The rich and poor have this in common: the Lord made them both. (Proverbs 22:2)You look at people that have everything. They have cars and houses, they travel on their own jets, they go where they want when they want and always have plenty of money to do so.
And many times because of it, they are vain and arrogant, feeling a sense of entitlement, they are captains of their own industry and masters of their own universe. Or so they seem.
Then there are people who have serious trouble just making ends meet. They work hard, yet never have the money to even pay doctor bills. Their idea of travel is to go to a neighboring city to go to the mall or maybe to the beach.
Two more different people there could not be, yet God made both of them.
And you wonder, why didn’t he make me like the rich ones?
Many times they are rich through no real effort of their own. Maybe they are actors who just happened to be in a hit movie. Even though they are no better than any other actor, they got a big break and it made them rich. Other, more talented actors still struggle on.
Maybe they inherited a lot of money. Their parents worked hard and achieved the American dream and then left all their money to a little spoiled girl who thinks it is her right to be wealthy, who spends her days in absolute waste, almost mocking the parents who made her rich by their endowment.
Maybe it is a politician who got rich off the people he was supposed to serve. And maybe it is someone who truly worked hard and earned their riches through both talent and tenacity.
And maybe the poor person is poor through no fault of their own. They are just as hard a worker as the rich person. They may be as talented or more so than the actor or musician, but were not in the right place at the right time.
Maybe they had their money taken from them by someone who was wealthy.
But the hard thing to notice is that God made them both. Both came from the hand of God.
God did not make the greed or the oppressive spirit, but God made the person.
And it is hard to realize that they both are the same down deep. Both want happiness, both want fulfillment, both want love.
It is really sad to see famous movie stars, men and women who are loved and adored by millions who cannot keep a relationship. There are millions who would give anything just to spend a little while in their presence, yet they cannot stay married and are, according to the tabloids, of course, constantly in pain from betrayal and desertion by others who are equally famous and adored.
Both are children of God. But the only ones, rich or poor, who are happy, are those who have locked their lives into God, who have allowed him control. When they do this, both display the love and mercy of God.
Without it, both are also similar in that they are miserable. No matter how rich you are, without God you are miserable. And no matter how poor you are,. With God you are happy.
I read an article recently that said that the rich and the poor share an attribute. The poorer you are, the less likely you are to go to church. And the richer you are, the same.
Both come from God and both react basically the same. Both tend to be wrapped up in themselves.
And both desperately need God.
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