A faithful daily podcast listener named Joe writes in to say this, dear friends, thank you

for the gift of your ministry through these short reflections they have been an encouragement

and a blessing and a spur to see God and rejoice in Him more in my life.

Here is my question, Pastor John, do you have any encouragement for those who by sin or

by circumstances face a lifetime in unrewarding, insecure and low paid work or who foresee a

lifetime of poverty ahead of them?

Perhaps particularly for those of us who are over the age of 30.

Yes, massive encouragement.

I mean, frankly, once upon a time and probably in most places in the world today, that's

normal Christianity.

In the West, we're wealthy.

Many of us, that is, food is on our table, roof is over our head, there may be a car in

the driveway, there's a refrigerator, there's medical help, good night, we, we, the middle

class America people are wealthy by all historical standards, but it has not been that way.

And so the Bible is written with massive encouragement to the poor.

And so let me give you some encouragement.

Christ became poor and he identified with the poor, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9.

He did it so that we might become rich, but he means rich in spiritual resources there

first and wealth at the end of the age.

Blessed are you poor.

That's Luke's version of the Beatitude, not just blessed are you who are poor in spirit.

Luke said, blessed are you who are poor.

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