) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."_
*Thought to ponder*
```The poor are our tutors for they teach us to have faith in God.```