Against Entropy

My seventeen-year old daughter and I took an evening walk together hand-in-hand a couple days ago, and I asked her what she had been learning in school. She began to tell me what she was learning about entropy in science, so we discussed it a bit. Then this morning I had a dream in which I saw the words, "Against entropy," so I decided to write this article about it.

The second law of thermodynamics states that "the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time. The total entropy can remain constant in ideal cases where the system is in a steady state (equilibrium), or is undergoing a reversible process." In order to understand that definition, you must know what entropy is.

Entropy is "a thermodynamic quantity representing the unavailability of a system's thermal energy for conversion into mechanical work, often interpreted as the degree of disorder or randomness in the system." So for layman's purposes, entropy could be defined simply as the degree of disorder in a system. Or entropy could be defined as "a lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder." Some synonyms for entropy are deterioration, degeneration, crumbling, decline, degradation, decomposition, breaking down, and collapse.

Using my simplified definitions for entropy, my layman's definition of The Second Law of Thermodynamics, (which may not be technically and precisely correct), is that "the total degree of disorder in a system can never decrease over time, but generally increases." Put differently, "Everything is generally moving from a state of order to disorder." Or "All things are experiencing a gradual decline into disorder." We could also say that generally speaking, "Everything is undergoing some sort of deterioration, degeneration, crumbling, decline, degradation, decomposition, breaking down, or collapse."

This law should be fairly obvious to most people, as examples of entropy abound all around us. The body of a human or animal that dies decomposes. In fact, even while we are still living we are decomposing! According to kidshealth.org, "Though you can't see it happening, every minute of the day we lose about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells off the surface of our skin. So just in the time it took you to read this far, you've probably lost about 40,000 cells. That's almost 9 pounds (4 kilograms) of cells every year!" Much of the dust you find in your home is made of skin cells. Another example is the way that meat and fruit spoil and decompose. Meat becomes rancid and bacteria grows on it as it decomposes. Fruit goes through a rotting process and ferments. Wood becomes brittle over time and crumbles. Wooden structures that become very old eventually collapse. Trees die and collapse, too. Metal goes through an oxidation process known as rusting, which can eventually leave holes in it. Computers eventually break down. Mental disorders occur, and when people get sick and grow weak, this too is an example of entropy.

We also see the effects of entropy in the world. To borrow the words from a song that was recorded of heavenly angels singing in China during the 1990's in the Mandarin language, "The famines are becoming more and more critical. There are more and more earthquakes. The situation is becoming more and more sinister. People are fighting against each other, nation against nation. Disasters are more and more severe. The whole environment is deteriorating. Disasters are more and more severe. People's hearts are wicked, and they do not worship the true God. Floods and droughts are more and more frequent. There is more and more homosexuality and incurable diseases. The climates are becoming more and more abnormal. The earth is more and more restless. The skies have been broken. The atmosphere is distorted."

The world is experiencing many fearful events, including plane crashes, severe weather, volcanoes, and terrorism. Many strange signs are occurring throughout the world, such as mass animal deaths and water turning blood red. For more on this, please see my articles The Land Mourns in the Last Days, The End Time Plagues, Wars and Rumors of Wars, Cosmic Rays Intensifying, Fukusima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster, The Contractions Are Coming Closer and Closer Together, Something's Going on in 2013, and Something's Going on in 2018.

Who can deny that society is becoming more and more disorderly and that there are more random acts of violence, school shootings and riots in the streets? The crime rates are increasing, divorce is on the rise, families are breaking down, and the love of most is growing cold. For Jesus Himself predicted this would happen in the last days before His return. He said, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." (Mt 24:12, NIV). That too is a type of entropy.

Entropy in Scripture
The Bible speaks of this process. For example, the apostle Paul said, "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now." (Rom 8:20-22). Put simply, all of creation (i.e., everything in the natural realm including plants, animals, bodies of water, the sky or atmosphere, and the earth itself) is subjected to futility and is presently in bondage to corruption. Everything is in slavery to decay, which is exactly what the Second Law of Thermodynamics states.

Grass and flowers are good examples, too. Isaiah prophesied, "The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever." (Isa 40:7-8).

According to the prophet, we as humans are undergoing that same process as the grass and flowers. Likewise, God said to Adam in the garden, "By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return." (Gen 3:19). This is fate of all people, "All came from the dust and all return to the dust." (Ecc 3:20b).

Hell is a place where entropy never ends. Every moment is filled with pain, torment, sorrow, regret, loneliness, and fear. It stinks terribly in hell, because of all the rotten, decaying flesh. The intense heat is unbearable, and the atmosphere is stifling, so you feel like you are suffocating. There is no water to drink, so there is nothing to quench your thirst. It's a place of outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt 8:12, 22:13, 25:30), where the worms that eat them do not die, and the flames are never quenched (Mk 9:44,48). Don't go to that terrible place! Repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ to save you.

The Lord spoke about the things men treasure on earth that are destined to rust, rot, decay, or be stolen. He said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal." (Mat 6:19-20)

The apostle Peter said, "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Pe 1:4, NIV). This means that there is corruption in the world, which is caused by evil desires or lusts. Sin has brought about death to mankind and all creation. But the Lord has given us promises whereby we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world. This means that we can defy entropy.

Defying Entropy

While our earthly life may not last forever and we eventually die, we can have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (Joh 3:16). The Lord said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die." (Joh 11:25-26a).

The apostle Paul taught that eternal life is a gift from God given through Jesus Christ to those who believe in Him. He stated, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:23). On the one hand, sin brings death to people and the rest of creation. This is a kind of pay back for sin. But God has not left us hopeless. He has given a gift that you cannot earn, but can only receive by faith in Jesus Christ, and that gift is eternal life. Hopefully you can see how that defies entropy.

Up in heaven there is no entropy at all. Everything is living. As I said in my article, To Sin or Not to Sin, in heaven there is no death, no pain, no tears or sorrow (Rev 21:4). The city is made of pure gold, as pure as glass (Rev 21:18). Even the great street of the city is made of pure gold (Rev 21:21 ). It's walls are decorated with every kind of precious stone (Rev 21:19). The city shines brightly with the glory of God (Rev 21:11,23). There is a pure river of the water of life there that is clear as crystal, and there are many mansions (Jn 14:2). The tree of life is there, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month (Rev 22:2). There are countless myriads of holy angels, as well as the spirits of righteous men made perfect (Heb 12:22-23; Rev 5:11). There is no sin there, because nothing impure may enter that place, and nobody who does what is shameful or deceitful will ever enter it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life (Rev 21:27). God is reigning over the universe there on his throne at the center of it all, and Jesus Christ sits at his right hand with great power and glory -- with angels, powers, and authorities in submission to Him (1 Pe 3:22).

The people in heaven are all young and healthy, and the grass is all green with no brown spots or withering of any kind. Since there is no death, decay, or entropy of any kind in heaven, there is no dust, dirt, grime, or disease. There is no garbage or waste of any kind. There is no rust, but everything is shiny and new. And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." (Rev 21:5).

The kingdom of heaven is at hand, according to the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." (Mt 3:2, NIV). Consequently, when the kingdom of heaven is at hand, we experience the effects of it here and now. One of those effects is that His kingdom comes into our midst and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven. The glories of heaven are manifested here and now. When the kingdom of heaven is near, it reverses the usual effects of entropy, whereby disorder is normally increasing, not decreasing, and some unusual things can happen. The impossible now becomes possible. Let me give you some examples.

Free Not to Sin

In addition to having eternal life, there is a way to defy entropy while we are still alive on earth. I have alluded to one of them at the end of the last section, which is that the followers of Christ participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world. We have been set free from the law of sin and death and now live by the law of the Spirit of life. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." (Rom 8:2). Once you have been set free from the law of sin and death, you no longer have any obligation to sin. You are free not to sin! "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (Joh 8:36). Your mind is set on the Spirit. which brings about life and peace. "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace." (Rom 8:6).

Abundant Life

As I said in my article, To Sin or Not to Sin, abundant life is a gift that those of us who know Jesus get to enjoy while we are still on earth before we die and go to heaven. Since I came to know Christ thirty-two years ago, I have experienced an abundant life in Christ filled with more joy, laughter, and fun than I could have ever imagined. There have been times when the Holy Spirit has come upon me and I have experienced a holy laughter that was pure and wonderful, unlike anything this world has to offer. Being baptized with the Holy Spirit and living the Spirit-filled life has been far more enjoyable than living that old life of sin and shame. I'm so glad I decided to give my life to Jesus and follow Him in this abundant life, rather than stay in sin. If I had remained in sin, I would never have come to know such joy unspeakable and full of glory! I would have probably ended up dead or in jail eventually, but instead he has blessed me with a wife and children and all the happy moments that we have enjoyed together. He has blessed me with the joy of preaching the gospel in countries around the world, as well as here in the United States, seeing people give their lives to Jesus. I have experienced the glory of His manifest presence, as well as the wonder of seeing people miraculously healed and set free from demons. I am able to sing and rejoice with a clear conscience. Nothing I had before Christ could ever compare with the abundant life He has given to me. This, too, defies entropy, because now there is order and peace, where there once was disorder and confusion.

"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace" (1 Cor 14:33a, NIV). So when you are right with God, order and peace replace disorder and confusion. It is the devil, not God, that brings disorder. The devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus comes that you may have life and that more abundantly (Jn 10:10). 

Casting Out Demons

When demons are cast out, then whatever disorder they have brought into a person's life is also removed. When Jesus cast out the legion of demons from the demoniac, it went completely against the second law of thermodynamics (Mk 5:1-20).

The demons had brought such disorder to that man's life that he was miserable. "Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones." (Mar 5:5). He was like a wild, rabid animal. Nobody could go near him for fear he would hurt them. For a long time the man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. Once Jesus cast the demons out of him, the demons with the Lord's permission went into the roughly two thousand pigs in the nearby herd. Once the demons entered into the pigs, they rushed down a steep embankment into the lake and drowned. Just imagine how miserable that man's life must have been with all those demons inside of him! It's no wonder he acted the way he did. Even the pigs went crazy and hated their lives so much that they all wanted to commit suicide. The demons drove them mad. It was not a good outcome for the pigs that day.

However, look at the outcome for the man who had been demon-possessed and was now delivered. Scripture says that the man was sitting down, clothed and in his right mind (Mar 5:15). No longer was he naked and out of his mind as he had been, but now he was dressed and well composed. He was experiencing total peace the way God intended for him. How wonderful!

Likewise, God has given to those who believe in Jesus the power to cast out demons. He has given us the power to defy and reverse the effects of entropy in specific instances. I have seen and experienced such things firsthand, so I can testify it is really true. Jesus said, "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mar 16:17-18). That passage gives us an excellent picture of how we, by God’s power, can reverse various processes resulting from the second law of thermodynamics.

If you believe in Jesus and have received the baptism with the Holy Spirit, then you will have power to be His witness. Jesus said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."(Act 1:8). Besides the power to cast out demons, here are some other effects of the kingdom of heaven coming near and the power of the Holy Spirit being manifested.

Healing the Sick

Another example is healing. For the Lord promised that those who believe in His name will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. As I said, I have seen this first hand many times, and all the glory belongs to Jesus. The gospels and the book of Acts are full of many examples of Jesus and His apostles healing people of incurable sicknesses and diseases, such as leprosy (a skin disorder), as well as paralysis, blindness, deafness, muteness, hemorrhaging, lameness, and epilepsy (seizures). The Scripture says:

"And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was." (Mar 1:29-34)

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8), so He is still performing healing and miracles like that in the world today through His disciples. Some people deny this and think that everyone with a gift of healing or miracles is a huckster that is pretending to do these things in order to take people's money. That is simply not true. As I said, I can testify to what I have seen with my own eyes, and I can produce other witnesses who can do the same. I know that I am not lying but speaking the truth. Why is it so difficult for people to believe that God can do anything and that He changes not?

Even under the Old Covenant, God made this promise: “The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you.” (Deut 7:15). If God could do this for those under the Old Covenant, who’s to say He can’t do that under the New Covenant, which is founded on better promises, and has a better high priest, and better blood? Why would anyone say that such things that were possible under the Old Covenant are not possible under the New Covenant? The answer is lack of faith and unbelief.

All God’s promises are ‘yes’ in Christ, but we must say the ‘amen.’ The apostle Paul said, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." (2 Cor 1:20, NIV). God has already given us many great and precious promises through which we may participate in the divine nature, and all we need to do is claim them by faith (2 Pe 1:4). As Jesus said, "Everything is possible for him who believes" (Mk 9:23, NIV). And on another occasion He said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." (Mk 10:27, NIV). Therefore, God still has the power to heal the sick and do anything He likes, even reversing entropy. And those who believe in Jesus are still able to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, but often times we limit Him by our own unbelief.

For more on healing the sick, please see my article The Power of God to Heal.

Drinking Deadly Poison Without Harm
Another example of defying entropy is drinking deadly poison with no ill effects. Jesus said that one of the signs that would follow those who believe in Him is that if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them (Mar 16:17-18). This does not mean we are to be presumptuous and try drinking deadly poison to see what will happen. But if per chance we drink it, He promised that it would not hurt us. This is obviously impossible without God, since deadly poison causes death when it enters the human body.

For those who think that this Scripture is spurious and that we do not see it happening today where Christians are unharmed by deadly poison, let me share just one example of a case in point where it happened fairly recently. My brother and dear friend Michael Sambo, who is a preacher in Nigeria, was captured by Boko Haram terrorists while traveling on ministry. After they had already killed another one of their captives, who was lying dead right there beside him, they blindfolded him and made him drink poison. He drank it and suffered no ill effects, which proves that the passage in Mark 16 is true, and the power of God is able to defy entropy.

More than one of the terrorists also shot at him with assault rifles at close range while standing in front of him, but even though he heard the sound of the guns, none of the bullets touched him. In fact, God sent an angel to help him escape, just as He did for the apostle Peter when he was in prison. There are witnesses to corroborate his story, and I know him to be an honest man. Since this incident occurred, he has visited me and eaten in my home in the US, along with one of the witnesses, and I know that he would certainly not lie about this. For the full story, please see my article, Angelic Escape from Terrorist Assassins.

Raising the Dead
Jesus also raised the dead during His earthly ministry. There are many examples of this.

One example is when He raised the twelve-year old daughter of Jairus the synagogue official from the dead. The man had asked Jesus to come and lay His hand upon the girl, who was sick, so that she would be healed. But by the time Jesus arrived, she was already dead and people were mourning. Scripture says:

"Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, 'Talitha kum!' (which translated means, 'Little girl, I say to you, get up!'). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded." (Mar 5:41-42)

He also raised others from the dead like the son of the widowed woman (Lk 7:11-17), who was in a coffin, and Lazarus who had been in the tomb for four days (Jn 11:38-44). In the case of Lazarus, his body was already starting to stink from decomposition, but when he came forth at the command of Jesus and they removed the grave cloths, he was perfectly well.

And Jesus commissioned His disciples to do the same thing. He said, "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." (Mt 10:8, NIV). The apostle Peter also raised Dorcas from the dead (Ac 9:36-42), and the apostle Paul raised Eutychus (Ac 20:7-12). If there was ever a perfect example of reversing the effects of entropy, raising the dead is one of them. 

Resurrection of Christ

Then there’s Jesus’ resurrection, which is the greatest example of all. If you want to talk about reversing entropy, just consider how He was raised from the dead. He had been beaten beyond recognition. His face was disfigured (Is 52:14). He had been scourged so much that the flesh on His back was ripped open and in shreds. He was nailed to the cross (Mt 27:35) and was left to hang there for six hours until He gave up His Spirit. His disciples took down His body, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in a tomb. But His body did not see decay.

The apostle Paul said, "God raised Him from the dead so that He will never be subject to decay. As God has said, ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ So it is also stated elsewhere: ‘You will not let your holy one see decay.’ Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay." (Ac 13:34-37, NIV).

Putting it All Together
Since this world and the universe and all that is in them are subject to the second law of thermodynamics, they are in a state of gradual decline. There is entropy on every side -- physical entropy, mental entropy, social entropy, and even moral entropy. One thing you can count on is that entropy is not on your side. It's a bad thing, not a good thing.

Thanks be to God that Jesus Christ is the risen Savior of the world, who has brought the kingdom of heaven near to us. It is now at hand, and His disciples who believe in Him can and do receive power from His Holy Spirit to reverse the effects of entropy in specific instances right here on earth. This includes healing, miracles, casting out demons, drinking deadly poison without any ill effects, and even raising the dead. Those who have received the gift of eternal life through faith in Christ will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus, where there is no disorder or decay. That's good news for mankind. Repent, therefore, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Attribution notice: Scripture taken from the NASB, copyright the Lockman Foundation. Other Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV where noted. Images used according to Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like reading The Kingdom of God is Like This, Baptized with the Spirit, The Power of God to Heal, The Role of Demons, The Cause of Disease, Demonology 101, The Link Between Two Realms, To Sin or Not to Sin, The Land Mourns in the Last Days, The End Time Plagues, Wars and Rumors of Wars, Cosmic Rays Intensifying, Fukusima Daiichi Nuclea Disaster, The Contractions Are Coming Closer and Closer Together, Something's Going on in 2013, and Something's Going on in 2018. Here is a link to the audio recording of Angels Singing in China. For more articles like this one, please see the Home Page of this blog. You can also find my complete collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

A Biblical View of the Poor

A prosperity preacher once told me that poverty is a curse. He said, "Deuteronomy 28:1-68 reveals that poverty is a curse of the Law of Sin and Death.  Galatians 3:13, 14 and 29 reveals (as you know) that Christ has redeemed us from every curse of the Law, having been made a curse for us.  He did this that the blessings of Abraham might come upon believers in Christ in abundance.  Abraham did not suffer in poverty.  Rather, he was a wealthy man whom God made even more wealthy because of his obedience to God. (Genesis chapters 12-17)." This preacher went on to say, "Poverty is to be resisted by the believer and never accepted.  It is the thief who came to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus came that we might have life more abundantly and poverty is not abundance of life.  (John 10:10). Poverty is a hot-house where fear, anger and frustration grows."

That all sounds very logical, it does contain some valuable truths, and there are numerous Scriptures given to support that doctrine, but let's examine the Scriptures ourselves and see if all these statements are really true.

Is Poverty a Curse?
According to the Law of Moses, prosperity is a blessing for those who obey the Lord's commandments. He said, "All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God..." (Deu 28:2). Then the Lord goes on to declare the wonderful blessings of prosperity for His obedient children. He says you will be blessed in the city and in the country (28:3), blessed in your basket, blessed in your kneading bowl (28:5), blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out (28:6). He says, "The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you put your hand to, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you. The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways." (Deu 28:8-9). He goes on to say He will make you abound in prosperity (28:11), and make you the head and not the tail (28:13). Therefore, He is very clear that prosperity is a blessing for His holy and obedient people.

Then the Lord describes the curses that will come upon His children if they do not obey His commandments. The curses are just the opposite of the blessings. He says you will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country (28:16), cursed in your basket and cursed in your kneading bowl (28:17), cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out (28:19). He says you will borrow from the alien, and he will be the head while you will be the tale. He promises sickness and disease. destruction and defeat, as well as rebuke and retreat. He says, "If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses. He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you. Also every sickness and every plague which, not written in the book of this law, the LORD will bring on you until you are destroyed." (Deu 28:58-61). Therefore, He is very clear that poverty is a curse for disobedient people, who do not obey everything written in the book of the Law. Poverty is the ruin of the poor (Prov 10:15)

Delivered from the Curse
According to the apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians, Christ has redeemed us from every curse of the Law, having been made a curse for us. He said, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, 'CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE' — in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Gal 3:13-14).

The reason why the blessing of Abraham has come to the Gentiles in Christ is so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith, not so we could be wealthy Christians.

As it is written in the book of Acts, Paul also taught through Christ and His forgiveness of our sins when we repent and put our faith in Him, we are freed from all the things that you could not be free from under the Law. He said, "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses." (Act 13:38-39)

Praise the Lord that we are free from all that! Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (Joh 8:32). He also said, "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (Joh 8:36). That's good news, people.

Abundant Life

It is not God who comes to steal and destroy, it is the devil. Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (Joh 10:10). The Lord still promises abundant life for those who truly follow and obey Him. So if anything is being stolen from you or destroyed, that comes from the devil. It is possible that somehow he has gained permission to do so in your life.

In Job's trials, we know it was the devil who was killing and destroying, but God was permitting him to do it (Job 1:11; 2:5). Yet Job said, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21b). He acknowledged that it was the Lord who had given and the Lord who had taken away, and He praised God for it. For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things, to Him be the glory forever (Rom 11:36). The Scripture is also very clear that Job was a blameless and upright man, who feared God and turned away from evil (Job 1:8), and it says that in all this he did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing (Job 1:22). His great losses were not due to some sin in his life as his counselors may have implied.

Therefore, if you are not experiencing wealthiness right now as a believer in Christ, don't let anyone make you feel badly for it. Jesus said that a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luk 12:15). He did not say that abundant life or "life to the full" necessarily includes being rich in the earthly sense like Abraham.

We Are Abraham's Descendants

As followers of Jesus, we are Abraham's descendants. Paul said, "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise." (Gal 3:29). God truly did prosper Abraham greatly, and he became wealthy. For those who obediently follow Jesus, the Word certainly does promise that my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19).

Treasures in Heaven
If you follow Jesus obediently, however, He does not promise that you will be wealthy on earth. There is no place in Scripture where Jesus said, "Come follow Me and I will give you earthly riches." But you will store up treasures in heaven and receive an eternal reward that far outweighs all your sufferings for Christ.

I think the proper focus needs to be on the eternal rewards and not on becoming wealthy here on earth. We fix our eyes on what is unseen, not on what is seen. For the things that are seen are temporary, but he unseen things are eternal (2 Cor 4:18).

Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mat 6:19-21)

Should We Resist Poverty?

The prosperity preachers teach that we must always resist poverty. I do not necessarily agree with that teaching, especially since there is not one verse in the Bible that says to do so. Let me explain what I mean.

If you are poor, you should seek to understand the reason for it. You should also ask the Lord to search your heart and ensure that there is nothing in your life that would open a door for these things. It is possible that you are bringing it upon yourself. The analogy I could give you to help you understand what I mean is this: If you are committing fornication and you develop a sexually transmitted disease, don't blame it on the devil. He is the one that brought it, but you opened the door up for him by your own disobedience. Therefore, what you should do is repent of the sin that brought the disease.

But what if you are born again, following Jesus, living in obedience to the Lord to the best of your knowledge and ability, keeping a good conscience, and you are still experiencing lack in your life? Does that mean you are cursed? I don't think so. I think you should keep praying the Lord would deliver you and provide for you and your family, just as you should keep praying the Lord would heal you if you are sick. Then expect Him to do it. He is faithful and keeps all His promises.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Php 4:6-7)

Giving Thanks in All Things

Can you rejoice and give thanks in the midst of poverty and afflictions? Yes, you definitely can! Paul said, "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1Th 5:16-18). Rejoicing is not only for the good times, but for the bad times, too. And you should not only give thanks when everything is going well, but even when it's not. If you are experiencing trials, afflictions, and even the test of poverty, you can be thankful for them all. Thankfulness is evidence of a Spirit-filled life, and there is no law against it (Gal 5:23), so nobody can tell you not to thank the Lord for your poverty nor stop you from thanking Him in the midst of it.

Let me be clear that this does not mean you like your hardships or difficulties, but that you are thankful to God for them. You should rejoice and be thankful, because He has always been faithful to care for and provide for His obedient children. You should thank Him for all the ways He has blessed you in the past and all the ways He is still blessing you, even in the midst of your trials. You can thank the Lord, because you know that He will use these things for good. "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Rom 8:28). You can thank the Lord, because He can and will cause everything in your life to work together for good, if you love God and are called according to His purpose. 

You can be sure that He will mold you and shape you to make you more like Jesus in the midst of your trials, regardless of what they are. We cannot say that God won't perfect you in the midst of any particular trials. He can do all things, and we can give thanks in all things. As James said, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (Jas 1:2-4) The end result is that you will be lacking nothing.

You will be able to say with David, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." (Ps 23:1-2). You will not have want of anything or lack anything. You shall have everything you need. As David said, "I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread." (Psa 37:25)

David's Poverty

While it is true that David never saw the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread, he did experience poverty in his own life personally. Prior to marrying Saul's daughter Michal, David said that he was a poor man and lightly esteemed (1Sa 18:23). In his psalms, David said, "But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay." (Ps 40:17).

"This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles." (Ps 34:6)

Also "For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me." (Ps 109:42)

And "But as for me, I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; LORD, do not delay." (Ps 70:5)

There is no reference in Scripture to David's poverty being due to any curse. In fact, the Bible says he was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). We know that he cried out to the Lord in his poverty for the Lord to help and deliver him, and that's what we should do.

Poverty in the New Testament
I also see poverty throughout the New Testament, and it is not called a curse. The story was told of the poor widow and she was not spoken of as accursed, but as one very dear to the heart of God who gave more than all the others who put in great sums of money.

"For they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on." (Mar 12:44; cf., Luk 21:4). This woman's story has been told throughout the world over the last two thousand years, and shows that you can still bring glory to God even though you are poor. Don't let anyone tell you, as that prosperity preacher said to me, that if you are poor you are not a very good poster child for Jesus. Moreover, the passage about that woman's act of generosity also shows us that it is not the amount you give, but how much it is in comparison to what you have left. God loves a cheerful giver. And those who are poor should practice giving also.

However, when the Lord encountered the poor, He did not tell them that poverty is a curse or tell them they were under a curse. That does not mean they weren't, but if they were, He never mentioned it. And He didn't tell them that if they gave Him their money that they would become rich.

When He met the blind beggar by the roadside on the way to Jericho, He did not lecture him about his need to "resist the curse of poverty." Rather He healed his blindness, so that he could see. "Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God." (Lk 18:43, NIV). The people did not praise God because the blind man became wealthy when he followed Jesus. Rather, they praised God because he was miraculously healed of blindness.

Jesus Himself was poor. Though He was rich He became poor, so that through His poverty, you might become rich (2 Cor 8:9). First, this does not mean, as some prosperity preachers may say, that you are going to become a rich person on earth if you become a Christian. Rather, we are supposed to follow in His steps (1 Pe 2:21). As that hymn says, "How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Savior, stepping in the light." Remember how Jesus taught us that a servant is not greater than his master (Joh 15:20). Secondly, His becoming poor was not a curse, it was part of His humiliation for our sake. The reason He became a curse, as Paul said in Galatians 3:13, was that He was hanged on a tree, which was the cross. 

Joseph and Mary were poor, and look at how the Lord used them. We know they were poor, because when their days of purification were completed and they presented baby Jesus in the temple, they gave the alternate offering for Mary's cleansing that was designated in the Law. Those who were too poor to afford a Lamb could bring either two doves or two young pigeons, and that is what they offered in place of a Lamb (Luke 2:22-24; Lev 12:8).

The Macedonians were extremely poor and Paul did not label them as accursed or say their poverty was a curse, but commended them for their giving. He said, "That in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality." (2Co 8:2). Paul did not try to propose a plan for them to become prosperous, but rejoiced in their generosity despite their poverty.

The Twelve apostles left all they had to follow Jesus (Luke 18:28). Peter said to the lame beggar at the Gate Beautiful, "Silver and gold have I none..." (Ac 3:6a, KJV). Even the apostle Paul himself knew what it was to experience poverty. He said, "To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless;" (1Co 4:11). He said, "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." (Phil 4:12). He had experienced hunger, homelessness, thirst, and want, as well as times of plenty and being well fed. Yet nothing is mentioned of him being under a curse during his times of want. The focus was on how he had learned the secret of contentment. That's what I am talking about: we need to be content in whatever our circumstances and still thank the Lord in the midst of all things.

In the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, the apostle tells of those who were destitute in their walk of faith. He says, "And others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect." (Heb 11:36-40). Please note that they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. Does that sound to you like they were wealthy? No, but they gained God's approval for their faith.

The Lord also spoke to the church of Smyrna with regard to their poverty and never said a word about their being accursed or being under a curse of poverty. Rather He said they were rich in God's sight. "I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." (Rev 2:9).

On the other hand when He spoke to the Laodicean church, which was wealthy, He rebuked them.

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." (Rev 3:14-19)

The Lord called upon the wealthy Laodicean church to repent. They did not realize that in God's sight they were wretched and poor. They were wealthy in the natural, but poor in God's sight. He counseled them to buy from Him gold refined in the fire, so they might become rich. This is the same message for the wealthy church today in the Laodicean age that we live in. If you don't believe me, then listen to the testimony of Howard Pittman in my article, Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies.

I think that the key is learning to be content when we are in need and hungry, just as we would be if we were well fed and living in plenty. Our faith is tested during times of poverty, but prosperity can be an even greater test. In plenty, people often crave for more and are never satisfied. They can also forget God. The Scriptures warn against the very real danger of forgetting God in the midst of your abundance (Deut 8:11-17).

Agur the son of Jakeh wrote, "Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God." (Pro 30:7-9)

A dear friend of mine, who made a good income for fifty years and always gave generously to others, is now living in poverty as an elderly man and his wife is struggling to support them by supplementing his Social Security with her job. I don't consider him to be under any curse. I don't understand it, but I don't tell him he is under a curse. He put others ahead of himself and took care of them without regard for his own future on earth. He had faith and trusted the Lord to take care of him. He is a blessed man who has stored up great riches in heaven and is now very close to the time when he will go to his eternal reward.

Blessed Are the Poor 
Let's remember that one of the beatitudes is the blessedness of being poor. The Lord said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mat 5:3). This beatitude of poor-spiritedness has more than one application for our lives, including humility, brokenness, and contriteness of spirit. But yet another application is that of being contentedly poor. In order to best explain this, let me quote the words of a seventeenth century preacher and Bible commentator named Matthew Henry. He is perhaps my favorite commentator, and perhaps was the favorite of John Wesley, judging by the way he quoted his works. After I had already published this article, I decided to read Henry's view on being poor in spirit, and found that his comments confirmed what I believe and have already written in this article. Henry wrote the following regarding the first beatitude:

"The poor in spirit are happy, Mat 5:3. There is a poor-spiritedness that is so far from making men blessed that it is a sin and a snare - cowardice and base fear, and a willing subjection to the lusts of men. But this poverty of spirit is a gracious disposition of soul, by which we are emptied of self, in order to [have] our being filled with Jesus Christ. To be poor in spirit is, 1. To be contentedly poor, willing to be emptied of worldly wealth, if God orders that to be our lot; to bring our mind to our condition, when it is a low condition. Many are poor in the world, but high in spirit, poor and proud, murmuring and complaining, and blaming their lot, but we must accommodate ourselves to our poverty, must know how to be abased, Php_4:12. Acknowledging the wisdom of God in appointing us to poverty, we must be easy in it, patiently bear the inconveniences of it, be thankful for what we have, and make the best of that which is. It is to sit loose to all worldly wealth, and not set our hearts upon it, but cheerfully to bear losses and disappointments which may befall us in the most prosperous state. It is not, in pride or pretence, to make ourselves poor, by throwing away what God has given us, especially as those in the church of Rome, who vow poverty, and yet engross the wealth of the nations; but if we be rich in the world we must be poor in spirit, that is, we must condescend to the poor and sympathize with them, as being touched with the feeling of their infirmities; we must expect and prepare for poverty; must not inordinately fear or shun it, but must bid it welcome, especially when it comes upon us for keeping a good conscience, Heb_10:34. Job was poor in spirit, when he blessed God in taking away, as well as giving."

This is Henry's first definition of being poor in spirit, although he did give others, such as humility, brokenness, and contrition, as I have already mentioned.

For those who prefer to interpret this beatitude in a figurative sense, let me remind you that in Luke's gospel, it says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." (Lk 6:20, NIV). Here in this instance the Lord clearly said that the poor are blessed, and He meant it for those who are literally poor. He did not say, "Cursed are the poor," but rather said they are blessed, and taught that the kingdom of God belongs to the poor. In this same context, He also said, "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied." (Lk 6:21a, NIV). We know that He meant those who are literally hungry, which is often a part of being poor. Afterward, He pronounced woes upon those who are rich and well-fed now in this life (Lk 6:24-25). This passage gives us a clear picture of God's view of the poor. True teaching such as this about the poor and the rich is missing from the pulpits today, amidst all the talk about prosperity.

The False Gospel of Prosperity
I also believe that the modern, so-called "prosperity gospel" is a false gospel and has done a great deal of harm around the world. It fuels greed, feeds pride, and works against the formation of godly character. The souls of those who have spread that message are in danger, if they don't repent and amend their ways. If they want to teach about something that must be resisted, they should teach God's people to resist the devil (Jas 4:7) and to resist the temptation to sin (Mat 6:13; Lk 22:40; 1 Cor 6:18), such as covetousness, pride, worldlinesss, and ungodliness (Lk 12:15; Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 5:16; Tit 2:12; Jas 1:27; 4:10; 1 Joh 2:15-16). For more on this topic, please read my articles, What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, Wisdom for Wealthy Preachers, and The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness.

I see many warnings about the dangers of riches in Scripture, but not as many warnings about the curse of poverty. The warnings about poverty seem to be warning us about the things that can lead to poverty, such as disobedience to God's commandments, stinginess, robbing God by withholding tithes and offerings, drunkenness, gluttony, loving pleasure, chasing fantasies, laziness, idleness, refusing to work, drowsiness, loving sleep, lack of diligence, lack of discipline, and lack of judgment. One form of lacking judgment that leads to poverty is to live above your means. I think most people know that poverty is no fun, and they are not consciously seeking to be poor. It is more likely that if they become poor, it will probably not be because they intentionally sought for it. While we have the passage in Deuteronomy about the curse of poverty, the emphasis in Scripture is not that we must resist poverty. Rather the emphasis is on making sure you are not living your life in such a way that is displeasing to God, since you could unknowingly be bringing poverty on yourself by those things, such as I mentioned above.

Certainly God does want you to be a success in everything you put your hand to, but let's be sure that we understand the meaning of success in God's eyes. It does not mean being rich. For more on that topic, please see my article, Success in God's Eyes.

The Poor Are Dear to God's Heart

Quite contrary to the way that prosperity teachers emphasize the cursed nature of poverty, and the blessedness of riches, we find that the poor are very dear to the heart of God. Let's look at some of those passages.

Jesus said He came to preach the gospel to the poor. He said, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." (Luk 4:18-19)

In fact, preaching the good news to the poor was one of the signs that Jesus was the expected Messiah. "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.'" (Mat 11:4-5)

Notice that the evidence that Jesus was the Messiah did not include preaching to the rich. Although He did preach to them, too. Part of the Lord's message to the rich is not to love money and to give to the poor! Jesus said to the rich man, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (Mat 19:21; cf. Mk 10:21; Lk 18:22). Jesus taught not only the rich but all of us to give to the poor, and said it is an act of righteousness before God (Mat 6:2-4).

When Zacchaeus the tax collector became a follower of Jesus, he gave half his possessions to the poor (Lk 19:8). This and the other fruits of repentance that he demonstrated were proof to the Lord Jesus that salvation had come to his house and that he had become a child of Abraham (Lk 19:9).

The Lord taught us to invite the poor into our homes. "But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Luk 14:13-14). The emphasis was on being repaid at the resurrection, not in this life.

The Lord told the true story of a rich man in hell and a poor beggar in Abraham's bosom. On earth, the rich man had lived in luxury every day while Lazarus the poor man had sat at his gate begging. "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom." (Luk 16:22-23)

Notice that it was the poor man who went to his reward with Abraham and the rich man who went to hell. If the poor man was under a curse, it was certainly not the point the Lord chose to emphasize.

The apostle Paul said that the apostles and elders in Jerusalem asked him to remember the poor, which is what he himself was eager to do. "They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do." (Gal 2:10). Job also rescued the poor who cried for help (Job 29:12), and his soul grieved for them (Job 30:25). 

Yet human nature is to show favoritism to the rich, because of evil motives, and to look down upon the poor. James warned about this when he wrote, "For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' and you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,' have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?" (Jas 2:2-6)

James emphasized that God chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him. So why do the prosperity preachers emphasize the evil nature of poverty and the blessedness of wealth? Because they think that godliness is a means to financial gain (1 Tim 6:5).

The Bible says we will always have the poor with us. "For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.'" (Deu 15:11) And Jesus also said this. "For you always have the poor with you..."(Mat 26:11)

The poor are hated by their neighbors (Prov 14:20), shunned by their relatives, and avoided by their friends (Prov 19:7), but God cares for the poor and raises them out of poverty. "He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He set the world on them." (1Sa 2:8; cf. Ps 113:7). Though everyone else forsakes the poor, God will not forsake them (Is 41:17).

"He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight;" (Psa 72:13-14)

God takes it personally when the poor are mistreated or shown kindness. "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." (Prov 14:31; cf., 17:5, NIV). Scripture says, "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done." (Prov 19:17, NIV).

Jesus also said that whatever you do for the least of these His brethren, you have done it unto Him. 

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'" (Mat 25:31-40)

That means that how you treat a person who is poor, hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, or in prison, is how you treat Jesus. You are doing it to Him, because He identifies with them, just as it is written all throughout the Scriptures.

One time during a worship meeting, my youngest daughter, who was nine years old at the time, testified that the Lord had spoken to her during her quiet time that morning.  She said, "While I was in prayer, I asked the Lord to speak to me.  So I waited and I heard, 'Go out and minister.' I asked, 'How, Lord?'  He said, 'Psalm 82.' When we looked up that psalm, we found that it was about ministering to the poor.

For example it says, "Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked." (Psa 82:3-4). This once again shows God's love and compassion for the poor and needy.

Indeed the righteous care about justice for the poor (Prov 29:7). And "The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor." (Prov 22:9, NIV)

Yet the solemn warning still remains for the rich who ignore the poor:

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you." (Jas 5:1-6)

The Bible says, "Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses." (Prov 28:27, NIV).

Therefore, seeing how dear the poor are to the heart of God, is it better to be rich or poor? It depends. Solomon said, "Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is crooked though he be rich." (Pro 28:6), and "better to be poor than a liar." (Pro 19:22). You see, sometimes it is better to be poor. What good does it do you to be rich, if you are a crooked liar and lose your own soul? As Jesus said, "What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Mk 8:36, NIV)

Jesus Appears to a Homeless Man
Just to help you see God's heart for the poor, let me share with you a very interesting video about how Jesus appeared to a homeless man and told the man He is coming very, very, very, very, very, very very soon.  This testimony was told to me in October 2007, while I was on a missions trip to Bulgaria, by sister Marina Dimitrova, who is a friend of mine and the Director of Operation Reach All (ORA International) in Bulgaria. Please see Jesus is Coming Very Soon Part I and Jesus is Coming Very Soon Part II.

Putting it All Together

As you can see, there is definite biblical support for much of what the prosperity preacher said to me, which I mentioned in the opening of this article. Poverty is one of the curses of the Law for the disobedient. All who are in Christ are delivered from the curse of the Law. We are Abraham's descendants, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. In Him we are forgiven, and we are freed from all the things we could not be freed from under the Law of Moses, including every curse. We now have abundant life in Christ. We have the promise that He will supply all our needs. 

However, in the midst of poverty, we can still give thanks, because we should give thanks in all things. As the old hymn says, "Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done." Then trust God and obey Him, and He will see you through. If the Lord is your Shepherd, you shall lack nothing. You will have treasures in heaven, but He didn't promise you would be wealthy in the world's eyes. Those who lay up riches for themselves on earth and ignore the poor are in danger of perishing like the rich man in hell. We should be eager to remember the poor and give to them. 

God loves the poor and cares for them. Their blood is precious in His sight. He sees when they are oppressed, hears their cry, and comes to their rescue. He takes it personally when others mistreat them. Whatever we have done for one of the least of these, we have done it unto Jesus. God blesses those who help the needy.

Jesus, whose steps we are supposed to walk in, was poor and needy. And so were David, Joseph and Mary, and the widow who gave her last penny. Lazarus the beggar was poor. So were Paul and the Twelve apostles, and the church in Smyrna, whom the Lord encouraged by telling them they were rich. The focus in Scripture is always on the eternal, heavenly reward that awaits us, not on temporal, earthly wealth.

We must be poor in spirit, emptied of self and filled with Jesus Christ. We must be contentedly poor, willing to be emptied of worldly wealth, if God orders that for our lives. We must accommodate ourselves to our poverty, must know how to be abased, acknowledging the wisdom of God in appointing us to poverty; we must be at ease in it. We must not set our hearts upon worldly wealth, but cheerfully endure losses and disappointments. We must anticipate and prepare for poverty. That does not mean we fear or shun it, but welcome it, especially when it comes upon us for doing God's will.

If you are following Jesus Christ obediently as your Lord and Savior, and you are poor and needy, He says that you are blessed and the kingdom of God belongs to you. Please know that you are in good company. You are among the ranks of many other saints in ages past who have gone down the same road, as well as countless believers throughout the world who are presently undergoing the same kind of sufferings. But know that you are storing up riches in heaven where neither rust nor moth corrupt. The Lord cares for you and says, "You are rich." His eye is on the sparrow, and you can be sure He watches over you. You are worth more than many sparrows (Mat 10:29-30). Continue to cry out to Him and He will deliver you. Remember the parable of the persistent widow. Jesus said, "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Lk 18:7-8, NIV)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible -- NIV.  Photos are subject to copyright, used according to the Fair Use Act that allows copyrighted images to be used for educational and commentary purposes.

Author's note: I also recommend reading God's Supernatural Provision Using People, The Lord Will Rescue You, What's Wrong with the Prosperity Gospel?, Wisdom for Wealthy Preachers and Prosperity Teachers, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Is Tithing Required for Christians?, House of Idleness, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Nine Divine Revelations, Better a Little, Success in God's Eyes, The Afflictions of the Righteous, Hidden Treasures, God Chooses the Weak Things, The Cost of Discipleship, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, What is That in Your Hand?, The Kingdom of God is Like This, Multiplication, Multiplication Illustrations, ans The Beauty of Brokenness. More of my articles about the Kingdom of God may be found on the Home page of this blog. You can also find my complete collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.